“I didn’t plan to fall in love with MUN, but here we are.”

Have you ever met someone who just felt like MUN? That was Jasper. We met at the association market at KU Leuven, right when I had just started my master’s in International Politics. He recognized me before I even saw him. It was one of those funny, surreal moments where someone looks at you like you’re already in on a shared secret.  Jasper is finishing his Master´s in Business Economics, still very much a KulMUN soul. He joined three years ago, not as part of long-term planning, but following a breakup. “I just needed something to do,” he told me. “My brother suggested MUN. I thought I’d try it once. But I fell in love with it.” And he meant it.

He’s done five or six conferences so far, but numbers don’t capture it. What matters is how deeply he’s thrown himself into every experience. His first one left him impressed, but by his second, KulMUN 2023, he was hooked. 

One of his proudest moments came at GrunnMUN, where he represented Türkiye in NATO and won Best Delegate. “I love being the country everyone wants to challenge,” he said. “You have to be on top of everything. Greece brings up Cyprus, the US drops Russia into the mix. You can’t just react, you have to steer the narrative.” He grinned when he said it, like he was already thinking of his next defense.

When Jasper took on the role of Conference Manager for KulMUN, the real behind-the-scenes magic began. “You do everything. Work with the SG, handle logistics, registration, venues, emails, and chairs. There’s so much to keep track of. You just figure it out as you go.” He paused, thinking back to the end of KulMUN 2025. “The closing ceremony was long, like, really long. But seeing everyone happy, knowing we pulled it off, was everything. That’s when it hit me. We did this.”

Technically, he’s retired now. But everyone keeps pulling him back in. He laughs about it but also clearly loves it. He still tells wild stories, from hijacking debate procedures as China to a dramatic moment as Russia in the Arctic Council where a delegate had to be "assassinated" mid-session and replaced. “It was pure MUN theatre. I loved every second.”

Talking to Jasper feels a little like being in a committee with him. You bounce between policy and personal moments, coffee and conflict, serious takeaways and sudden laughter. And maybe that’s the magic of MUN. You show up looking for structure and end up finding stories. You come in with speeches and leave with people. And every now and then, someone like Jasper shows up and reminds you why you’re here in the first place. Maybe, just maybe, the best delegates aren’t the ones who talk the most. Maybe they’re the ones who make everyone else feel like they belong in the room, too.