I haven’t given much of a thought about attending conferences before, until the moment when I decided that I want to enrich my backgrounds on international experience.

Also, it would definitely help my resume to stand out so I wanted the experience to be associated with a large organization.

At the end of September in 2015, I stumbled upon the International Careers Festival and RomeMUN project, which offered an opportunity to experience international cooperation and learn more about the United Nations world.

After doing some Internet research, I have made my mind and I submitted the application. After the 3-day event passed by, I realized that it was worth it.

Here’s what I learned while attending the Festival.

3 reasons to attend an international conference

1. International environment

The minute I joined the event, I was exposed to the international audience. Together with other students from all around the world, I had a chance to work on the United Nations issues.

Of course, this fact alone would enrich my CV, yet I enjoyed pondering my ideas with other like-minded individuals and do the reality check. After all, I was curious to see how the world of diplomacy really is because I followed the International Cooperation program at my university.

2. Real-life case studies

Speaking about the reality check: as the future professional, it is essential to see what the current professionals in your field do. During the RomeMUN event, I got a chance to participate in the simulation of real-life debates between nations.

On the first day, right after the opening ceremony took place, the simulation started in the allotted committees. The main issue to face was “Forced Labor and Modern Slavery”.

I was surrounded by people from every nation, from the US to China passing through Europe. Because of this, it was easier to hear the original voice of every nation during the discussion. We were also collaborating to find solutions to the social and economic problems connected to the topic.

Prior to the conference, I could choose between General Assembly, UNHCR, FAO, SC, ECOSOC, UNESCO and UNEP. So eventually I represented Brasil for the ECOSOC Committee, and I was paired with a teammate from Italy.

The simulation required us to do preliminary research in relation to the issues of the ECOSOC committee (poverty, child slavery, education). When the simulation started, our long hours of work and preparation paid off immediately since Brazil was one of the most important countries participating in the debate.

In fact, we were asked so many times to speak and answer the questions from the people from other nations, which was very exciting. So Brazil became a protagonist with its position on the debate about the social and economic issues.

Despite working, the breaks and free time ruled the days too. Networking with peers from all over the world was very important part of the festival. We had the possibility to reflect on the issues, discuss them with other delegates and have a great time with amazing people.

I’ve learned so much from this experience. First of all, if you want to reach a goal, it depends on you. Teamwork is really important but that works if you work for that. Your role in the world matters and you can build its future.

Hard work and humility are the keys to achieving a goal. Your colleagues have to be an example for you and you a reference point of them.

3. International events open doors to international opportunities

During the conference, I had a chance to meet with the organizations and corporations that were interested in international profiles of candidates to join their firms.

Even today, I am receiving offers from contacts I made during the event, even though it has been more than a year.

These three days of RomeMUN was a mix of excitement, sense of duty for the country represented and the emotional drive, the emotional part of the game that got yourself proud for the work completed during the festival.

I hope that I gave you an insight of my experience on RomeMUN. You can be the protagonist and change our world for the better.

This article was originally written by Pietro Enea, representing Brazil during RomeMUN 2016
ECOSOC Committee

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