Meet the Under Secretary General of Conference
Juli Hye Ryeong Cho was born in Korea and has lived there
for almost her entire life. She is now a junior in Pierson College at Yale
University, where she is majoring in Political Science. Juli is an active
member of YIRA (the Yale International Relations Association) and she is the
Under Secretary General (USG) of Conference for this year's YMUN Korea. She is
also the president of the Korean American Students of Yale.
Juli was
first motivated to become the USG Conference for this year’s YMUN Korea after speaking
to some of her friends who had previous experiences working at YMUN Korea.
Having lived in Korea during her high school years, Juli knows that this is a
valuable opportunity for students in Korea. She explained,“One thing I admire a
lot about the conference - bringing high school students in contact with
college students who can be mentors, giving them an academic experience that
they can’t get anywhere in the classroom, and widening their horizons to
outside of just Korea.”
To create
this atmosphere for both Korean and Yale students alike, Juli has been working
hard to ensure that the conference runs smoothly. Since she is in charge of
mostly the logistics of conference, Juli has to take care of things consisting
of things from setting the schedule and negotiating with the COEX to the
renting of printers. When asked about her own expectations for the conference,
she replied, “First and foremost, as USG of Conference, I hope the conference
can run smoothly - no last minute printer problems, no lost bags, no
emergencies. More generally, I hope it is a challenging and fulfilling
experience for the delegates. Opportunities like this are rare in Korea, I
think, and I hope it is an experience students can learn and grow from.”
Although
Juli has participated in a model UN as a delegate only once, she has had
experience staffing many of them, including YMUN. According to Juli, the best
part is being able to think about important international issues through a very
different lens. “MUN requires you to really think about different positions and
concrete solutions to these problems in a way that you can’t otherwise. That
being said, that is also probably one of the hardest parts of MUN - that this
is a very difficult, albeit meaningful, exercise,” she remarked.
Juli’s
advice for this year’s participants? “Have fun. Don’t think of this as a
competition - think of this as an exercise. Really engage in the issues and be
as actively involved as possible." When asked about her own personal
experience, she replied, “For me, speaking up in front of a crowd is always a
terrifying experience. Don’t be afraid that you’ll get something wrong. There
is no shame in ignorance, as long as you’re trying to learn.”
by Janette Rhee
