After two years of absence, COSMUN has returned to the high school building, hosting over 400 students from around the continent. Heading this operation, Santiago Villegas, secretary general, and his team have successfully led COSMUN to be enjoyable but not perfect.

Throughout COSMUN, secretaries have agreed to be interviewed and shadowed around the TCS campus to fully understand the responsibilities and challenges of such a prominent event. So far, secretaries have represented the hub of communication for all participating parties, vendors, sponsors and prospective students. 

“[As a leader] I’ve been doing great but it is in large part thanks to the amazing team I’ve had,” Santiago Villegas, Grade 12, said.

Santiago Villegas, Secretary General for the first and last time, around the TCS campus. For the past couple months, Villegas has been preparing for this four day event by leading the secretary team through the organization, logistics and planning of the event.  So far, many renowned schools throughout Medellín and Latin America have signed up, making this COSMUN the first since the pandemic to include international students.

“It’s going to be great because it’s been the most number of participants we’ve had since pre-pandemic, approximately 400 students,” Villegas said. 

Being this his only chance to be Secretary General, Villegas did not have much time to talk to press or third parties external to the event. Instead, his sub-secretaries willingly gave insight into the inner workings of COSMUN 2023. 

During the planning stages of the event, three sub-secretaries were appointed to be Villegas’ right hands; Mariana Mesa, Maria Correa and Juana Wolff all made the cut. Villegas assures these are great options due to their experience, responsibility and ambitions for future COSMUN events. Out of no coincidence, all three sub-secretaries have applied to inherit Villegas’ title for the upcoming year. 

Mariana Mesa, 11th grade TCS student and Sub-Secretary General for COSMUN 2023, has participated in models since the sixth grade. When asked about the event during the third day, she described a success story with joyful expression and confidence. 

“We have enjoyed it [COSMUN] to the maximum. I hope that everybody has been enjoying their time and having fun in their committees. I believe that people are having fun and that’s the purpose behind all this model. Bringing this community together to build something great and debate and show the leadership that we have between members.” Mesa said. 

In future events, Mesa wishes to expand COSMUN’s international outreach and invite schools from around the world with more anticipation. Moreover, she expressed interest to perfect the planning process and introduce real life cases into the committees and events. 

“Let’s say, since [the last] 15 or more years in developing countries and especially in Colombia, there is a problem with anemia in children. If they do not receive the proper proteins and vegetables after a while (24 months), they will not reach their maximum potential in nutrition. I know a company that works in nutrition and child development. So I would like to work with that company and make this event of greater purpose.” Mesa said. 

Maria Correa, also Sub-Secretary General and candidate for Secretary, talked about the event and the appreciation for international students throughout the debates. 

“Our international delegates have given us really good feedback and our national delegates as well. Everything is going according to plan and we’re really enjoying the event from the committee’s lens. The debate is very heated in all the committees and we’re really enjoying it.” Correa said. 

When asked how the event could be improved, Correa reiterated the international outreach idea but highlighted the importance of having fun and taking away some of the tension debates can cause amongst participants. 

“I would like to work alongside Dina who worked with me this year to have contacts from Brazil. Also with the ASOPAF network of the school invites international schools. I also will try to have a more welcoming and fun environment, having team activities during the breaks and social activities like candy grams,” Correa said. 

Unlike Mesa and Correa, Juana Wolff, the third Sub-Secretary General, took COSMUN as a learning experience. Overall, she believes the event has made her a better leader and individual when handling out of the ordinary situations.

”I’ve learned a lot about leadership and about management because we have to prepare for this all before these days. So it’s a lot of handling. It’s handling people, dealing with different people, dealing with money, which was never something that was seen before. Dealing with logistics and how things would work, dealing with loss. We had to be in meetings, multiple meetings with two schools, lawyers, so it’s very different,” Wolff said.

In hindsight, Wolff believes next year should become more international. Although she praises Country Day school for coming from Costa Rica, she wishes to expand the international frontier. 

“International students make it better because multiple connections are made. Students from our school can be aware of how these conferences work in other countries, and they can also have more [social] connections to international students,” Wolff said.

Overall, secretaries can agree the event was a success and the leadership team was great on all parts. If they could do something better, they concur that it is the welcoming of other schools outside Colombia that should be the target. Next year, regardless of who inherits Villegas’ seat, leaders are confident the next COSMUN will be even better than the present.

“I am having a lot of fun and really enjoying it. I am planning on having the best time that I can because it is actually something that we have worked for, for a long time and put a lot of work behind,” Mesa said.