Annals: Why did you decide to participate in the Model UN Conference? Also, how did you become the leader of the team?
Joo: I first decided to participate after hearing from my senior, who is studying in France, that he had an amazing experience as a member of the French team. My friends in my department and I were driven by his advice and formed a team to join. We also had to choose a leader who could keep in touch with the NCCA (National Collegiate Conference Association), an organization that conducts the Model UN. I was selected as the leader because my English was the closest to that of a native speaker due to my sojourn abroad for nine years.

Annals: What did your team do in the Model UN?
Joo: Our team had to act like representatives from Uruguay, the country assigned to us. At the conference, we were required to pass resolutions related to the agendas such as "AIDS and Its Prevention" with other countries in South America. The process was exactly the same as the real UN conference.

Annals: Did you have any special responsibilities as the leader?
Joo: I had to take care of the academic and financial matters which included organizing all the team meetings and schedules to prepare for the conference. However, managing the financial part was definitely my hardest job because most Korean governments and companies did not know about the Model UN. For effective fundraising, I formed a separate team, which focused on getting sponsors. Meanwhile, I was also in charge of dealing with all the media interviews.

Annals: What do you think is the most important ability for a successful Model UN experience?
Joo: Good communication skills are absolutely the most important. Our team needed them in order to persuade others to support us, which we clearly lacked. For example, although our team and the German team had similar English abilities as non-native English speakers, the German team was much better than us because of their perfect diplomatic mindsets and excellent communication skills.

 I want to study more about my current major in graduate school and hopefully work at an international organization for the Third World.

While interviewing Joo, my writing hand had to move faster than ever to keep up with her enlightening stories. Already a pioneer as a mere university student, I expect that she will bring another groundbreaking story to keep my hand busy in the future.