Saanvi Mehta

Hi everyone! My name is Saanvi Mehta, and I will be chairing General Assembly at the 2022-2023 YMCA Model United Nations Conference! I am a senior at Mainland Regional High School, and this is my 4th year doing MUN. This is my second year as an Officer of General Assembly. I have been in General Assembly for 3 years, and I was in the International Court of Justice my freshman year. I have also been to the Conference on National Affairs representing Model United Nations twice! My experience and journey through MUN has been one of the best and most impactful and empowering experiences of my life. The friendships, memories, skills, and values I have gained through this organization will stay with me for the rest of my life :). I can’t wait to get to meet and get to know each one of you, to see you all grow, and to be a part of making your conference experience as great as mine has been!

Aside from MUN, I play tennis, dance competitively, am part of two robotics teams, play the saxophone, and dedicate my time to causes I’m passionate about! My favorite t.v. shows are Gilmore Girls (#teamTristan & #teamLogan obviously) and Gossip Girl. Some of my favorite movies are Miss Congeniality, the Proposal (Ryan Renolds + Sandra Bullock I mean come onnn), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (for all my bollywood and Hrithik fanzz), and Christmas with the Kranks! I’m a big reader, mostly into fiction and the classics, I love to travel, and I’m really into STEM. My favorite things to do are sleep (though I don’t get to do much of this ugh), binge netflix, go on bike rides (the only thing to do in my town), have board game marathons with family and friends, and watch the sunrise. I still haven’t tried boba (which I need to get on asap!), am still obsessed with the conference milkshakes though I haven’t had one since freshman year, and love penne vodka, Chick-fil-a spicy chicken sandwiches, and paneer tikka masala!

The advice I have to give is especially applicable to first year delegates, but, honestly, it can be extremely helpful to even experienced delegates. If you are nervous coming to conference or if you are overwhelmed by conference and committee sessions, on the first day of conference, focus especially on building one-on-one relationships with 1 or 2 experienced delegates, speaking with and bouncing ideas off of your officer and your peers, and not feeling anxious to sit back, relax, and listen to give yourself some time to take it all in for the first  5-8 minutes of moderated caucus and resolution debate. I know some of this advice isn’t necessarily what you’d think nor the typical suggestion; however, in my experience they really help you get the most out of conference, so let me explain why I suggest them. Many delegates are a bit nervous to approach their officers, ask for their advice, or open up to them about ideas or apprehensions. However, officers are really here to help you. They will be  more than happy to guide you and if they are aware of  you they will make a conscious effort to help you do your best during debate and committee sessions. By sharing ideas with your peers, it will help you find people to partner with which will help you form friendships and have support when debating. As to identifying and talking to more experienced delegates, they often came from similar places as you, so they’ll be able to guide you in how they got to where they were and may even partner with you! Finally, I know you may feel pressure to speak right away or as much as possible to stand out for awards or to be seen as  a good debater, but a big part of conference is listening to and learning from others. If you are nervous to speak, take some time to listen and learn. Don’t beat yourself up or be stressed; instead, look to be inspired and ease your way into debate by giving your country’s opinion, asking a question and then moving on to arguing in support of an opinion, speaking on a resolution, and finally, debating for your own resolution!

I truly can’t wait for conference with all of you this year!

Loads of mun love till then :) <3, Saanvi

Check out my officer portfolio! https://beingsaanvi.wixsite.com/officerportfolio/blog