Danica Chakroborty

Greetings Delegates,
Did you know the Ipomoea Alba, also known as the Moonflower, only blooms at night? While other flowers may welcome the piercing glare of the sun, even growing in its direction to maximize the amount of light they recieve, Moonflowers look like closed tulips during the day. Their true form is only revealed when the cool light of the moon washes over their fields, and only those who welcome the ungrown, somewhat messy and incomplete appearance of the flowers in the daytime remain, knowing that a little bit of care and patience will reveal the flower’s true beauty.
Walking into my first conference, I closely resembled a Moonflower closed in on itself under the sun. I was excited and eager, but also nervous, a touch unskilled at public speaking, and struggled to fully understand my potential. And while in other parts of my life, I may have been overlooked as just another wilting tulip, those within the MUN program treated me as though I was a beautiful flower just in need of a little love and care.
Running for Secretary General was offset by those first experiences within the MUN program - but my reason for running is not to recreate my own experience for all of you. I recognize that inherent in our individuality is the fact that no two people will have the same exact experience. I am running because I see each and every single delegate as a Moonflower; I recognize our potential, wait every year to bask in the reflection of everyone’s true beauty at conferences, and hope only to enhance and improve each individual experience to inspire collective growth.
My platform is geared toward this very goal and consists of three parts; pre, during and post- conference initiatives.
Building confidence is a key aspect of ensuring that delegates can walk into a conference in full bloom and knowledge, we are relentlessly told, is power. Thus, pre-conference initiatives will include a series of preparatory virtual meetings to cover what constitutes a complete and well-researched GRP, how to write a resolution, how to debate, and, for those in specialized committees, what differences to note. During conference, initiatives will include expanding the annual service project to be more inclusive of those who cannot purchase items to donate. Moreover, to increase delegation interaction, inspire environmentally-friendly habits, and raise awareness of important issues, another in-conference initiative will be a book exchange program, where delegates bring in a book about an issue they are passionate about, to exchange with a randomly assigned delegate. Post-conference, to allow for further exploration of one’s future, building off of the experiences gained from MUN, meetings hosted by MUN alumni of various careers will allow delegates to connect with someone who used to be in their position and ask questions about college, the application process, and more.
Like any growing plant, Moonflowers require the persistent and dedicated care of a passionate gardener, and I hope to have the honor to be yours.

Sincerely,
Danica Chakroborty