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My name is Blair Saxman, and I am currently a part-time Continuing
Studies Student (and employee) at Rider. I’m interested in joining the
University’s Model U.N. team for a variety of reasons, many of which I’m
sure I share with many others; an abiding interest in international affairs,
the excitement of participating in a project of this scale, and of course
the recognition one would receive in the future from being involved in
such an activity. But the main reason I want to do this, the one that has
kept me coming back despite the sometimes considerable obstacles, is I
firmly believe that the future of our world is one that will be measured,
not by the existence of nation states, but by their incorporation and cooperation
within a body such as the United Nations. If that be the case, then I feel
that to know how things work at the supra-national level now, is to know
generally where we’re headed in the future. And, frankly, I want to know
what we’re all in for
My qualifications for membership on the Model U.N. Team relate more
or less to life experiences thus far, rather than any great achievements
on my part. I was born and raised in Bucks County, PA, just 15 miles north
of where the last great experiment in human government was established;
Philadelphia. I mention this because the history and government of the
United States has been a fixture in my life ever since my 3rd
grade year in school, during the Bicentennial celebrations of 1976. I’ve
studied history, formally and informally, ever since.
However, I didn’t go to college immediately after high school. Instead,
I joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed on the nuclear aircraft carrier
U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower. During my 3 years of service I traveled to
nine countries in the Caribbean, South America, and Southern Europe. My
exposure to different nations and cultures was brief, but invaluable. I
also picked up quite a bit of knowledge on military affairs (probably more
than the average enlisted man), and have stayed current on the developments
within that field ever since.
I eventually continued my education, through community college, to the
point of earning a BA in History at Temple University. Although my emphasis
was on American History, I was probably the only person on that track who
also took classes such as ‘Japan Today’ and ‘The History of Mexico’. The
reason being that as my studies progressed I could see how important world
influences were (and are) on the U.S. legacy. In the end, I didn’t have
as much depth in U.S. history as I originally expected, but what I learned
about other societies made me a much more rounded student – and person
- overall.
Similarly, while studying at Temple, I realized that history is more
than just military battles or diplomacy. I found economics to be even more
fundamental to the course of human events. So I decided to also earn an
AA in Economics, with a certificate in International Economics. While doing
so, I won the Economics Department’s 1997 "Sun Undergraduate Award" for
a paper I wrote on the effects of German reunification.
Over the years I’ve lived in the Western United States (Colorado), and
managed to travel to West Germany, Britain, Canada, and - most recently
- Costa Rica, in addition to the areas mentioned before. I’ve also done
two internships; one for Historic Fallsington, PA and the other for the
World Affairs Council of Valley Forge. I’ve been a roofer, I’ve pumped
gas, I’ve served food to strangers for money. And, at the moment, I’ve
been taking care of my mother who has Alzheimer’s for about a year. I mention
all of the latter because those experiences have been just as influential
on forming who I am as any of the other things I’ve listed, so you should
know about them too.
With that, I hope you will allow me to be a member of Rider University’s
2001 Model U.N. Team. If so, I will endeavor to do the best job that I
can. |
To
the Rider NMUN Team Roster