A digital anthology of youth empowerment and collective action

Sukul Mittal

Houston, Texas USA

June 2020

I was always close to my second grade teacher Miss Pinto. She was the one who brought the Montessori Model United Nations to our school and by the time I was in middle school, she was the one who also asked if I could help out one of my classmates with some homework. At first, I helped by answering questions along the way, but it slowly morphed into an eagerly anticipated and weekly activity – tutoring.

One classmate suddenly became a few. Seasons passed as I felt my peers and I bloom and grow together. It was a fulfilling feeling for me and an empowering realization for all:

Sometimes we just need a small push or simple reminder of what we had inside us all along.

By the end of high school, I was tutoring up to fifteen of my fellow students and more were still reaching out. All of the coordination began to strain my time, but I wanted to keep tutoring. What if I volunteered for an established organization so I could focus on the act of tutoring itself? I asked around my community and was repeatedly turned down for the same unexpected reason.

They told me that I was too young and inexperienced.

Driving back home on the highways of Houston with my dad, I sat in silence and stared past my reflection in the window and into the sky. Every activity I've ever chosen to immerse myself, particularly the Montessori Model United Nations, has taught me that you're never too young to help your community. Why not now?

The noise of traffic continued to grate on my frustration and disillusionment until I finally spoke. As soon as the words came out, a familiar feeling rushed back into me. It was the vivid thrill of arriving at a consensus vote at the United Nations General Assembly alongside my peers. I've since reminded myself of these momentous words whenever I feel disheartened, and perhaps because they were in me all along.

"I'm going to start my own tutoring organization."

What part of the planet is yours to save?

Calling all former MMUN delegates and teachers: How did MMUN inspire you take action in your community or create lasting change within yourself? Submit your story and we'll feature a select group in the next volume of "The Once and Future Ambassadors" anthology!

Sukul is from Houston, Texas USA and a former MMUN delegate of the Russian Federation. She is the founder of Mentor, Inspire, Nurture, Develop (MIND) – a non-profit organization and tutoring club at Rice University.