Newton Model United Nations is an event at which students from different schools and backgrounds have an opportunity to simulate discussions that take place at the United Nations. Following the rules of procedure of this very organisation, delegates will learn about diplomacy, negotiations and international relations in order to produce viable resolutions. Newton MUN will take place through an in-person format at the Newton College campus on the 22nd and 23rd of April.
Newton MUN is a space for inquisitive and independent minds to debate the most relevant and controversial topics that have presented themselves throughout the course of history. While also being given the power to draft their own innovative and realistic solutions to these issues, delegates will be encouraged to use their negotiation, public speaking, teamwork, leadership, policy crafting skills and many others for a successful debate experience, while also becoming more well-rounded citizens for the global community.
Throughout the two days of intense discourse, over 200 high school students will deliberate on issues adapted from the United Nations agenda and its regional bodies. Delegates are encouraged to defy all expectations and embody the 2023 theme for our highly anticipated event: Challenge Your Limits.
Anika Sahoo is a high school student who is currently in her first year of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at Newton College. In the near future, she wishes to pursue a career in the medical sciences.
She joined the Model United Nations club in 2018 intrigued by the prospect of simulating the lives of diplomats, leading her to attend her very first conference, Newton MUN 2018, as an usher. Following that experience, she continued attending various MUN conferences, each time with more interest and participation, slowly overcoming her fears of public speaking and gradually improving her soft skills. Although her MUN career moved at a very slow and moderate pace at the beginning, with the right support from friends and family members, she was able to gain her first prize in 2019. By 2021 and after a substantial amount of experience, she joined the MUN secretariat at Newton College as an Executive Leader, and thereafter 2022 saw her as her delegation’s Secretary-General.
Apart from MUN, Anika generally enjoys practising her violin and piano, and, more recently, investigating about foreign concepts relating to biology and the human body. Books are also a big hobby of hers, as she can spend countless hours submerged into a book without taking notice of occurrences around her. When she isn’t enjoying a quiet night alone with her headphones and books, she thoroughly enjoys irreplaceable moments with her friends.
Joining MUN has and will always remain one of the most grateful choices Anika opted for due to the experiences and skills she gained from the activity. Not only did she overcome various of her fears, she also developed new interests, particularly boosting her activism for issues that relate to women’s rights. Those experiences are what make MUN particularly stimulating and gripping for her, even when they might not generate the best results.
With this, she wishes all participating Newton MUN 2023 delegates the best possible MUN experience, and alongside her fellow members of the Secretariat, she hopes to make that wish attainable.
Enzo Porto is a highschool student in the first year of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program at Newton College. He plans to study Computer Science abroad.
Enzo was born in Brazil, but moved to Peru in 2018 and joined the Newton MUN Club in the same year after being advised by his Spanish Tutor. He has been passionate about debate and public speaking ever since participating in TEDx in 2017. After being in MUN for nearly 5 years, he has acquired several prizes and grown a strong passion towards the club, which led him to join the Secretariat as an Executive Member in 2021 and become the Under-Secretary General for his delegation in 2022.
Outside MUN, Enzo enjoys taking part in various STEM related activities, such as programming and leading the STEM Club at Newton College. Enzo also has a strong passion for activism and community service, which lead him to be awarded first place in the Sea Beyond Competition and be invited as a guest speaker in the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, in Lisboa.
MUN has led Enzo to acquire skills and abilities related to public speaking, improvisation and critical thinking that he never thought he would achieve before. His growth throughout his time in the MUN club has led him to become an ambitious delegate, trying to improve with every conference, to help and inspire people to join MUN.
With this in mind, Enzo hopes that delegates will have an amazing experience in Newton MUN 2023. He hopes that all delegates, experienced or new, will be ambitious to take part in the two days of debate, trying their best and having a growth mindset.
Isabella Carranza is a high school graduate from Newton College who is currently pursuing a career in Law at Universidad de Lima.
She joined the MUN club in 2018, to become an usher for that year's Newton MUN. After a couple of training sessions, she decided this was the perfect activity for her, since she could express her ideas freely and develop numerous skills. Her passion and determination grew after each conference, and her confidence boosted exponentially. After years of hard work and dedication, she won several prizes and had the honour of travelling to Boston and debating in HMUN2020. Today, she couldn’t be more proud of herself looking back at the experiences and opportunities that MUN yielded her.
In her free time, Isabella enjoys listening to music and watching rom coms with a big bucket of popcorn. She also plays the violín and loves to go to the racecourse with her family.
Isabella accidentally stumbled upon the MUN club, but over the years, she has grown so much as a student and as a person, and she will be forever thankful to all of her mentors and teachers. For her, MUN gives everyone the opportunity to have a better understanding of society and the world in general. Not only does it help you speak publicly and be a leader, but more importantly, she believes in the power of MUN to shape a person’s life. Before joining, she wasn't sure of her future, but after all these years, she is certain of what she wants. To change the world.
She advises the delegates of Newton MUN 2023 to speak up, and give their very best on every speech and every session, regardless of the adversities.
Renzo Ugarte is a high school graduate from Newton College who is currently pursuing a career in Industrial Engineering abroad.
He joined the Model United Nations Club at Newton in 2019, his first conference being Newton Model United Nations. Some highlights of his MUN career include going to his first double delegation committee and winning his first award there. Additionally, the most vivid memories he has include the rush he felt each time he was called to speak at the speakers list, or the joy he felt when one of his secret actions passed in a crisis committee. By 2021, Renzo became part of the secretariat team of the Newton MUN club. As a retired member, he continues to be eager in guiding students from his delegation in specialised agencies.
In his free time, Renzo usually likes to watch films, write screenplays, record short films, craft origami figures, play the guitar or drums, improve his programming skills and play video games with his friends.
Despite assisting countless conferences, Renzo feels each MUN conference feels like a brand new experience. He believes that even the most knowledgeable delegate can still learn a lot in every conference, since MUN for him is a space to learn about and from yourself, but most importantly, to learn from others and improve upon that new knowledge, pushing yourself and those around you to be better. Thus, Renzo wishes for delegates to have a marvellous experience at Newton MUN 2023, hoping that everyone learns something new.
Maria Gracia Jimenez is a high school student who is currently in her final year of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program at Newton College. In the future, Maria Gracia looks forward to pursuing a career in the humanities to become a teacher.
Her MUN career started in 2018 at 11 years old, advised by her third grade teacher to join the MUN club. Her first experience was as an usher for Newton MUN 2018 where she took interest into the world of MUN and since became an active participant of the MUN club. During the first years of her career she participated mainly in the committees of SOCHUM and UNWOMEN, winning her first award in SanSil MUN 2018.
However, soon after, she changed career paths after participating in CPBMUN 2019 where she fell in love with Press. In press, she was able to find a place in which she could develop her creativity and communication skills and thus improve both academically and personally. As an executive Maria Gracia has been eager in encouraging more delegates to join press, teaching delegates about the power of press in hopes of helping them find their place in MUN.
In her free time, Maria Gracia enjoys reading, baking and making playlists after every minor inconvenience in her life. She also enjoys spending time with her friends and capturing memories with them in polaroid pictures. For this Newton MUN 2023, Maria Gracia encourages delegates to be courageous and always try their best, taking every opportunity as a learning experience and learning from their mistakes.
Arnav Sahoo is a high school graduate from Newton College who is currently pursuing a career in Mechanical Engineering abroad.
Arnav started his MUN career in 2016, by pure accident. He missed the bus at 3 PM and had to wait till 5 PM for it to come back to the school. After wandering around for a lengthy half an hour, a teacher found him and executed an improvised yet convincing pitch so that he could join the school’s MUN club. Arnav just went with the flow, later to realise that the next 6 years would be a different story than what he had imagined. By 2019 Arnav became part of the secretariat team of the Newton Model United Nations club and was elected the Secretary-General of the club in 2021. Currently, he is a retired member of the Secretariat yet still participates avidly as a mentor to his delegation.
As an obsessed aviation enthusiast, Arnav finds pleasure in keeping up with recent news in the aviation industry. He even has a PowerPoint presentation of over 2,000 slides with each and every commercial airline currently in operation, and the document still keeps growing. In addition, he loves to watch Formula 1, being particularly interested in the engineering behind the cars. Otherwise, he prefers to spend invaluable moments with his friends and play his PlayStation for hours at a time.
Through MUN, Arnav gained confidence in his public speaking and negotiation skills, and learned to lead others with diplomacy. Through his experience, he can wholeheartedly confirm that it does not matter whether a delegate has attended only 1 or over 30 conferences, because there is always something new to learn. Thus, Arnav wishes for delegates to have an unforgettable Newton MUN 2023, and is willing to provide service at his fullest.
Arantza Cruzado is a first year student of the IB Diploma Programme at Newton College. In the future, she looks forward to pursuing an engineering career in either the Aerospace or the Industrial field.
She formally joined the club in 2021 after having attended some stray sessions a few years back. She was later invited to co-chair for Newton MUN 2022, receiving the opportunity to become a part of the secretariat after the conference. It was a while before she attended her first in-person event, LBMUN 2022, where she also brought home her first gavel. The rush and the satisfaction she got from public speaking motivated her to continue participating in other conferences, even getting the honour to debate in HarvardMUN 2023 as a double delegation, obtaining an Outstanding Delegate award.
Outside MUN, Arantza spends her time playing the violin and attempting to play the piano, as well as clogging her Spotify account with countless (but necessary) playlists.
MUN goes beyond the debate room’s walls. It encourages delegates to consider a global problem’s many facets, and thoughtfully present solutions that can satisfy a diverse group of perspectives. Arantza has seen her critical thinking and public speaking skills develop beyond what she initially expected thanks to the vigorous negotiation and strategic planning that each conference demands. Every conference is a new challenge, making MUN perfect for experimenting with new debate techniques and further discovering one’s own personality out on the speaking floor.f hers, as she can spend countless hours submerged into a book without taking notice of occurrences around her. When she isn’t enjoying a quiet night alone with her headphones and books, she thoroughly enjoys irreplaceable moments with her friends. With this, she wishes all participating delegates of Newton MUN 2022 the best possible MUN experience, and as part of the secretariat, she hopes to make that wish attainable.
She wishes to highlight that there is nothing in MUN that cannot be solved with a good speech. Because of this, she sincerely encourages everyone participating in Newton MUN 2023 to have their say in important discussions, and seize the opportunity to discuss these global issues through a fresh lens.
