My day started with the draping of my light pink saree embellished with white net. I am always excited at the thought that I get to spend a full day dressed in a saree, not only does it look beautiful, it represents something even more beautiful, a third culture kid being able to embrace her home country through one of her many passions, clothes. When my mother starts to wail her hands up and down in a fit about time, that is usually my annual UN day indicator that I need to head out the door.
When I arrived at school, it was invigorating to see the pool of color in front of me, the flags waving high, and the students modeling their unique cultural dresses. Although I had a lot to tend to being the leader of our school’s MUN club, I couldn’t help but let myself indulge in the array of representation in front of me, I always take a minute to admire the silk sarees, the bright Hanboks, the patterns on Songkoks and more.
After getting the flag parade organized, I made my way to the UN flag, which I was in charge of and cued the starting of the walk. During the opening ceremony, I gave a speech on the UN Declaration of Rights to introduce the reciting of said articles in a multitude of different languages. I was incredibly nervous, to say the least, who knew a 2-minute speech on a podium in front of the student body could feel like 2 hours. Despite being an avid public speaker, I think having to be the first student to be on stage that day was a little intimidating. However, this was quickly rewarded by the thought of delicious UN day food.
Following the opening ceremony, students were led back to classrooms for informational presentations by members of the MUN club. My main job was to oversee all the classrooms to ensure a smooth day. My goal for this UN day was to educate the school community about gender equality and its importance, this is a topic close to my heart as an Asian woman who frequently observes gender disparity in a male-dominated society. I consider myself to hold strong feminist values that support the empowerment of women and men, sharing these thoughts with my peers was a priority.
During the months leading up to UN Day, the MUN club spent lots of time creating presentations that showcased thought-provoking facts, anecdotes, and videos. The main aim was to cater to each and every presentation to the assigned age groups to keep engagement high and have them leave with at least one piece of new information. As I visited different classrooms, I could see how immersed the females were in the discussion, they seemed to greatly appreciate the talk and became more aware of ways to empower one another. The male students were also very dedicated to contributing to the discussion, it amazed me to see the overall understanding of the importance of female empowerment. I feel blessed to be in an environment that facilitates equal opportunities for both men and women.
When lunch time came, the canteen was decked with tables containing food from Japan to Columbia. I rushed through as many stalls as I could before running through the crowd to get to the auditorium. I needed to rehearse for our theatre performance, which would be included in the closing ceremony. After a few rehearsals, we noticed parents and students entering the auditorium, it was time to perform. Our theatre class had created a performance that included a compilation of skits depicting gender disparities in society to go along with the UN day theme. When creating this, I was grateful Ms. Jackson was on board with the ideas that I had to offer because there was a lot I wanted to say through our piece. I hope it resonated with the audience in a creative way that shed light on different perspectives. After a few other performances, speeches, and videos, it came time for my final speech of the day to close the assembly. I spent weeks making my speech to hopefully inspire my peers to take action and maintain the equality we encompass within our school walls, but most importantly, take these practices beyond OSC. It was nerve-racking at the beginning, but as I spoke on, it became less scary and more exciting to know that I got to use this opportunity to speak about something so incredibly meaningful to me. This UN day was truly one for the books, the overwhelming amount of support and enthusiasm that resonated at each and every second shed light on the importance of diversity for any community.
