SECOND DRAFT...I PUT IN WORK~~~~~~~
Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 6:53 pm
It takes only a moment for a life to change forever. For me, it took about thirty seconds as I rather hurriedly selected my research topic for my United Nations course. I had no idea how dramatically I had altered my life’s course in that single moment. This choice led to four months of relentlessly researching a solution to the blood diamond crisis taking place in central Africa, composing compelling arguments to defend my position, and constantly rehearsing with my team of delegates.
I was preparing for the annual Model United Nations Conference held in Chicago. In this UN simulation, our Truman State team was pitted against more than 1,500 students from domestic and foreign universities inclusive of Yale, Georgetown and National Chengchi University in Taiwan to assess our understanding of the major international policies that govern the UN General Assembly.
At the conference, after spending the majority of the time zigzagging from delegation to delegation, my final speech was the team's last hope of placing in the conference. With only three minutes left and being the last speaker for my team, I was not only drained from the pressure but also terrified. As I stood at the podium, I remembered that my painstaking research and the writing that I had done was for one purpose only: to make my voice heard. It was at that moment that I gained control, calmed my shaking hands, made eye contact with the audience, and began to speak with conviction.
As I neared the end of my delivery, I told the audience, that "our time is brief, but the impact we must leave will reverberate for years! Now is the time to act!” The thunderous applause from my peers and the judges seemed to confirm what I felt deep inside. The incredible feeling of succeeding after strenuous preparation washed over me. The resolution I presented received overwhelming support. It seemed that one's passion and hard work for a great cause can indeed have tremendous results. At the end of the conference, our team won "Best Delegation." We also walked away with the knowledge that we were competitive even with the best minds from the best universities in the world.
Watching members of my delegation ecstatically jump around with awards in hand, I began to feel detached. My time spent researching this region opened my eyes to the realization that as I learned more, I began to identify with the people. I learned the stories of individuals like Jusu Lahia, the fifteen year old kid whose dreams for greatness were shattered when he stepped on a landmine planted by a rebel group seeking to harass the population in the search for diamonds. The young teenager, Sahr Amara, who slaves away in the deep diamond mines everyday in the effort to take care of his six young siblings, is another story of a trapped victim. The frustration of realizing how similar these people were to me; yet due to their socioeconomic status, they are very different, not able to rise above their circumstances.
As I uncovered their stories and those of so many other innocent people whose lives had been shattered by the failure of the international community to act, I began to peel back the layers of my own value system. As a self-proclaimed “good Christian,” could I honestly say I was acting as “my brother’s keeper”? These people who were in dire straits before my “great moment” are still just as disenfranchised.
Taking a line out of my own playbook, I knew it was time to act. After being offered a position to work with the American Model United Nations staff, I took it as an opportunity to become better versed in African Policy with an emphasis on how education can empower a community. In addition, I knew that by just keeping this knowledge to myself, I would help no one. Thus, I made it my goal to create scholarships for students, who upon earning teaching degrees, would pledge to serve in countries which have been negatively affected by conflict diamonds. Additionally, by working closely with my university’s African Student’s Association, I have gained helpful insight into how I can best assist those who are suffering overseas. I am confident this network of change-seekers will devise ways to ensure hope is continually delivered to the countless individuals who are suffering in this ever-changing world.
This transformation is the epitome of the type of person I have become and how I approach life's obstacles. I have gone from an average kid running through the motions, to a determined young man working with passion to mold the world into a better place. I believe that difficult circumstances offer an opportunity to demonstrate how hard work and passion can deliver great results. With this mantra serving as a type of cadence for my life, my goal is to work with the real United Nations as an international attorney so I can help address the pressing concerns that affect the health of our planet and its people. I feel the ailments of the human race are too great to ignore. When the day comes that I can speak on behalf of individuals like Jusu Lahia, Sahr Amara, and others, I am determined to be prepared so that I can once again bring people together on one unified accord.
I was preparing for the annual Model United Nations Conference held in Chicago. In this UN simulation, our Truman State team was pitted against more than 1,500 students from domestic and foreign universities inclusive of Yale, Georgetown and National Chengchi University in Taiwan to assess our understanding of the major international policies that govern the UN General Assembly.
At the conference, after spending the majority of the time zigzagging from delegation to delegation, my final speech was the team's last hope of placing in the conference. With only three minutes left and being the last speaker for my team, I was not only drained from the pressure but also terrified. As I stood at the podium, I remembered that my painstaking research and the writing that I had done was for one purpose only: to make my voice heard. It was at that moment that I gained control, calmed my shaking hands, made eye contact with the audience, and began to speak with conviction.
As I neared the end of my delivery, I told the audience, that "our time is brief, but the impact we must leave will reverberate for years! Now is the time to act!” The thunderous applause from my peers and the judges seemed to confirm what I felt deep inside. The incredible feeling of succeeding after strenuous preparation washed over me. The resolution I presented received overwhelming support. It seemed that one's passion and hard work for a great cause can indeed have tremendous results. At the end of the conference, our team won "Best Delegation." We also walked away with the knowledge that we were competitive even with the best minds from the best universities in the world.
Watching members of my delegation ecstatically jump around with awards in hand, I began to feel detached. My time spent researching this region opened my eyes to the realization that as I learned more, I began to identify with the people. I learned the stories of individuals like Jusu Lahia, the fifteen year old kid whose dreams for greatness were shattered when he stepped on a landmine planted by a rebel group seeking to harass the population in the search for diamonds. The young teenager, Sahr Amara, who slaves away in the deep diamond mines everyday in the effort to take care of his six young siblings, is another story of a trapped victim. The frustration of realizing how similar these people were to me; yet due to their socioeconomic status, they are very different, not able to rise above their circumstances.
As I uncovered their stories and those of so many other innocent people whose lives had been shattered by the failure of the international community to act, I began to peel back the layers of my own value system. As a self-proclaimed “good Christian,” could I honestly say I was acting as “my brother’s keeper”? These people who were in dire straits before my “great moment” are still just as disenfranchised.
Taking a line out of my own playbook, I knew it was time to act. After being offered a position to work with the American Model United Nations staff, I took it as an opportunity to become better versed in African Policy with an emphasis on how education can empower a community. In addition, I knew that by just keeping this knowledge to myself, I would help no one. Thus, I made it my goal to create scholarships for students, who upon earning teaching degrees, would pledge to serve in countries which have been negatively affected by conflict diamonds. Additionally, by working closely with my university’s African Student’s Association, I have gained helpful insight into how I can best assist those who are suffering overseas. I am confident this network of change-seekers will devise ways to ensure hope is continually delivered to the countless individuals who are suffering in this ever-changing world.
This transformation is the epitome of the type of person I have become and how I approach life's obstacles. I have gone from an average kid running through the motions, to a determined young man working with passion to mold the world into a better place. I believe that difficult circumstances offer an opportunity to demonstrate how hard work and passion can deliver great results. With this mantra serving as a type of cadence for my life, my goal is to work with the real United Nations as an international attorney so I can help address the pressing concerns that affect the health of our planet and its people. I feel the ailments of the human race are too great to ignore. When the day comes that I can speak on behalf of individuals like Jusu Lahia, Sahr Amara, and others, I am determined to be prepared so that I can once again bring people together on one unified accord.
