MUN, friendship and a bit of chaos

At the University of Virginia, there’s no talking about Model UN without mentioning Mariam Parray and Calvin Pan. As second-years leading the charge in UVA’s International Relations Organization, they’ve gone from being high school delegates to running entire conferences and doing it together. Mariam is double majoring in Global Public Health and Economics. She’s always been a go-getter. In high school, she was MUN president, led MUN events, and was all about community leadership. Calvin, also a second-year student, is the current President of IRO. He spent part of high school in China, where MUN was huge, bringing that energy back to UVA.

For both, MUN started in ninth grade and just…stuck. Mariam joined her school’s Model UN club because of her love for international affairs. “It helped me find my voice,” she says. “I loved being in spaces where people cared about global issues and where I could grow.” Calvin’s intro to MUN was more social at first. He liked the oratory, the networking, and just vibing with a community that was all about global problem-solving. “It was really about growing with people,” he says. “Then in college, I just kept going.”

At UVA, Mariam served as Secretary-General of the Virginia Inter-Generational Model UN Conference (VIGMUN), one of IRO’s three Model UN conferences. She worked to connect college students with high school and middle school students. “It’s intergenerational, and we love that,” she says. “It’s about bringing people together, making thoughtful delegate pairings, and really thinking about who’s in the room.” Meanwhile, Calvin currently leads IRO as President. They’ve learned that structure and clarity are key to a great conference. “You can’t just throw delegates into a crisis and expect magic,” Calvin jokes. “You’ve gotta explain how things work first—especially if it’s a double delegation or crisis committee.” Mariam agreed: 

Both are big fans of MUN Command, the platform that helps organisers streamline everything. “It’s a game-changer,” Calvin says. “Running a conference is like a giant puzzle, and this just helps everything fit.·  They’re also focused on creating welcoming spaces for new delegates. “Every year, people are doing MUN for the first time,” Calvin said. “It can be intimidating. Our job is to help them feel supported. As long as you’re learning, you’re doing great.” Mariam added, “You get the most out of MUN when willing to give it your all. Let your strengths guide you, whether you’re in it for the social side or the academic challenge. The passion will follow.”

Even with different career goals, Mariam, who is eyeing medicine, and Calvin, who is leaning toward international affairs, see MUN as a foundation. “MUN helped me get into college and taught me skills I’ll use anywhere”, Mariam said. “Even if I pivot careers, MUN’s versatility is something I’ll always appreciate.” Calvin added, “No matter what I do, MUN will be part of my story.” What makes Mariam and Calvin so effective is their friendship. They’re the kind of team that finishes each other’s sentences, shares the stress of crisis simulations, and hypes each other up during chaos.