KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Mikele Mancuso
Dear Delegates,
My name is Mikele Mancuso and it’s my honor to be your keynote speaker at NEMUN 2025. I am currently a 3rd-year student at Florida International University (FIU), in Miami, Florida, USA, on a gap year here in Taiwan to study Mandarin Chinese at the National Chengchi University Chinese Language Center. My past with Model UN is extensive; after doing Model UN in High School in the United States, I continued to do Model UN in college, becoming Head Delegate of the FIU Model UN team during the 2023-2024 year, where the team ranked 7th in North America and where I personally ranked among the top 15 Model UN delegates in North America according to Best Delegate. I also worked for Best Delegate as a Diplomacy Fellow, where I taught Model UN to beginner and advanced students alike. This past year in Taiwan, I continued to do Model UN, chairing and participating as both a delegate and a chair at multiple conferences, including participating in WorldMUN with MUN Society Taiwan and winning a Diplomacy Award.
Over the past 7, going on 8, years doing Model UN, I have learned innumerable lessons that have come to help me in different facets of my life, ranging from internships to relationships, and in my keynote speech, I plan to share some of those lessons with you all. For some of you, NEMUN is your first MUN conference, for some of you, it may be your last MUN conference; Regardless of your status or experience, do not underestimate the power Model UN has to change lives. In my time, I’ve seen Model UN give people careers, university acceptances, internships, even romantic relationships that last a lifetime. MUN is not just another activity to add to the college application in hopes of showing your English ability, MUN is a set of values, thoughts, and beliefs, and it can teach lessons that may take some decades to fully comprehend, so do not take it for granted!
I hope that throughout your time at NEMUN, you all understand the value of the activity you are participating in. Allow it to open doors, build bridges, and, in line with this year's theme, look beyond borders.
See you all very soon!
Mikele Mancuso