by Jeffrey Troyer | 29 Jan 2021
This past weekend was a historic and remarkable event for two of GESM's finest students: IBDP candidates Kai Matus and Billy Wootton. Along with over 2000 students from over forty countries and six continents, they gave their all (while most of us were fast asleep!) at the first ever Yale Virtual Model United Nations conference. They did not have to do this! The vetting process and paperwork alone might have made some give up as Yale has strict guidelines and protocol for each and every phase of the event including committee attendance while many sessions were held in the middle of the night Manila time! I can honestly say they both represented their delegations of Ethiopia and The Netherlands with devotion and passion. Billy alone gave twelve speeches, five POI's and sponsored four resolutions in his WHO committee debating Covid-19 vaccine distribution in the Global South. Kai's committee, The United Nations Development Program, tackled the issue of Chinese Economic Involvement in Africa. I can honestly say that in my many years as an MUN advisor, I have rarely seen such quality resolutions created by students as those turned out by Kai's committee. Over the course of the four-day event, the students were also treated to keynote speeches by noted authors as well as social gatherings where Yale students generously shared information about university applications and the all too stressful selection process. They were even given the rare opportunity to tune into real live Yale professors giving lectures on a variety of topics. If you teach or even know Billy and Kai, I am sure they would appreciate a pat on the back (virtual of course!) if you get a chance. They made GESM proud!