Joining the Model United Nations (Model UN) was nowhere in my plans when I came to Hopkins. I did Mock Trial in high school and wanted to continue it in college, but as I was waiting in line for the thrift shop at the end of my freshman orientation week, a girl behind me started chatting and we got onto the topic of HopMUN. She talked about her experience on the Hopkins Model UN (HopMUN) team, hooking me with the perk of free travel. Despite not knowing a thing about what students do in Model UN, I decided to give it a try. I went to their jeopardy information session, where I was overwhelmed with a peculiar mix of students from the STEM, humanities and interdisciplinary fields. But what was shared across this group was a clear sense of community and “hyperactivity” that both intimidated and excited me. Soon, after a unique interview process and a funny welcome to the club, I found myself at weekly trainings with other new freshmen, learning the ins and outs of conferences, General Assembly committees and crisis arcs.
By the time my first conference arrived over Halloweekend, I still had no idea what I was getting into, but I was enthusiastic to figure it out. I was lucky enough to be in a committee paired with another first-year HopMUN member, Arusa, who would soon become one of the defining people of my college experience at Hopkins. The conference was a blast. From then on, I grew closer to the team’s upperclassmen, bonded with my fellow first-year “NIC” class and traveled to so many places I’d never expected: D.C., Montreal, Chicago, Boston, Williamsburg and Philadelphia throughout my four years. I simultaneously developed skills with each training and conference that helped me grow in other areas of my life, including public speaking, presenting, improvisation and networking. As a sophomore, I became a Training Director for the team, where I got to connect with our club members on a closer level and eventually joined Arusa as an Exec member our junior year!
Through the years, I’ve been so lucky to meet and welcome so many special people to HopMUN who have made our team feel like a home. Each conference leaves me with countless fond memories and funny stories that remind me how much I love our community and the support we have for one another. Whether I’m newly connecting with a member on the team I haven’t had the chance to talk with before or going on my fourth conference trip with a fellow HopMUN veteran, I’m always learning new things about everyone. Spending four days traveling and bunking together at a conference hotel is undeniably a bonding experience!
One of my favorite memories was attending Boston University’s Boston Area Model United Nations Conference in the fall of my sophomore year, where our delegation was just a small group of four. We spent the weekend both working hard on the committee and going on side quests to explore the cafes, markets and Boston's food culture. When any worries came up, we called our team’s President and Treasurer for advice, staying on the phone together to chat about how the conference was going. Being in Model UN for four years has felt like an accumulation of all these small yet significant, wholesome moments that fill my life with novelty, adventure and chosen family.
Model UN became so much more to me than learning how to delegate and write resolutions at a conference. It became a family I looked forward to seeing and training with every week. It became a group of people with so many different backgrounds, stories and futures who I loved traveling with. It became the first community I tell people about when describing my Hopkins experience. And for all the people on our HopMUN team who gave me such a loving community at this university, I’d like to make a motion of thanks. You made Hopkins a home for me.
Kayla Rabey is a senior graduating with a degree in English and Environmental Science from Sacramento, Calif.
