S T E W A R D NEWS
I AM A
STEWARD:
NANCY HUANG ‘21
Nancy Huang jumped right into a whole range of extracurricular activities as soon as she started
at Steward in 2017 as part of the school’s international student program. Born in Nanping, China,
Nancy spoke very little English when she moved to the U.S. last year, though you’d never know it
now. As a sophomore at Steward, she is an active member of the Model UN club, for which she
represents the interests of her designated country at a conference of 1,200 other Model UN
delegates each fall after months of research. We spoke with Nancy about her participation in the
Model UN club at Steward, and how it has changed her worldview.
How did you become
involved in Model UN?
“In daily life,
we don’t always
feel close to the
problems of other
countries. But when
we're defending
our countries as
delegates, we feel
like these are our
problems.”
I found out about Model UN when I
was in middle school in China, and
when I heard that Steward had a
Model UN club, I decided to join
right away. It’s fun because when you
represent a different country, you
have to put yourself in that country’s
position. It could be totally opposite
from your country or what you know,
but when you start researching your
country for conferences, you learn so
much. I’ve learned about countries
I’d never even heard of before.
Tell us about this past fall’s
Virginia Model United
Nations conference at the
University of Virginia.
The topic for the committee
this year was the World Health
Organization. Our two proposed
problems to address were water
security and food shortages. Before
the team goes to the conference,
we each research and write position
papers on both topics from our
countries’ perspectives. Then, at the
conference, one of those topics is
chosen for each country to present
on, so you have to be prepared
for both. This year, I represented
Qatar with my partner [Gracie
Goodpasture ‘19] and we discussed
issues of access to water.
you are able to see the problem from
different sides. It’s more complex
than you might think.
Do you see international
relations in your future?
After I graduate from Steward, I
plan to stay in the U.S. for college
and hope to major in international
business.
What’s the most interesting
part about Model UN to you?
It’s called Model UN, but when
you’re at the conference, you feel
like you’re at a real United Nations
conference. In daily life, we don’t
always feel close to the problems
of other countries. But when
we’re defending our countries as
delegates, we feel like these are our
problems. We really care. There are
a lot of countries that have to make
decisions about important things
like immigration and refugees. And
when you’re researching these issues,
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