TCS hosted its biggest Model United Nations yet March 8-11. International and National students from all backgrounds and grade levels from grade 5 to up were encouraged to participate. The result was diverse groups of young minds that came together to share their ideas and perspectives presented in the 16 committees offered in the Model.

Success in hosting the conference is a testament to their hard work and dedication. Who put in countless hours of planning and preparation, and their efforts paid off in the smooth and successful running of the event. COSMUN 2023 set a high standard for the next year and the newly elected presidents for Press, Logistics, secretaries General, and TCS Mun Club representatives were picked with the goal of being able to make the event even larger and better.

“I think that all of the organization of the event is key for the success and that everyone likes the event. And it was really satisfying to see how everything turned out amazing and it was a good experience for everyone,” Mariana Mesa, Grade 11, said.

Reaching Goals

Dedication and commitment of the organizing committee and the participating students were crucial. Among the many objectives set, the inclusion of international student participation was a major one, and the participation of Costa Rican students ensured that the goal was met, adding a unique flavor to the event as well as contributing to its global appeal. Additionally, the inclusion of National Student participation was also a big goal with the attendance of Colegio Bolivar from Cali. The objective of having public school student participation was also achieved, evidenced by the outreach and inclusivity efforts that were made by the organizing committee.

“I feel pretty satisfied with the results, as the three main goals we had set out for COSMUN 2023 back in last year were all met. Given that we met every single one of these goals, I can say I’m nothing but satisfied with the event,” Senior Santiago Villegas, said.

Positions for Cosmun 2024

Cosmun’s organization is made up of two teams, all of which have a president and around two vice presidents. These are reelected every year and announced at the closing ceremony. Many students dream about being the leaders of these teams and work through their whole high school and even middle school years to reach these positions. This year’s Ceremony announced the positions for 2024.

The press team is in charge of social media, sponsorships, and COSMUN news; this year’s presidents are Camila Pelaez and Amelia Restrepo, along with their Vicepresidents Amalia Pelaez and Antonia Velez.

The logistics team is made up of president Amalia Sierra, and Vice presidents Jose Penagos and Amalia Restrepo, this team is in charge of sponsorships and overall logistics at the event 

“Even after some rough patches throughout the event, the results were very positive. Our biggest goal in logistics is that the event flows correctly and there are no obstacles from the logistics side.  I feel that everyone ended up really satisfied with the overall event and our school looks good, especially to the eyes of these international students,” Amalia Sierra, Grade 11, said.

The General secretaries job is to coordinate the whole event. They pick the presidents for the committee, find sponsors and participants, make sure payments are made, and have other responsibilities. The 2024 Secretaries Generals are Mariana Mesa and Maria Correa, and the Sub Secretaries General are Emilia Quintero, Manuela Isaza, and Joaquin Perez. 

The newly elected TCS Mun Club board with its two new presidents Luciana Restrepo and Santiago Ramos, Student Advisor Pedro Gonzales, and Middle School representative Maria Antonia Garcia. These clubs’ main job is not only to prepare TCS delegates for COSMUN but also to prepare these students for external MUNs and get the participants to attend other models.

Obstacles through the event

All teams faced their ups and downs including a small fire in the cafeteria on the second day. The main obstacle for the event was finding enough sponsors it was really hard to find someone willing to provide food for such a high amount of people, and after finding these it was hard to store the food and find an organized way to hand it out in an arranged manner. But the teams in charge of organizing the event were able to manage and solve the problems. 

“It was amazing, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team. I’d say we were still feeling some of the effects of the pandemic in the sense that we didn’t know how to and who should handle certain issues, but it was great amongst the General Secretariat, Logistics, Press, and Directive Chair,” Villegas said.

COSMUN 2023 was successful due to the effort and commitment of the organizing committee, and the active involvement of students from various backgrounds and grades. The event was able to achieve its main goals of international and national student participation, as well as the inclusion of public school students. Despite the challenges faced, the teams worked together to find solutions and ensure a smooth and outstanding event. Overall, COSMUN 2023 has set the bar high for future Model UN events at TCS.