I was lucky to be a part of a prestigious school in my formative years. The kind of school that’s exactly 100 years older than our own country’s independence and is rich with history and who’s alumni include the likes of Neerja Bhanot and Abhishek Bachchan. It’s the kind of school where you make each day count and try to make your mark; and opportunities were plentiful. I had a chance to leave my mark when the school decided to hold its first, ever, intraschool Model United Nations. It was an instant hit amongst the students and around 300 students applied to be part of the participating teams. Another 150 applied to be a part of the managing committee and I vied a seat on the task force. After a couple of rounds of elections, essays and interview, I was inducted into the MUN management team and work began swiftly as the event was the less than 3 weeks away.
Work load was more than heavy and the work and research seemed unending. The logistics and preparing material for the chair was the hardest but we made the cut and everything was ready to hit the ground running just days to go. Some of us went out to the neighbouring Subway to celebrate and wind down, when our senior got a call with some news – a participant had to recall his participation from the event due to unforeseen circumstances. Since it was just 2 days to go, no other student would take her place since MUN requires weeks of researching international affairs and international relationships, let alone the actual topic of discussion.
After some thought, I decided to volunteer and take the empty spot. Since I had already spent weeks working with the organizing committee, I felt it would be easier for me to take this opportunity up. But I had realized that the other teams had spent the last 3 weeks solely on research. So I spent the next 48 hours squeezing in the information on websites, newspapers and manoramas, so that I could at least have a fair chance in the MUN. Coffee had never seemed more important and sleep more precious. Somehow it all payed off when I was shocked to find that my team had not only won the event but I also received the Best Delegate Award. That day I realized that no horizon is too far if you can push yourself across the line.