SUNY MEU 2023 Blog Post
Holly Levy
In the spring of 2023, I got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A friend of mine in grad school here at the University of Pittsburgh asked me to represent the university at a Model EU conference. After I talked with my mom and thought about it for a minute of course I took the opportunity. The SUNY Model EU conference was a truly unique experience. I had never been a part of something quite like this! At the conference, I made new friends and I learned a lot of new things. I got to practice speaking French with some native French speakers at the conference. Also, the conference challenged me to delegate better and to think in new ways. I also got better at compromising with others. In the end, I felt like I became better at public speaking.
When we were not at the conference, we got to explore New York City. I got to go to places like Times Square and ride the subway for the first time. Also, I went to the Modern Museum of Art and was amazed by all of the beautiful artwork. Furthermore, my breath was taken away when I saw the real ‘The Starry Night’ by Vincent Van Gogh. As a big Harry Potter fan, I got to go to the Harry Potter store in New York City. I also tried Thai food for the first time. In the end, I truly had a wonderful time filled with unique opportunities. This experience made me feel alive for the first time in a while. I learned a lot throughout the trip and I learned a lot of skills that can be applicable in the real world. Also, I tried new things and I even got out of my comfort zone. I made new friends and I got closer with friends I already had. This was an amazing experience that I will remember for the rest of my life!
At the end of 2022, I found out that I had a brain tumor and that I would have to get brain surgery about a month after this conference. I wanted to attend this conference to feel normal again and to make new memories before my life changed. After my surgery, I was paralyzed on my right side and was in rehab all summer. Over the summer I found out that my brain tumor was cancerous. But now I am back at college going through chemotherapy and doing better than ever! I will be forever grateful for the experience I had at the 2023 SUNY Model European Union conference.
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of UNC, Pitt, and FIU, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
