PEGASUS EMPOWERMENT

By Yasmin Suleiman

To this day, one of my most vivid memories dates back to 2015 when I was a Pegasus seventh grader. During the Sans Fards Day celebration at school, all of the female students wore white tops, went make-up-free, and embraced our inherent beauty. As I stood among my peers, each of us accepting our natural state and motivating others to do the same, I felt a sense of belonging. I felt that I was allowed to be my inherent self and enjoyed inspiring others to do the same.

From that point forward, I aimed to expand my role in empowering others. I yearned to determine how to have a positive around me in the same way Sans Fards Day had a positive effect on me. In high school, I developed my skills of influence through Huntington Beach High School’s Model United Nations (MUN) program, where I learned to represent multiple nations and develop innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. MUN itself centers around public speaking, research skills, and cooperating with other student delegates. During my time in the program, I expanded on these traits and embraced my ability to explore new perspectives and express unique opinions in my writing and with my voice. I developed diction and rhetoric in public speaking to better support my arguments —I commanded authority with my use of words.

As I pursued my passion for tackling global crises through MUN, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to New York for an international Model UN conference during my junior year in high school. At this four-day conference, I distinctly remember hearing the chatter among the exhausted delegates as we neared the end of our first day of debate. I stood up, gave my speech, and watched as the room went silent. The one hundred and twenty tired delegates stopped what they were doing to look up at me as

I drew from my Pegasus roots and determined that I want to become a political figure responsible for instilling positive change.

I spoke. In these two minutes and thirty seconds — I felt as if I had the power to command a universe— I drew from my Pegasus roots of empowerment and determined that I want to become a political figure responsible for instilling positive change. In that moment, I truly understood the significant impact MUN had on me, and I aspired to act as a role model, helping younger generations discover how to use public speaking More importantly, I hope to give back to the community that played such a significant role in defining my individuality.

As a university student, after brainstorming how I could effectively share my experiences with younger students, I came up with the idea to create an MUN elective for middle schoolers at Pegasus. I promptly contacted James Swiger, my former history teacher and current Middle School Director, and pitched him my idea. Once I earned faculty approval, I immediately began developing my own lesson plans, activities, and assignments geared toward sharing my adoration for MUN with younger students who had yet to find their voices. Lessons ranged from topics including the elimination of buzzwords, to proper utilization of body language, to my personal favorite, how to dress for conferences (suit and tie, of course). As a class, we spent time learning how to write position papers, establish compelling arguments, and create solutions to address a multitude of different situations. I watched my students’ eyes light up as they addressed topics including climate change, environmental migrants, and even Nike sneakers vs. Vans shoes. Students identified activities they were passionate about and learned to incorporate them into the topics we were discussing. One student tied his interest in wildfires to his research on global warming, while another expanded upon her fascination with medicine by developing ways to address antibiotic resistance.

All of the time spent preparing speeches and drafting papers came to fruition on conference day when Pegasus MUNers competed against high school delegates in the HBHS Surf City Conference. These outstanding seventh graders collaborated with students from high schools to present their ideas, establish the dominant solutions, and conquer global challenges. With a strong Pegasus foundation, students stood out as they gave their speeches which commanded rooms.

On the first day of teaching my elective, I saw the “spark” in my seventh graders that differentiates Pegasus students from their peer schools. Each and every Pegasus MUNer was eager to learn and ready to master the arts of public speaking, research, and collaboration. Each and every Pegasus MUNer embodied the same passion and drive that had been ingrained in me during my time at the school. I am beyond blessed to have worked with such amazing faculty members and students during my time spent teaching the MUN elective. And, I have no doubt that these unique Pegasus students will positively influence the world and use their bright minds to soar!

Yasmin Suleiman (’17) now attends the University of California, Berkeley where she studies political science, legal studies, history and rhetoric. In her free time, she enjoys writing, volunteering in her local community, and watching the sunset. Contact: yasminrsuleiman@gmail.com