【News】Gugulethu @ United Nations | MLOW 2017 联合国 "多种语言，一个世界"

    The Many Languages, One World (MLOW) Student Essay Contest and Global Youth Forum bring global-minded university students from around the world together to discuss the United Nations Academic Impact principles. Winners are brought to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City to present at the General Assembly in an official language of the United Nations. In recent years, Jiangsu University students made to the UN General Assembly consistently through MLOW.

    This year, Gugulethu, a first year student from Zimbabwe became one among 60 people around the world who won the competition and made it to the UN headquarters.

Scroll down to read her story

This year from the 16th to the 26th of July I had the incredible opportunity to attend the 2017 Many Languages One World symposium in Boston and to present at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Having been chosen as one of the 60 winners of the annual ELS and United Nations Academic Impact hosted Many Languages One World essay competition I was awarded an all-expenses paid trip to the symposium in the USA, every experience I encountered during the course of the 10 days I spent there not only opened my eyes but were beyond unbelievable.

Our schedule was carefully planned and packed, ensuring we got the most out of the experience. From the reception at Boston’s Logan international airport when we arrived to the moment we said our goodbyes we were treated with the utmost hospitality and kindness unlike any I have personally encountered.

We spent the most of the first week at Northeastern University working in our language groups under the guidance of our facilitators preparing our speeches for the UN presentations about action plans for the UN’s sustainable development goals. Each group was assigned a specific goal and each person would present on the goal and it’s status in their home countries. The Chinese group, my group was assigned the 13th goal (Climate Change). Friday the 21st of July came , dressed to impress and shaking like a leaf  I walked up to the podium where history has repeatedly been made and gave  my speech. After the UN presentations the fun began! , we toured New York from Time’s square to Wall Street and then made our way back to Boston where more touring ,fun and hilarity ensued .

A single article cannot begin to be enough to describe this experience for me, the most unexpected for me was the inspiration I got just from meeting every single person I encountered, people who give the word impressive it’s meaning and still be down to earth and emanate happiness and love.Saying goodbye was harder than most days, but I can guarantee each and every attendee took something home that they will never forget.

To be honest when I entered this competition I did not actually believe it would get me to where it did, but a lot of people believed in me and supported me all the way and for that I cannot thank them enough. I hope next year another person from Jiangsu University will be sharing their own version of this story and experience and be inspired to be better and do more as much as I have. All it took was to try and that never hurts.

- Gugulethu Jemaine Nyathi

Thank you for making Jiangsu University proud again!

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