One of Latin America’s most prestigious Model United Nation simulations, IMMUNS, attracted over 450 students and 27 schools from Belize, Honduras, Mexico, and the United States, during February 16-18.

After seven months of making sure the event would flow seamlessly, “I consider it a success,” stated Emilio Ramírez, one of two Sub-Secretary Generals. “Not because of our ability to improvise, but our willingness to plan everything—from the biggest problem to the smallest detail.”

Indeed, IMMUNS 2018 featured new aspects, such as the event-wide crisis, a scenario in which a world power outage was caused by Iran and each committee had their own problems to solve. Additionally, Jennifer Stern, this year’s official guest speaker, traveled all the way from NASA headquarters near Washington D.C. to talk about her experiences with her team in studying Mars.

The different views expressed during this talk helped the audience defend their country’s position with further conviction and become better delegates. “To be a good delegate means not only to make good points, it means to listen and take into consideration the points of other delegates, not just your own, and be open to all solutions,” stated Majo Montalvo, a student from the Euroamerican School of Monterrey.

Delegates ranging from 6th to 12th grade endured three vigorous days of simulations that peaked during the third break on Saturday, February 17. Horns shattered the content conversations, sending students into a panic and scuttling back to their committees.

Chaos and confusion reigned, until HURAC members, those in charge of the crisis, pounded on the door and marched inside, explaining the situation. “At first they looked startled,” Francisco Santos observed from the participants. “Then, they immersed themselves into the problem, raising their placards and stating their country’s views.”

Each committee, complete with chairs consisting of MUN10 and MUN11 students, had to focus on their own part of the crisis. For example, the World Health Organization had to deal with the loss of power in hospitals, creating the need for urgent care for patients.

On a lighter note, all participants were able to take a breather in the delegate party on Friday evening, based on Arabian Nights, and enjoy themselves in the annual IMMUNS Game Show on Saturday, complete with Jeopardy and Family Feud.

The Secretariat no longer had any words for the exhausting event that culminated with an emotional speech from the Secretary General, María Elosúa. “It was… hard. But it’s done, and I couldn’t be more proud of each and every member. We are a family, in good and bad times, and this event demonstrated our ability to build a world-class simulation.”