National Model United Nations at Patrick Henry College (Purcellville, VA)

In 2006 a student named Keren McElvy asked me to help her with getting National Model UN going at Patrick Henry College, a Christian Classical Liberal Arts College literally across the street from my house in beautiful Purcellville, VA.  I was the Dean's Assistant and later the executive assistant to both the Provost and the President of the college.

I happy agreed to help Keren and took over all of the logistics plus I went as chaperone. What a blast we had doing it! It was a lot of work, but when I took the first ever delegation of 35 students to the NMUN in New York City in 2006, it was epic. We stayed at the Marriott on Times Square. We had meetings in the real United Nations General Assembly. I'd never even been to New York City before. I took another delegation of 36 in 2007, and another still in 2008.  This is an International forum of more than 3,400 university students and 220 faculty from five continents that attended in 2006 is the world’s largest simulation of the United Nations, and provides a forum for learning about the United Nations and a wide range of contemporary international issues. Each college/university represents a nation state while they are there. We were surrounded by the world! We'd get on an elevator and hear five languages. The simulation runs for a week and is very similar to what happens in the United Nations.

I'm proud to have played a pretty significant part in starting up this student club which as of 2023 is still running at the college.

PHC’s student-run club participates in the National Collegiate Conference Association, which holds its National Model United Nations conference in New York City every year.

PHC has regularly earned the "Outstanding Delegation" award, making PHC one of only 18 schools of over 300 participating internationally to receive this highest honor each year.

I absolutely loved working with the students at this college. Cream of the crop.

Me and Keren McElvy.

This is the UN General Assembly. Do I look official? 

2008 PHC Delegation to National Model United Nations

The graduates presented me a vase of flowers. 

They had decorated the pitcher to say "2008 PHC Class Mom."

The 2008 Graduating Class chose to have their graduation party at our house. I was honored.

A couple of students hanging out in my kitchen

My house got used a lot by the students before the student union was built.This is a birthday party.

Homecoming Face

The Summer Day

March 3, 2010 

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean - the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?

[by Mary Oliver]

            What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?