Collin MUN

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We asked Jareck to share a part of his story, how he ended up in Model UN and why he's taking a gap year. Jareck first heard about MUN at Collin College in the summer of 2016 while taking Professor Iwanek’s U.S. Government class, he said he knew deep down the type of academic challenge he was looking for. During his first semester on the team Jareck recalls what his first true challenge was. He stated “ I knew I was going to be challenged but I wasn’t expecting to have my ego checked.” While Jareck was well read and had great public speaking skills, we quickly saw is him relying too much on what we call the “Bill Clinton effect” (the p.c. term for b.s ). Jareck goes on to say “ I remember Professor Iwanek calling me out on my “Bill Clinton” approach and telling me that it’s a great skill to have, I just shouldn’t be leading with it. She also told me to checked my ego telling me there’s a difference between having confidence verses having an ego.   In Spring of 2017, Jareck earned another spot on our MUN team, the spot as one fo the Head Delegates on our team and he was selected to represent our team on the Security Council ( this was the first time Collin was given the privilege!) Jareck went on to say “Prof. Iwanek, my team and especially the other Head Delegates knocked the cockiness out of me, teaching me the importance of teamwork and how to work with different personalities” While in Collin’s MUN program Jareck contributed to our Fall 2016 Honourable Mention Delegation for representing the Democratic Republic of the Congo and for our Spring of 2017 team, Jareck was instrumental in leading, supporting and motivating the larger team that represented Liechtenstein earning us a Distinguished Delegation award After graduating from Collin College Jareck went on to attend Stephen F Austin on a ROTC scholarship majoring in History and minoring in Military Science. Jareck was asked about the skills that Model UN taught him and he said “ MUN Improved my technical writing, verbal communication and definitely my leadership skills”. My time at Collin College and especially on the Model UN team inspired me to further my education and it definitely had a profound impact on me obtaining my bachelors.” While at SFA Jareck said that MUN prepared him for “…leadership roles in ROTC - lead my peers overseas and giving me the tools I needed to effectively plan more than 24 events and eventually commissioning as a 2LT (2nd Lieutenant) officer in the Army National Guard.”
 When we asked Jareck why he was talking a gap year he expressed that his reasoning was to continue furthering his military training, gain work experience and he is also in the process of attaining his teacher certification. Jareck went onto say “ there’s often this social stigma about taking a gap year, as if it’s something bad.” He continued to say that whatever his next step is, he needed the time to “get out there,” both make and save money and put in some “boots on the ground work.” Finally he said “I want to take the time to figure out if I want to continue to finishing my MPA, apply a top tier school for my MBA or pursue my passion for teaching. All of these choices are a huge investment and by taking a step back and getting some experience and perspective I know I’ll feel more confident in whatever my next step is.” Jareck, we couldn’t be more proud of who you are and who are you growing into. You remain an amazing role model and we are confident you’ll bring everything you have to whichever path you take. 😊 https://www.instagram.com/p/B8rLx0ogybu/?igshid=2d0djd6oejxg

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We apologize for the delay in posting about our 3 former MUN students and sharing with you why they are taking a gap year! In the meantime here are a couple of ADORABLE photos of Kesuk (pronounced Kay-sook) modeling our spring 2017 MUN team sweatshirt. He had over 15 team shirts to choose from and this he felt showed off his personality and figure the best 😎🐾🐾 As you can see he loves fashion, the camera, model UN and the camera!!! #nmun #husky #huskylove https://www.instagram.com/p/B8O6E-dhJq2/?igshid=19p1ay7yzhq7a

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Before we highlight our three former Model UN students regarding their gap year journey, I (Professor S. Iwanek) wanted to take the time to share something personal that Rory, Nisa and Jareck did for me. In April of 2017 I underwent major reconstructive jaw surgery, sinus lift and bone grafting (resulting in a 6 hour surgery). The day before my surgery the hospital called me to inform me that I had to pay $5,000 upfront in order to have the surgery. At no point was I told about this...to say I was upset is an understatement! I did manage to negotiate with the hospital to put down $500 but, the rest had to be paid within 3 weeks. What happened next, was (and still is) hands down one of the most profound moments of my life. Rory, Nisa and Jareck decided to create a GoFundMe account to help me out. I actually didn’t know anything about this until after my surgery and it still chokes me up thinking about it. The reached out to all of my former MUN students, friends, faculty and because of their initiative, compassion and commitment I was able to pay the hospital and the additional/surprise medical bills. When friends, fellow faculty and others ask me why I do Model UN, the list of my “Why’s” grows longer and longer each year and Rory, Nisa and Jareck have absolutely contributed to some of my most profound “whys” Since all three of them have graduated from Collin College they have continued to ask for my guidance, asked me to read essays and letter of recommendations and for advice regarding their next steps. I couldn’t be more proud for who they each are and who they are growing into. Ubuntu Rory, Nisa and Jareck - your former Professor , your always mentor and now, your forever friend. Prof Iwanek @marc_muheya3 you are also loved and appreciated and I’m certain your support was in there too... we all know the strong silent and kind human you are! https://www.instagram.com/p/B783dmygNA8/?igshid=ri90inq4ygd4

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Something For Students to Consider

Students often find themselves feeling pressured to get through school as quickly as possible assuming the faster they get their degree the faster they will get to “that job”. This is often compounded by societal pressures to finish school in a predetermined amount of time and when things start taking longer students start saying they are “behind.” Whenever a student tells me they are “behind” where they should be in school and/or in life, my first question to them is “what is this timeline that you’re referring too?” A part of me is of course being facetious but the other/larger part of me is wanting them to question this timeline they think they are on; who established this timeline? How realistic is this predetermined timeline to them and their current situation?  Being driven, pushing forward and having goals are all absolutely important, but what if more students embraced different timelines? What if more students were encouraged to design the type of timeline that does not reinforce the concept of being “behind” or  where they “should be” but one that encourages the possibility of multiple stops and detours as something positive. 

 When I first bring this up to students many agree that it sounds good, but most are still either hesitant or even resistant. And let’s face it, this completely makes sense given how much emphasis is placed on this predetermined timeline (and for many it starts before they get into high school!) So, how does a students assess if this predetermined timeline is right for them? Much like everything else, this has to be an individual assessment (I cannot emphasize this enough!). When should students do this? This also needs to be approached on an individual basis but any student (and literally at ANY point) can at least assess/think about where they are and what is  best for them as an individual. Also, at any point students can gather the information, explore options, and consider their own situation as well as their own goals. Easier said than done I know! I know it can be unsettling (to say the least) for students to start taking/pursuing  a different path than what has been

As stated earlier, it is exceptionally important for students to understand there isn’t one way to challenge a timeline, nor is there only one path to take as you navigate through school and life. I think it goes without saying (but the teacher in me will say it anyways😬), what works for one student won’t inherently work for all students. Students can gain an enormous amount of insight, ideas, and perspective from hearing how other students have navigated and especially challenged their own timelines. And so, this brings me to the focus of this post. Over the next few posts our goal to highlight former Collin College Model UN students who have all either completed or about to complete their baccalaureate degrees, who have decided to map out their own timeline and for all three of them, this includes the decision take a year  off or  a “gap year” before pursuing their next degree.

What is interesting to me, much like this predetermined timeline,  there also seems to be a misconception/ collective idea among students regarding taking time off or a “gap year.” Whether they are taking time off between degrees or during a degree, students genuinely believe there are more negative consequences that will affect them should they take that time off. Two of the more popular reasons I’ve heard are 1) future employers will look unfavorably on a gap year (or time off )and 2) if they are trying to get into a  grad school, taking a gap year will be will looked at unfavorably (and as they won’t be seen as committed). So, much like the negative association with the “Im behind where I should be” concept , time off or the “gap year” is viewed by many students at the worst case scenario they could do for themselves and most end up viewing it as a delay (instead of seeing is as a possible opportunity).

Side note: The linguist in me can’t fully commit  to calling it a “gap year” as I see it still reinforces the idea that students have to get to a certain point by a certain amount of years. Even using “taking time off” has the ability to reinforce the worst part of the predetermined timeline buuut ,I’ll have to save that debate for another time (or article 🙃).

Whatever the reason students should not assume that a gap year is inherently negative.

As we begin our spring semester many students will be in their final semester and as graduation comes closer many will be planning and questioning what their next step will be and/or assessing what exactly is the right step for them. As stated earlier, over our next few posts, we will be highlighting  three former Collin College Model UN students who are all taking a gap year this year. The goal here is to share with other students what Jareck, Nisa, and Rory have decided do to and to highlight/be able to see how each reason is different, share with you what they are doing or planning to do during that time, what they hope to achieve during this gap year and where they hope to be/gain from this gap year. For students who are questioning/thinking about taking a “gap year”  hopefully you can find some comfort, encouragement, and even inspiration on what can be achieved and gained by taking a path that best suites you, the student.

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And just like that, my semester ends on a high note all because of a student!

Student highlight! So, this isn’t a “where are they now” post however, this is definitely a post to remind all of us that there are exceptional future leaders out there and here is a spotlight on the student enabled me to end this semester on a high note!

Mauricio Cantu Garza was part of this semesters Collin College Model UN  team. Throughout the semester he stood out right from the beginning by putting in the overtime hours working on position papers, taking on an exceptional leadership role during our class simulation and then at the MUN conference he demonstrated his unwavering support for a teammate when she encountered unwanted sexual advances/harassment from a student from a different school (but still at the same conference) . After the incident was addressed and handled** I recall Mauricio asking me what else can men like him do to be better allies to women who experience sexual harassment and, what can he personally do to help facilitate the changes that society still needs. In that moment I teared up because all I could think of was how fortunate I was to have such an introspective student like Mauricio on our team and in my class.  We had a very thought provoking conversation that evening and it is what led me to create the final exam in the format I did for this course.  

For the final exam, students were given the below prompt and they were given the choice to write their response either as an OpEd piece or as a Speech to the  UN Women’s Summit ( of course there were other instructions but no need to go into that kind of detail ;-)  

Final Exam Prompt “In 1995 the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) brought rape charges against a former Serb leader Radislav Krstic. This was the first time ever that a sexual assault case had been prosecuted as a war crime by itself and not as a larger case. This case also publicly  illustrated the gendered aspects of warfare and the necessity for the international community to re-examine gendered violence. Find, explain, assess and analyze two specific  instances where gender motivated violence has occurred in a country.  In your assessment you can address things such as : how was this instance discovered? Have the punishments fit the crime? Based on the cases you are using, what is one aspect that needs to be improved to ensure this doesn’t happen again?”

Check out the full article at :   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xXieOgOSwSho0ak4mAMX7_rpZOzqrNi-P_aA6-MN1Ko/edit?usp=sharing

to read Mauricio’s OpEd and see why my semester ended on a high note.

Mauricio, your OpEd is nothing short of exceptional and it is students like you who continue to give me hope and excitement as to what our future leaders will be like. Ubuntu.

Prof. Iwanek

** The NMUN staff handled and addressed the sexual harassment with care and concern and gave us the choice of how we wanted to handle this. In the spirit of the overall goals of the NMUN conference, we chose to have this turn into a teachable moment for all involved parties and I couldn’t be more proud of the NMUN staff and my students on how they addressed, handled and resolved the issue.

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Meet Megan Harris. While she is not a Collin College student she stood up and stood out so we wanted to give her a shout-out! During the opening ceremonies of @nationalmodelun DC she got up to ask the guest speaker a question. She was asked by a moderator to step aside to let the young man behind her to ask a question because they wanted to have “a rooster to have a turn.” In that moment, without skipping a beat, Megan said “With all due respect sir, women have spent a lot time stepping aside for men so I’m going to hold my place in this line.” She received a resounding round of applause and proceeded to ask an exceptional question. Your confidence and diplomatic tone was nothing short of exceptional and our delegation applauds you and proudly stands with you! https://www.instagram.com/p/B4swMMjA2_2/?igshid=6rnouaozgscc

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Our Fall 2018 @collincollege Model UN team made the front cover of the background guides for this years #nmundc2019 conference!! Unfortunately in all the excitement the photo is missing two of our delegates so scroll over to see them! https://www.instagram.com/p/B4NfNmfAe68/?igshid=1axxte1bl4pug

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Where Are they Now? Meet Sepehr Bastami!

Sepehr Bastami was a Collin College Model UN delegate in the Fall of 2009 and  Spring 2010. To say he is a MUN alumni success is definitely an understatement. Sepehr won our teams first outstanding individual award in 09, contributed to our position paper award  at the Chicago AMUN conference and then was an integral part of our teams Distinguished Delegation award during the  2010 NYC NMUN conference. We recently reached out to Sepehr and almost 10 years later, MUN still brings some of the best  memories he had at Collin College. Click our link to read what this program did for him, his best memories and lean where he is now!

“I had rush of nostalgia once I read your email I totally remember that and all the fun and challenges from MUN conferences. At the Chicago we represented Sudan and I recall getting pulled away to represent our delegation during the crisis simulation. I was in the 6th committee and I recall a delegate asking the entire committee for a moment of silence for the victims of Darfur.

My most memorable moments were during the 6th committee simulation, when I, as the Sudanese delegate, asked the entire committee for a moment of silence for the victims of Darfur. That was both a diplomatic and strategic choice; setting the tone for manipulation through diplomacy and forming/built a large voting block of African nations (with something like a 30 vote block) so things didn't happen unless we were onboard. This was also my most challenging moment and it pushed my leadership skills to the max. I think MUN is a really great experience in that it can teach you how diplomacy works in practice; I was able to learn how you to predict a certain behavior and neutralize it in a diplomatic way. I learned there and then that diplomacy was about disarming your adversaries before you could start firing away, and being the first to show some humanity despite the facts set that tone.

Funniest memory with the group was also in Chicago. Kyle Brackenbury was my committee-mate and  I think after the first or the second night, we went to a restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. Kyle was so exhausted, he fell asleep at the table holding a chicken leg in front of his mouth. He slowly chewed on and then just pass out, in perfect sitting posture, still heroically holding his chicken leg or wing. I didn't even know that was anatomically possible.

After Collin, I went to the Netherlands to get my LLB in International and European Law from the University of Groningen. In the process had a decent bout with stage IV cancer, beat the sucker, and in its midst realized I need to pursue what I really always liked, which was building things. I finished my international law degree, came back to start engineering, starting at UNT. I did two NASA internships and then transferred to UT Austin for the rest of my mechanical engineering degree. Since then I have worked with a NASA contractor building autonomous control systems and R&D type system engineering work. I have also worked on a project building a long-range radio frequency communication network to replace wifi dependence for our sensors. I also do undergraduate research with the civil engineering department for energy efficient buildings through intelligent sensors. My current is in data acquisition systems for environmental systems in buildings (HVAC, lighting, etc.) and I’m in charge of 2 projects involving smart sensors and devices for environmental data acquisition.

To this day I am beyond grateful for the experience that Collin College Model UN provided me. It is an eye opener to the globalized world we live in, it tasks us  with a deep understanding of our cultural differences and reinforces that idea that progress is only made through collaboration and mutual understanding of differences. Model UN brings that kind of exposure to a diverse world. But I think when done right, it also should teach aspiring global revolutionaries that the world doesn't work how they envision or wish. It's not at all efficient or effective in reality most of the time. Although I personally have become skeptical of the UN and the entire structure of the international "legal system", I still wouldn’t be where I am today had I not pushed myself to see what kind of impact do I want to make while on this earth”

We thank Sepehr for his honesty and we want to wish him the best as he continues to pursue a very promising and bright career. Because of students like him, our program continues to provide students with a hands-on learning  experience and an opportunity to pursue what sets their hearts on fire.  Ubuntu Sepehr!