MUN was the highlight of my high school career; the opportunities

afforded to me were one in a million. It had a direct bearing on my

pursuit of an undergraduate degree in international studies and my
Master's from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid. The excellent skills I
learned from Mr. Vandereyken have helped me excel in my sales career
and I would credit it with my great and continued interest in global
affairs. Knowledge of the outside world and the events that shape
global politics have been invaluable in understanding how global
business works. I truly treasure the years I spent in MUN and I look
forward to the day when I can be a part of something so magical again.

Learning about global topics in MUN really formed a habit that I don't
know if I would have otherwise had. I feel that keeping up with culture
(not just pop culture) definitely helps me in my current career in
consulting, just as much as any other field. To start learning in an MUN
High School class really helped develop my interests that would carry
on into college and the rest of my adult life. I would definitely want my
children to join an MUN (or similar) class and see it as one of the
courses that I most remember in my high school time. Also, (specifically
the secretariat class) I think that cross-generational learning (9-12th)
with classmates that have very similar interests is something that
highly enriched my experience. I keep up with a lot of people in the
secretariat class and have very deep memories of the classmates (you
included!) and the activities, simulations, and of course IMMUNS. Hope
all is well and good luck with the ACAMIS presentation! Saludos y un
abrazo! Jorge

MUN added a degree of social awareness that no other class or

professor could have imparted, as it made me want to learn about the
world outside of the bubble. It taught me how to learn, and more
importantly, how to care about the world around us. While at the time
it didn't strike me as such, retrospectively MUN was a key driver for my
personal growth in that respect. My career didn't end up in a direction
that would be related to MUN, but the ability to work in a team
environment was something that MUN fostered much more so than
other programs that I believe I've had a benefit from. I think MUN
awoke a desire for global knowledge in me, my major was Global
Business, as I've been to China to do business and we currently are
dealing in international operations - something that is exciting to me. I
am grateful for the learning that MUN imparted on me, but more-so
how you as my professor were able to teach it (and social studies) to
make it something engaging, worthwhile and ultimately, a key factor
in my being able to understand what I enjoyed career-wise!

To be honest, with regard to just the vanilla MUN experience, I really

disliked MUN. I never really liked being a delegate, and never looked
forward to simulations, except for IMMUNS. The reason I stayed with
the MUN program was to be a part of the secretariat class, which I
absolutely loved. I got to interact with people from different grades
(making friends I still talk with to this day), I obtained an experience
of what it's like to run/be in a business, I obtained great satisfaction
when we pulled off the simulation and it helped me see a bigger
picture of the world. Despite somewhat dreading the current event
quizzes, I am very, very glad we had them. It kept me in touch with
what was going on in the rest of the world, and I was actually very
surprised once I went to college to see so many people that had no idea
what was happening worldwide. Such a narrow view disappointed me,
but I was glad I had escaped living that way. I enjoyed being an
underling, and being someone's boss. It was a great learning experience
in figuring out how I work/what works for me, how I lead/how I can
improve my leadership skills and just getting a head start on what real
life is more likely to be like. I know I just narrowly made the secretariat
cut, being the last one on the list because James Benson was leaving
the next year. But I'm happy I did, it was the best class I had in high
school. So thank you Mr. Van Der Eyken for giving me the
opportunity.

Hi! I wanted to add how valuable my MUN experience was when I

entered the workforce. I was working in a green building firm and had
the opportunity to organize a real UN event with colleagues from 5
Latin American countries. We worked for UNEP and I had the honor of
meeting UNEP officials at the event in Bogota. We then worked on a
paper that was submitted to this agency. My MUN experience turned
into a real UN experience and I'm very greatful it did. What I learned
in middle and high school helped me contribute to change and
allowed me to represent my country abroad. Thanks again!

MUN was a wonderful experience! For High School students to

organize a simulation for hundreds of other students is really quite
incredible - it makes you feel like you can do anything in the world,
especially when you have a willing, enthusiastic and diverse group of
people. I loved it and would say that all high school students need to
experience MUN at least once.

While MUN didn't help me choose a career it certainly helped me

discover what things I enjoy doing and what some of my personal
strengths are. It also taught me how to work well in a team and the
importance of pulling your own weight, and more, when you are
working on a project. If all of my coworkers were as dedicated to
doing a good job as people in IMMUNS were to their tasks then work
would be much better.

MUN was the only class thought high school AND college (I did my BA
at Tec Monterrey) that gave me a "global" perspective; this and basic
understanding of international current events and cultures.

Not only does MUN give you the creative freedom to solve problems
by leveraging your strengths & passions, but also it develops your
professional skills by nurturing an organization-like environment. I am
now a better communicator, manager and socially responsable
because of MUN. Thank you.

One of the biggest things that I learned in MUN was to take a

perspective (sometimes completely different to my own), analyze it,
understand it, and then defend and debate it as if it had always been
my own. The world we live in, thanks to technology, is continually
getting smaller and smaller, no one can live in their own bubble, given
that there are always Macro effects in play. MUN gave me the
opportunity at 15 years old, to understand other cultures, other
mindsets, even other faiths, and come to learn of them without
prejudice. That, has given me an openness in my life to adapt and deal
with people around the world, as well removing fears when moving to,
and living in parts of the world I never thought I would.

The skills I learned in MUN, which include public speaking, research,

negotiation, diplomacy, administration, etc. have been crucial for my
career. Learning this skills in high school gave me excellent foundations
for further developing these skills in college and made me ready for my
career. I guess anything I can write in this textbox is a complete
understatement of the impact MUN had in my life. If you need any
additional information, or if I can help you in any way possible to better
transmit the value this program has, as well as your excellent abilities
as a teacher, please let me know. It would be a privilege to help you in
any way possible.

MUN in high school gave us many experiences that impacted our early
character development in a positive way, yet I believe that confidence
was the most important. Whether it was confidence in defending an
ideal (not necessarily your own), confidence in public speaking or,
confidence brought about by having adults tell you "did you really do all
this yourselves? this is incredible!". MUN provided me with early
experiences in confidence which translated into my character today.

I think MUN was one the best experiences I had at the Euroamericano.
Not only for the academic skills and discipline I learned, but it enabled
critical thinking. Being conscious about what the world is like and why
makes a great impact in what you decide to do with your life. I also
believe that world-conscious people are key to development and
avoiding conflicts. Travelling could be one fun way to achieve that as
well, but as my little sister asked me some questions as she was
preparing for her first MUN I realized how much it meant to me and
how much I learned from it. The confidence of speaking your opinion,
the value actual team work, taking a hollistic approach into solving
problems. The concrete ideas we came up with at the time might have
not been the answers to today's and yesterday's problems, but I think it
shaped a different way of thinking in people how do things differently
today to change our communities and contribute to development, even
in if it is in very small ways.

As a former part of the research and training team, the skills acquired
and put into practice at MUN served as foundations for my career in
law school, both as a student and later as a professor.

MUN helped shape my life and my decisions in more ways than I can
count. Last year I began pursuing two different social projects where I
could make an impact on low-resource kids from sketchy
neighborhoods and indigenous women that depend on their art for
their livelihood. I decided to mention this strictly because that need to
do something good for my country was born thanks to MUN. I
constantly stay updated with the news (BBC news still fill up my inbox)
and I am sincerely concerned about the Mexico's future and our role as
citizens. I don't wish to make this very long but lastly if the opportunity
comes up, my children are going to be in MUN even if it's just for a little
while. It opens your world up to countless possibilities and shapes you
more than I can say. Thanks! Any further research/info needed I would
be happy to participate.

MUN was a great experience and the teacher made all the difference
:)

I am expected to graduate this spring from college. I received an offer

from JP Morgan Treasury Services and plan to work with them for the
next couple of years in NYC. I am studying at the University of
Rochester in New York. I recognize that MUN gave me a broader
perspective on my educational opportunities than most of my
classmates. I do attribute MUN to be a factor on my decision to study
college abroad.
Although it helped build our character and whatnot, years later I went
on to do an internship in NY lobbying with the UN and spent some
years in Washington DC and was terribly disappointed by institutions
and the people who work for them. In retrospect I feel like MUN made
us idealize institutions in a way that I definitely don't anymore. Maybe
it's part of life and growing up, but I wish I wouldn't have seen them
that way. I would suggest a little bit of a more realistic look at them.
Glad to know you're doing very well!

MUN is a fantastic way to learn more about international politics and

gain a more global perspective. It significantly bolstered my academic
experience at the ASFM.

MUN Experience was definitely important for my career. I Felt inspired

to be a politician and work for my country when I was in simulations,
and know I participate actively in Politics. I still remember so much
about what I learned in class, everytime I'm in a trip where there are
UN headquarters, I try to visit. MUN was my favorite class in ASFM.

Since my current occupation is as an architect, there is no direct link

between MUN and what I do now. But I can say that as a citizen of
this world, MUN opened my eyes to a lot of the things that were and
are still going on. It was definitely the most "connected to the real
world" classes I ever took during high school. I learned a lot of skills
and it really did gave me a lot of feelings of accomplishment during
the process. I feel so blessed to have been able to experience that in
those years, and I definitely remember them with a smile.
Thankyou!!!!

A great way to develop leadership skills, get current on world issues

and improve public speaking ability.

I truly believe that my MUN experience was one of the highlights of my

high school experience. It was a great opportunity to meet people from
different schools and countries. It was also a great opportunity to travel
to a different country and listen to all kinds of perspectives in respect to
concerning topics. In addition, I formed part of the Secretariat which
helped my leadership and organizing skills. Organizing IMMUNS was a
great honor and experience. I am truly grateful that this opportunity
was offered at my school.

Great to hear from you Robert. Best of luck with your presentation.

I think more than being in touch with the world issues (which I
definitely was more in touch with them than most of my other high
school friends), it was the ability to take responsibility for my actions
and to know that my actions would add up to something that could
potentially fail if I didn't take it seriously that has helped me the most.
No professor in college and no boss at work is going to micro manage
you. They expect you will do your job and know when it's appropriate
to ask for help or when it's expected that you figure it out and that's
one of the biggest things that IMMUNS taught me. Having a teacher
that was willing to give us our space knowing that we would come to
him whenever we really needed it was great. It teaches you to be
accountable for your own actions. That is one of the biggest lessons.
The other thing that I would say I took from this program was learning
to be open minded and the ability to stand in other people's shoes.
That empathy that comes with being willing to hear people out and
willing to understand their point of view is something that has helped
me in my every day life. I know at the end of the day we were
representing certain countries, which means that we had to have
certain opinions, but that doesn't mean that as a person I wasn't able to
develop my own by listening to all points of view.

As a kid, having participated in the MUN program gave me a lot of

experience as far as what the real world held beyond high school. Now
that I'm in the working world, I enjoy it like I did when I was a kid, when
I would pretend to be more grown up for a 3-day MUN session. A
phrase comes to mind when I think about this, it goes: "Do what you
love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." MUN taught
me to learn things about myself that I love, and now as an adult I am
fortunate to have tapped into those passions and have found
opportunities to let them flourish. If you are considering
implementing a MUN program, don't hesitate. There are so many
great benefits that last a lifetime, and there is no one better to lead
that than Mr. Van Der Eyken.

The MUN program really offers unique real-world experience to

students. From organizing the events, to preparing for the debates, it
offers skills that the students will use in university and the workplace.

My participation in MUN definitely helped me develop useful skills that

I put in practice everyday, especially in keeping up to date with the
global environment. In fact, in the macroeconomics course I teach at
ITESM, I ask my students to share a Current Event with something
related to material we are seeing in class. This is something I directly
took from MUN. I am convinced that MUN is a great pathway to
develop skills towards our worklives because of the reasons you
already mentioned. I send you my best wishes and hope to keep in
touch!

Mr. Vandereyken! I am currently living in Kuala Lumpur working as an

architect for a project that will be built in Mexico. MUN definitely
helped be a much more confident and globally aware person.. I have
lived in three different continents since I graduated from high school.
The MUN program and the people I got to meet along the way always
pushed me to never settle and always challenge myself with new
experiences.

Mr. Vandereyken! I am currently living in Kuala Lumpur working as an

architect for a project that will be built in Mexico. MUN definitely
helped be a much more confident and globally aware person.. I have
lived in three different continents since I graduated from high school.
The MUN program and the people I got to meet along the way always
pushed me to never settle and always challenge myself with new
experiences.

Out of high school, I wanted to study a field that would allow me to

have the best tools to understand the problems of inequality, poverty
and education and how they relate to each other. My studies took me
to where I am out today, working in education policy with public
schools in Mexico and still thinking very much about that intersection
between educ and inequality. These interests were originally inspired
by MUN classes in middle school, and fueled by MUN as well all
through high school. The way I look at the world, the way I interact
with others and my responsibilities toward the different communities
I feel a part of are all very much influenced by my time in model UN,
even to this day. Feel free to get in touch if I can help in any other way,
and hope you have a blast at the conference!
Make it happen transcends any other lesson I have learned to date.
Thanks to mr.v and MUN I learned that the only limits are the ones
we set for ourselves. So don't self doubt just DO, and you'll be amazed
by the results.

I definitely would like to see MUN grow and expand in different

cultures and continents. It is a wonderful learning and growing
experience that I'm sure a lot of people would love to have. The lessons
learned, the friendships made, the skills acquired are extremely
valuable and not easily acquired or developed in a traditional class
setting or extracurricular activity. I would vote YES for the MUN
(IMMUNS) model to be replicated elsewhere and am happy to answer
any additional questions as needed. Thanks Mr Van der Eyken! :)

I think this survey is missing a question: MUN helped decide the life I
would pursue. It definitely did. High school classes and/or experiences
may not have had a lasting impact on the average person, but these
(especially MUN) shaped the person that I am today, the curiosity I
have for the world and cultures, the thirst for first-hand knowledge on
everything from the struggles of people in our country to the kind of
food in a city on the other side of the world. I consider myself a citizen
of the world because of MUN. Thank you Van der Eyken!!

MUN helped me tremendously during law school, especially during

my moot court board of advocates days. I graduated, passed the bar
and started heading the Mexican practice for one of Michigan's
largest law firms. Without a doubt, my MUN experiences helped me
with my argument drafting, public speaking, cross-border networking,
etc. I recommend schools have a program all through out high school
and possibly middleschool. Please excuse any typos.

The MUN Program at ASFM helped us develop real world abilities and
critical thinking through the organisation of the event, or participation
as a delegate, as we discussed real life issues and elaborated potential
real life solutions. My main take away from MUN at ASFM was the
sensitivity to orient your activities to improve the world somehow
even with your profession or personal activities while tackling
common man-made obstacles such as ignorance.

Enriching experience, so grateful! I feel very lucky to have been a

student of Mr.Vandereyken.

My specific role in MUN helped me develop skills and the desire to

continue looking for leadership roles no matter the industry, project
or opportunity.

Mr. Vandereyken: I am amazed by how the weekly current event

quizzes made me memorize so much more countries, rebel/ethnic
groups, capitals, and presidents than I imagined. Typical Current Event
Questions: Tamil Tigers - Sri Lanka Zimbabwe-Harare-Mugabe
Rwanda: Hutus, Tutsis Un fuerte abrazo! Enrique

MUN was the spark that made me aware of the world. It is what made
me a global citizen and what allowed me to form my own opinions and
not follow my parents'. It was the single experience that shaped me
into who I am, since 6th grade all the way to 12th grade, MUN was
that moment where I could actually talk to people who wanted the
same things I did.

Very important for communication and independent thinking and

planning. Skills useful not only for academics and work-life, but also for
life in general. The ability to be able to think of solutions, research
when you don't have the information and feel capable of solving issues
has definitely facilitated my confidence as I became more independent.
Model UN was a great class; fascinating subject matter (i.e. real world)
and highly energetic Professor. Where I grew up, it was easy to get
caught up with an artificial view of the world. MUN and Mr.
Vandereyken, pushed us to "break" free from a localized view and
become world citizens. MUN got me interested in my community at
an early age. I recommend this class to those highly motivated high
school students with a go-getter attitude. Thank you Mr. Vandereyken.

MUN is empowering partly because the student gets to discuss globally

important issues, and has to assume responsibility and the ability to do
something about them. This mindset is worlds beyond the academic
setting where little is at stake except being 'correct' and a grade.

Please share the results!

I currently work for a double-bottom line company, spend my

commute in the morning listening to BBC World News, and look to
make the world a better place every day. Thank you. P.S. Check out my
friend Ryan's website, you may know him already.
http://bestdelegate.com/

I still read BBC News every day; except now, it's an app.

MUN was by far one of the best courses I took at ASFM, and one of the
ones I remember most fondly. After thinking about it for a couple of
days and trying to figure out what was so special about it, I came up
with 3 big "reasons" MUN was unlike any other course I took (and that
also includes ITESM!): - MUN made me understand the importance of
international relations, and helped me realize that there was actually a
whole world out there which was far more important than Monterrey.
It made me a lot more conscious about issues we never even thought
about before and their implications. Through MUN I finally saw the big
picture, which was both humbling and challenging at the same time (I
am just a kid in one of the better-than-average cities on a developing
country... what can I do to make some sort of positive impact?) - MUN
helped me develop skills which are usually ignored in other courses.
The highlight of MUN was the simulations. Getting out of your
comfort zone, representing and defending a point of view which was
often something I disagreed on, and having a debate about it was
thrilling. For the first time, we were not told to "write down your
results" or "complete excercises 1-15 of page 322", but we were given
the freedom to decide what our task was. MUN taught me to think for
myself about possible solutions to problems,which have no perfect
solutions or correct answers. In normal courses, you don't usually get
taught that there are certain things you can't control, which means
there are problems which you won't be able to solve. - MUN gave me a
sense of achievement, which is very rare in an educational
environment. Having debates on real-life issues (which is a bit
different than a mock-trial to decide who was to blame for the fate of
Romeo and Juliet) made me feel somehow relevant, and forming a
consensus to pass a resolution I proposed gave me much more
satisfaction than getting a 95 in a science test. I decided to pursue a
degree in Chemical Engineering, then went on to be a Supply Chain
consultant (based in Mexico but very active in all of Latin America) for
4 years before going to what is arguably the most international
educational institution in the world (INSEAD MBA in France). From
there, I changed my carrer path and geography (I now work in
Business Development for a retailing giant in Germany), where I plan
to stay for at least the next 5 years. Even though my
professional/academic life after MUN had practically nothing to do
with international politics or solving world issues, I'm certain that I
got to where I am, to a certain extent, thanks to MUN. The
experiences I had, and the skills I learned definitely helped shape me.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to belatedly express my thanks

and love for the MUN program at ASFM. Though I was only involved
for 1 year during my last year of HS, it was such an enriching and
rewarding experience that it remains one of the definite highlights.
After ASFM, I sort of decided to keep in line with many of the issues we
discussed in class and dealt with at simulations by studying economics
and political science at the University of Chicago. Upon finishing my
degree, I guess I went even deeper into the MUN-type world and
completed a master's degree in international affairs at the Elliott School
of GWU. Most of my classmates there are now foreign service officers
at the US State Dept or are like me and work at international
organizations. I actually work at the Inter-American Development
Bank (smack dab in the middle of MUN issues) and also teach at
Georgetown's graduate school of international relations (ditto).
Clearly, MUN was very influential in my career choice and education.
It isn't the main reason (that'd most probably be our international
upbringing in Asia, Europe, Mexico and South America) but it definitely
helped a lot. So, 10 years later, thanks!

two thumbs up! I was so lucky to have this experience at school!

Being part of MUN and part of the IMMUNS Secretariat was without
doubt one of the best things that happened to me in High School.
Organizing IMMUNS opened my eyes to things I would have probably
never encountered. From how to run finances to how to deal with
people.

It's funny because I was in charge of the first IMMUNS website (along
with Jorge Pozas and Jorge Ortiz) and now the three of us work at
startups and in my case specifically, I do websites for a living.

As you said, MUN really helped me to become conscious of what is

happening around the world and to develop the habit of being an
informed citizen of the world; it helped me realize at the time that
there is a diverse world out there much larger than ourselves and our
local community worth getting to know - this I think is not only a
humbling experience but a necessary one to thrive in today's global
community.

Although I'm not working in anything related to international

relations/politics/diplomacy, etc., the skills I learned in MUN - how to
delegate, research, leadership, public speaking - have helped me
develop my artistic career. MUN was one of the first encounters I had
with public speaking, and getting over that stage fright was one of the
main factors that led me to my present career path. A huge thanks to
you Mr. Vandereyken! :)

I think MUN is a class where students can develop the essential soft-
skills (effective communication, debating as opposed to arguing,
leadership, crisis management, among many many others) they need
for the "real-world" in project based learning environment. I think
that this class made me want to read the news (a habit I still have
today) and make me want to make a change by being involved in my
community.

Not a lot of students can say "I actually DID something" of their high
school classes. We can certainly say that of MUN. We created
something. I kept on doing MUN many years after HS. I was Sec Gen
at the UT Austin conference, GA president at a conference in Bonn,
Germany, and I held numerous positions at UNAUSA (now UN
Foundation) conferences in New York. Most importantly, I've gathered
so many friends from around the world because of MUN. Even though
my career is not related to MUN issues, it has certainly benefitted from
the experiences I gathered in HS and college. The last thing I'll say, is
that MUN was essential in giving me perspective. Growing up in a place
that can often feel like an echo chamber, the topics and issues
discussed in class helped me gather a perspective no other class
would have been able to give me. Also, you reaching out has reminded
me that we've been sucking at keeping the alumni network alive.
There's a lot of us former MUN'ers (ASFM'ers, really) that I would like
to hear from. I'll try and reach out to some people and see if we can get
that restarted. It's really great hearing from you! I certainly hope we
stay in touch, and please let me know if you ever find yourself in New
York City. We have over 10 years of world events to talk about!

It was your class and your passion in teaching MUN what inspired me
to work as an MUN teacher since I saw the amazing skills that one
could attain from an experience like this. It was the reason I studied
International Relations and it is the reason why I am currently the MUN
liaison for MS and HS at ASFM trying to promote among students this
amazing program. The students that are currently part of this program
in HS are the ones with the highest grades, the ones that participate
the most in community service, the ones responsible for coordinating
events in school and the ones taking rigorous AP classes. They are
truly amazing students and I truly believe that MUN has influenced
their attitude towards excellence. Thank you for the trips and the
amount of work you did to make MUN the best experience I had in
school.

More than MUN class, the biggest impact on my life has been my
involvement in Secretariat. Planning for IMMUNS really helped me
understand the importance of careful research, and how rewarding the
final outcome is after (at least) a year before of hard work and
preparation. Glad to hear from you van der Eyken! Would love to keep
in touch! Email: mariana.lamadrid@asfm.edu.mx

i really can't think of a more efficient way of teaching global

awareness and contemporary geopolitics than a model UN course.
world history courses tend to be highly editorialized by whomever
made the textbooks, and at any rate it's easy for a student to dismiss
history as something that's in the past and fail to make the connection
between historical events and their direct consequences in the
present. MUN in many ways forces you to address both contemporary
geopolitics and their historical underpinnings by focusing on the
present instead of the past, and i think that's very valuable. i'll
forward this survey along, hope you're well!

Congratulations on your new endeavour! My best wishing and same

here, mi casa es tu casa!

I have had the privilege of being part of the Model UN experience both
as a student and as a teacher and facilitator of IMMUNS. From the
student's perspective, the Model UN program was the cornerstone of
my educational experience in high school. It served as a means to
educate myself on global issues, form critical thinking and analytical
skills, express my opinions and communicate my values while building
empathy and a growing sense of understanding of global cultures and
sub-cultures. It has served as the foundation of my current political,
social, and economic views. From the teacher's perspective, it has
been an eye-opening experience and a testament to the wonderful
things that can happen when you place responsibility, trust and a
feeling of ownership in the hands of eager teenagers. From an
organizational standpoint, the way that I managed the Model UN
classroom is largely the same way I try to manage my current
business. As a Model UN facilitator, my job was to focus on each
student's strengths, assign responsibilities according to those
strengths, and simply check in with them and hold them periodically.
They were not motivated by a grade, but rather had a profound sense
of accountability to the rest of the team and organization. I have been
in the education business for 5 years since I left classroom teaching,
and the team of teenagers that I worked with as a Model UN teacher
surpasses any other group of adults I have worked with. I work with
children and teens that live in constant frustration and disenchantment
with an educational system that focuses mostly on standardized tests.
Most of those students in my center have dyslexia, ADHD or some form
of a learning challenge that keeps them from fully excelling in a
traditional classroom. I always recommend Model United Nations as a
way for those students to shine and demonstrate those abilities that
are not easily graded on a test or a standard rubric. I will go out of my
way to make sure that my children have the same educational and
personal growth experience as I did with Model UN.

Mr. Van der Eyken, it's so good to hear from you. I don't think I ever
had the chance to tell you, but my MUN experience had a tremoundous
impact on me. You were one of the best teachers I had at ASFM, and
because of MUN I decided to study Internation Affairs at ITESM. Upon
graduating I actually worked at the UN headquarters in Mexico City for
a year. Even though I left the field to pursue a carreer in business, my
focus is and has always been to help out in some way, and I never got
to thank you for all the lessons learned through you. So, thank you! I
hope this helps and that everything keeps working out for you in China!

I kept doing MUN in college at Penn and formed part of the UPMUNC
Secretariat, one of the top two most prestigious college conferences in
the US. I also staffed and taught chinese MS and HS kids at WEMUN in
Grand Epoch City where other staffers hailed from Yale, Harvard,
Berkeley, UChicago and Penn.

In short, Model United Nations was the most important learning

experience of my middle school and high school education. As a
participant (a "delegate") it taught me to think of issues beyond the
walls of my community. Beyond that, I was forced to think of those
issues through a lens outside my own. This pushed the boundaries of
my knowledge and my academic inquiry process. As an organizer of a
MUN simulation, I learned about leadership, organization, finance,
and team building. Having to organize an international event for
several hundred people and manage a budget of tens of thousands of
dollars at 18 is an experience that will teach you well beyond your
years. A great deal of this learning was due to our academic
supervisor giving us teenagers the freedom and responsibility to "self-
govern". The learning experience was enhanced by our teacher's
willigness to let us run into walls and fall, only to encourage us to get
back up again. Thanks Robbie!
1/22/2015 9:07 AM View respondent's answers

Hi Mr Vandereyken, it's good to see that you are doing well. I just
wanted to thank you again for all that you did for us with the MUN
program. It was absolutely one of the most important experiences of
my life and I know how much trouble you had to go through to
convince teachers and other staff to support our program. There
aren't many people like you in the world and most teachers would not
go through so much trouble for their students.

I am sure that you will be able to convince many teachers to start

programs like these in their schools.

I'll be happy to answer the survey. IMMUNS for me was an excellent

educational experience in content, interpersonal skills, and social
awareness. I look over those years with nostalgia...

Great to hear that you are keeping and establishing MUN programs in
new places!

Congratulations on the work you are doing in Hangzhou. I truly support

the initiative and I hope that you can get that MUN program off the
ground. Unfortunately, I never participated in MUN. I was a little too
much into soccer at that time (remember?). Either way, I have passed
the link along to my contacts and I hope that you can get substantial
feedback. My wife, Margarita Escalante, and I discussed your initiative
over dinner the other day. She was in MUN since middle school
(Colegio Ingles) and then again during high school at ASFM. She told me
that MUN definitely had an impact over her life and career decisions
(she is a corporate lawyer at a big law Firm here in Chicago). Of
course, she completed the survey and passed along the link as well.

Hello Vandereyeken !! (sorry but I can't call you Robert, jaja it was hard
enough to omit the Mr.) I answered the survey, but I wanted to let you
know about another life lesson that MUN left me. That is, that there is
always someone willing to give you an opportunity as long as you
demonstrate you are willing to make the most of it. I owe this to you
for you choose me becouse of (and I quote) "My big heart", thank you
for that I will never forget it.

Ni Hao Ma! Of course! Just filled out the questionnaire, you are such a
wonderful person and I feel fortunate our paths crossed. I wish you
continued success, and may this initiative you're taking come to
fruition. MUN 4 life! :D Let me know if you & your family happen to be
in Los Angeles sometime.

To sum up the past few years for me… I graduated from Business
Administration in Mty, worked a year in executive search, got married
in 2011, moved to DC with my husband (he studied MBA at
Georgetown and I worked at a start-up technology company as the
head of HR), we recently moved to NYC for work (he got a finance job
at L’Oreal) and I am now working at CNN in HR as well. Loving the city
and having a great time - learning, exploring, enjoying.. so thankful and
blessed.

I am now a teacher at ASFM and have helped out with IMMUNS, the
MUN program besides teaching Mexican History and AP Psychology,
along a few other courses.
If you have not heard of it, we are also working now with the Global
Issues Network and we will be hosting the third Tri-Association's
conference this upcoming March. (bit.ly/GINASFM) It's an amazing
experience, to the level of MUN that I see my students enjoy and learn
from. I'd highly recommend you also look into it as an opportunity for
your school. It would be really interesting to have you guys come over
this upcoming March!

I agree with you, IMMUNS truly was the highlight of my education in

Mexico (and in general, really) and the older I get the more I realize
how unique and precious that experience was.

Definitely a highlight in my High School years.

It was great to hear from you again, and think deeply about the great
times I had at ASFM and especially in MUN. I think I wrote it in the
comments part of the survey, but I'd like to tell you again: MUN was
definitely one of the best experiences I had at ASFM.

Though I was only involved for 1 year during my last year of HS, it was
such an enriching and rewarding experience that it remains one of the
definite highlights. After ASFM, I sort of decided to keep in line with
many of the issues we discussed in class and dealt with at simulations
by studying economics and political science at the University of
Chicago. Upon finishing my degree, I guess I went even deeper into the
MUN-type world and completed a master's degree in international
affairs at the Elliott School of GWU. Most of my classmates there are
now foreign service officers at the US State Dept or are like me and
work at international organizations. I actually work at the Inter-
American Development Bank (smack dab in the middle of MUN
issues) and also teach at Georgetown's graduate school of
international relations (ditto). Clearly, MUN was very influential in my
career choice and education. It isn't the main reason (that'd most
probably be our international upbringing in Asia, Europe, Mexico and
South America) but it definitely helped a lot. So, 10 years later, thanks!

MUN/IMMUNS was without a doubt one of the best experiences in

my life. I really hope you're able to expose more kids in China to the
same kind of experience.

I have actually found myself talking a lot about MUN lately, especially
Secretariat - which I still believe is one of the best learning
experiences any student can have. Hands-on learning is the best
learning method (in my opinion). I have also realized lately that I was
much more aware of what was going on in Mexico and the world
when I was in high school, my attention is so much more selective
now, it's kind of sad. Recently subscribed to BBC newsletters again to
try and fix that.

Anyway, I definitely have some thoughts I'd love to share. I am

working in PR/corporate communications and there are definitely
many skills that I'm pretty sure I learned in high school, refined in
college and get to perfect now - as well as some advantages in the
way I think: a global perspective is so much more important these
days, but at the same time it is also important to localize
communication. An interesting tug-of-war between the two, but
always important to have both perspectives in view.

I was telling the student about you and my experiences in MUN and
how I truly believe it changed my life! While it still frustrates me that
we cant fix all the world's problems in one night, I feel that because,
of that class, I am more aware of the ripple effects one small action
can make.

It was great getting your message! It's been a long time since we were
at ASFM, how have you been? I'm great! A few years back I started a
nonprofit organization to help people with disabilities find
employment and I've been hard at work. Being in MUN was a great
learning experience for me and it was great having you as a teacher.