Roberto Kampfner
Assistant Business Manager
Nick Perez is talking his way through high school for a second time to help Mira Costa Model United Nations students with their speeches and public speaking.
Perez came back to Mira Costa with the goal of helping students prepare themselves for the real world and to help them adjust to the pressures they may face in the job world. Perez additionally helps lower classmen who are in similar roles as the seniors.
“It’s not really a typical position, a lot of the seniors will help train the freshmen and in the advanced program seniors help sophomores,” said Perez. “but I’ve never seen a college graduate come back to participate in this process, so I’m doing something new.”
While Perez is with the students, he works closely with them to advance their education and training in the MUN field, applying what they’ve learned and relating it to the real world. He works with students on public speaking skills, speech delivery, and creating presentations that make the student look professional and knowledgeable. All the while, he prepares them for any interviews with confidence to deliver when they need to.
“He has provided his unique perspective to our papers and our speeches,” Sophomore Madeline Kelley said. “He also helps us with all his experience and his ability to solve a problem and work on fact checking and providing evidence.”
Click here to visit Perez on LinkedIn.
When Perez works with the students in MUN, helping them with their speeches, debates, college applications or public speaking, he tries to communicate a core idea to his mentees and himself. According to Perez, he feels as if this attitude can improve the lives of the people around him, and if it can, he wants to implement it into his life.
“One thing guides me through all of my choices with students: There’s one interpersonal experience where you can see the impact you make on one person,” Perez said. “If you work with someone the whole week then someone does well in a conference is an incredible feeling. It’s all about gearing your experience toward the one person.
Click here to read an additional article on the success of Mira Costa’s MUN program.
While at Costa, helping MUN, Perez hopes to reinforce what is being taught by Mr. Timberlake. Additionally, he is giving a unique perspective to students because he has experience in the real world with the United Nations in Europe and work in Japan, Perez said.
“He has a lot of experience having been through the MUN program completely and having went to a good university,” Kelley said. “So he gives good advice and an adult-like perspective to improve speeches and papers”
For the time being, Perez plans to stay put with MUN and help the students with writing their speeches and preparing for conferences for the rest of the year, maybe through the beginning summer and next year as he continues his search for a job.
“I came back give back to MUN and to provide students with a realistic interpretation of some of the issues they are debating about and help them prepare for college at the same time, Perez said. “I coach them with research skills and public speaking techniques.”
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