Arianne Rodriguez Saltrón is an International Relations and Developmental Studies student at the University of Windsor. She was born in Montreal, raised in Calgary but her family is Venezuelan.
Saltrón is currently the Secretariat General of the Windsor Model United Nations or ‘WinMUN’ on campus – which is basically the president of the club. I had the pleasure of interviewing her on her current role and involvement on campus.
How did you become involved with Windsor’s Model United Nations?
“I became involved there first year when the founding members sent out a mass email to political science students to fill a secretariat position.”
What are some of the benefits of your role with WinMun?
“The benefits of my role are that it has given me the opportunity to learn and work with a team. It has taught me how to delegate tasks and be much more diplomatic when problem-solving.”
What are some of the obstacles you have faced in your role?
“Some of the obstacles have been coordinating such a large team, all with busy university schedules. It has also been difficult coming to terms with the fact that no matter how much you ask for people’s input, you can’t make everyone happy. It has also been an obstacle learning when executive decisions have to be made and using the authority given to me responsibly.”
Where are some of the places your role has taken you?
“Well, literally I have gone to Kingston, Montreal, Waterloo, and Ottawa with WinMUN with travel conferences.”
How can students become involved?
“Students can become involved by occasionally coming to our weekly simulations and then competing in travel conferences. They can also follow us on Facebook and go to the events that we host. They can volunteer for our annual high school conference in April as we always need help for that.”