We Are The United Nations 2020

Model United Nations: Mission High School

Some Background:

A few years ago our teacher, Ms. Shah, was offered the opportunity to bring her students to the Model United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.  She initially declined the opportunity due to the lack of funds and the size of the task.  However, after some time had elapsed, her motivated class of 2018 decided to fundraise, and started a GoFundMe page while also selling different foods and products at school sales whenever possible.  Thanks to their efforts of fundraising, giving a pitch at DropBox and the immense help of the Mission High Foundation, the class of 2018 was able to raise more than $20,000 in order to fly to Geneva and participate in this incredible conference.


Class of 2020:

We are Peer Resources students who are enrolled in our second year of the Educator Pathway Program, we are also running the Model United Nations club here at MHS.  Together we would like to carry on the legacy of the Peer Resources students who came before us and had the immense opportunity of traveling to and participating in this wonderful conference in 2018 you can see their Gofundme page here.

We, the class of 2020 want to be able to take our skills, diversity, expertise, and unique perspectives not only the conference in Geneva, but also bring them back to Mission High School so that future students can learn from us and attend both local and international conferences.

About Us:

Jackie

My name is Jackeline Hernandez and I am a 17 year old, first generation student.I am the reflection of a woman who works day and night every day of the year.  I am Salvadorian-American and was born and raised in San Francisco. My mom is a hard working single mother who cleans houses from dusk until dawn. My family has come from generations of extreme poverty and I hope to be able to give them everything they deserve. Being in Ms. Shah’s class for the past two years has greatly impacted my perception of the community around me. Everyday I am enriched with new knowledge and now have a liberating outlook on why certain problems are affecting our communities. Being able to attend Model UN in Switzerland is a once in a lifetime opportunity that can transform my peers and myself. I want to see how students all over the world are able to come together and talk about topics and ideas that are not often being debated in schools. I hope to take away new experiences and new friendships from FERMUN 2020!

Ezrealla

My name is Ezrealla, and growing up, I was never taught about the history or the reasoning behind the oppression that is happening in the world. I was mainly taught the bias stories written in thick textbooks my teacher would describe as his “Bible”. It was not until I took Peer Resources where I actually learned about the true meaning of justice and building community. I learned that in order to have justice for all, you need understanding and equity amongst the community, despite their backgrounds and where they come from. In Peer Resources, I get to go in depth with understanding different cultures and insights of the world. Learning all of these perspectives and raw history, not only do I want to see change, I want to make change in this oppressive world we live in. This year, we are given the opportunity to go to Geneva, Switzerland and be a part of Model UN where we get to meet people from all over the world. There, me and my fellow peers get to step out of our comfort zone and have the chance to expand our minds to discovering new cultures and places.

Hattie

My name is Hattie Bellino and I am a Junior at Mission High School. I was born in Kennebunkport, Maine and have lived in San Francisco most of my life. Being from a predominantly white and more rural area, I am incredibly grateful to live in the city that I do, where people are far more accepting of each other and being outspoken is encouraged. Social justice has always been a focus and passion of mine. Being a part of peer resources in my school has opened my eyes to the struggles and experiences of my peers and allowed me to share my own. Through building community and trust we are able to go about enacting change together. I want to participate in the Model UN in Geneva, Switzerland, because it is an incredible opportunity. I would love to be able to travel outside of the U.S. for the first time and be immersed in a completely new environment. I am interested in debate, politics, lobbying, social justice, building community with others and learning more about the world. I believe all of these interests are a part of the Model United Nations and I would love the chance to make this opportunity a reality for me and my peers.

Nicole

My name is Nicole Salazar Ramos and I am a proud, first generation, Chicana who is born and raised in the Mission District. Since my dad’s pass away, my family has been living from paycheck to paycheck, hardly being able live without worrying about payments. My mom has been working hard each day with the goal of getting my siblings and I to college. I will not let her struggles and hard work go to waste. Having faced hardships my entire life I am still thriving and working hard each day to help my family grow out of poverty and live healthy lives. Education to many is a choice, but to me it's my only path towards success, financial stability and the betterment of my community. My Peer Resources class taught by Ms. Shah has inspired me to fight against the systems of oppression in my city and believe in my own self-worth, due to this, I have higher expectations for myself and my peers. Students of color going to Model UN is unheard of, and having empowered youth of San Francisco fly all the way to Geneva, Switzerland to increase their education and knowledge is rare. Opportunities like this hardly ever come around for students like us, but I am willing to put in all the hard work to assure that this trip becomes possible. 

Elena

My name is Elena Rodriguez. I was raised in San Francisco, California by my Argentinian father and Chinese-American mother. I currently live in Bernal Heights and am a senior at Mission High School. Going to Mission has taught me to expand my curiosity and grow more with diverse cultures around me. Peer Resources, which I have started my junior year, has helped me understand my self worth and shape my goals for social justice. Over the past few years, I’ve been an assistant coach for Independent Football Club, a soccer club in San Francisco that gives low income youth a chance to play at no cost. I believe everyone should not have to worry about paying thousands for doing what they enjoy. Having the chance to travel across the world with my classmates and learn in a new environment is something I have always dreamed of doing. I believe this will give me a better chance to learn and grow as a once shy girl. This life-changing opportunity will let others know about the community I come from and the work I want to do to make changes.

Robert Sotelo

My name is Robert Sotelo I’m a senior and peer educator at Mission High School . It is definitely a repetitive struggle to explain and tell everyone that I am Irish Peruvian French Malaysian and Yemenis every time but I take plenty of pride in it. As being a male and all of these nationalities I’m able to experience and be apart of so many different types of oppression. Growing up in such diverse areas around the city i have gotten the chance to meet and become friends with so many amazing people that I realized are less privileged than I am. My fight for equality started from that realization that we don’t live in a fair society and no change is able to happen if I don’t take a stand and fight against oppression. To be able to attend The model United Nations Conference in Geneva Switzerland is an opportunity only I can dream of, to travel to a different country and spread knowledge on issues people like me and you know go through daily. My goal is to be able to say I fought for a worldly change and will continue to. 

Aaron

Who am I? I’m just a student who’s privileged to have been and be part of a group of people that focus on restorative justice. I am Aaron Villareal and I attend Mission High School. I am captain of Mission High’s varsity soccer team. I have been luckily introduced to a class called Peer Resources. Growing up, I witnessed several cases of discrimination and racism unknowingly. This class is enlightenment on a whole new level. With my father being from Mexico and my mother being from El Salvador, I have learned that I haven’t had the same opportunities as most other kids. My mind has been introduced and expanded upon in this course, where I have learned more about myself as well as the people around me. I am part of diversity because I am diversity. Mission High’s a prime example of that. Being given the opportunity to attend the Model UN in Switzerland is an honor and undeserved privilege in which I am very excited for. I hope to gain an immense amount of knowledge from this trip and I am certain I will because with just the 2 years of attending Peer Resources class, I’ve been given a diverse perception of the modern era.