This summer I attended the Model United Nations Institute at UCLA and I am so grateful to the Wishbone community for this life changing opportunity! In the Model United Nations program not only did I learn about the procedures of the being a delegate for the United Nations, but I also met a lot of amazing young people from diverse backgrounds. This program allowed me to meet people from India, South Korea, New Zealand, and people from all over the country. I learned about their experiences and also got to experience the freedom of college life first hand! I got to dorm at UCLA, eat in the dinning halls, and attend classes daily. Thanks to your generous donations, I feel more confident when entering college next fall and I'm ready to jump into the next journey in my life with an optimistic mind. I cannot thank you enough for the wonderful opportunity to grow as a person and learn more about myself!

In just a couple days, I'm going to be attending UCLA Model United Nations Summer Institute, and I'm so excited! In this amazing summer program, students will be given a country to represent as well as a committee and will conduct research on issues occurring in the world. This year, I will be exploring the issue of Discrimination Against Women and Child Soldiers. Prior to attending the summer institute, I am going to write a position paper on the background and the stance of Discrimination Against Women and Child Soldiers for the county I represent, which is Cuba. I'm in the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural (SOCHUM) Committee. For the week I am at UCLA, we will be preparing for a Mock United Nations conference where we will come up with solutions to the issues we have researched. Currently, I'm in the process of writing my position paper on Discrimination Against Women in Cuba and I've realized that this is extremely interesting me because I myself am a feminist who dreams of a world of equality without regard to one's sex.

I chose this program because in my AP World History course my sophomore year of high school I would constantly come across the issues that the United Nations has attempted to solve throughout its history of existence. I remember reading the mission of the United Nations of sustaining worldwide peace and remember thinking to myself that this is somewhere I would love to work! I am looking forward to furthering my knowledge on international issues and living on the UCLA campus for a week! This experience will help me get a sense of how life in a college campus will be when I go to college myself. Overall, I am so happy to be given the opportunity to ultimately grow as a scholar, leader, and most importantly world citizen!