2019 BIS Ambassadors to the United Nations

This role has grown from the exciting collaboration between Nord Anglia Education and UNICEF on the annual Global Challenge, where NAE schools are tasked with taking action towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 SDGs, also known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. This year we have been focusing on Goal 4: Quality Education, and Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

To be a BIS HCMC Ambassador to the United Nations, students need to be strong communicators, demonstrate diplomacy and debating skills, and make significant contributions to the community, MUN, or global issues groups here at BIS HCMC, and they are excellent role models who embody our school values and ethos.

On Tuesday 12^th February Ms Amy Murphy (Deputy Head Curriculum and Learning), Ms Lauren Binnington (Global Campus Lead) and Mr Daniel Gamwell (MUN Coordinator) interviewed our five shortlisted candidates on what makes them the BIS HCMC Ambassador. Our interviewees shared their thoughts on diplomacy, global issues, and local challenges, and held their own in discussions relating to the problems facing our global society today.

We are delighted to announce Nina Pham (Year 12) and Eugene Chang (Year 11) as our 2019 ambassadors, and we look forward to working with them in these roles over the coming months before they embark on this incredible opportunity to New York in July.

Let’s find out more about our 2019 ambassadors…

Nina Pham, Year 12

How have you shown significant commitment to the community, MUN, or global issues?

I have demonstrated my long term commitment to global issues through my 4 years as part of the school’s MUN delegation, and more recently, the leadership team. My participation has allowed me to engage in a variety of topics from national security to economic growth to human rights; through these experiences, I was able to develop a sensitivity for global issues especially those heavily disputed with differing or controversial views, those that the SDG 16 tackles. Involving myself in national and international conferences has exposed me to new solutions and different interpretations of issues that I thought I knew well; the cumulative exposure to these ideas have allowed me to grow as a global citizen and become more aware of international events as well as those that are occurring around me. Thus, I enabled myself to give back to my local community through leading the Christina Noble Foundation Clubs for Swimming and Computing where I was able to give the local children access to important aspects of education, simultaneously tackling the SDG 4. Through my long term commitments to the community, I was able to take steps against the inequalities that occur around me: to contribute by providing children increased access to resources and skills that their circumstances may have previously prevented.

How have you demonstrated that you embody the BIS HCMC ethos and values?

BIS HCMC instils its ethos and values into its creation of a healthy school environment that promotes creativity and intellectual pursuits in an international context adaptable to the changes of an ever-diversifying world. Throughout my academic career, I have been exposed to differing opinions and have worked with other students through my involvements such as in the Student Council and in leading the TEDx team. These experiences have allowed me to have closer relationships with students from across the year groups and with those from different backgrounds.

Aside from promoting personal growth, BIS also encourages awareness of and responsibility for the community. Being aware of Vietnam’s current cultural and social circumstances, with a group of friends, I lead the Open Hearts Foundation which works to address child welfare in Vietnam; our most recent project was to tackle the issue of child sexual harassment. Despite the social and cultural stigma around the topic, it was necessary to overcome such barriers for the betterment of these children’s lives and Vietnamese society as a whole.

Eugene Chang, Year 11

How have you shown significant commitment to the community, MUN, or global issues?

I joined MUN in Year 9, and have participated in not only conferences in which our school had links, such as SEOMUN, D2MUN, or SAIMUN, but external conferences over the holidays as well, such as MUNSG. All these different conferences have allowed me to strengthen my knowledge of the various global issues which have been of concern to nations, and furthermore assisted me to view such issues in a viewpoint which were very different to my personal stance, allowing me to broaden the perspectives in which various different ideas or issues may be handled. In conferences, I always respect and take account of the other delegations' input into the resolution, to construct an effective resolution which not only tackles the issue at hand but is applicable to other nations in the assembly.

How have you demonstrated that you embody the BIS HCMC ethos and values?

I believe that I am a very enquiring person who brims with curiosity and is eager to ask for clarification or explanation when I do not understand something, and multiple people have described me as so, teachers and peers alike. This characteristic of mine is the main force which drives me forward in academics and in MUN, and I strongly believe that it is one of the main adjectives which describes who I am.

I also respect and care for other people's opinions in class discussions and MUN debates alike, where I try to make the most out of their input by collaborating with them and making sure that their opinion is not ignored or silenced. I enjoy putting myself out in class discussions and make an effort to contribute my opinions and stances on topics, and have worked in the Student Council for two years, trying to represent the unique character of our form and also contribute the form's ideas to improve the school. Not only in Student Council have I done this, but also in the Catering Committee, where we have communicated our ideas well, and the outcome of this is visible, such as in the Cafeteria/Underground, where the leftovers are being inputted into a chart which is visible for students and therefore increase awareness of the sheer amount of food being thrown away. This implementation has resulted in positive effects, such as the general trend of leftovers decreasing.

Congratulations to Nina and Eugene on becoming the 2019 BIS Ambassadors to the United Nations! We can’t wait to read all about their adventures over the Summer.

Learn more:

• Student Diary from the 2018 United Nations Summit