Should I join Model UN? | Curious Cardinals

"Should I join Model UN?"

Such a simple question. But for 15-year-old Avery, returning to in-person school after COVID, she was standing at the crossroads every ambitious teen faces: genuine curiosity pulling one way, college pressure pushing another. It felt like one wrong choice could risk her Stanford dreams.

That's when Avery did something unexpected. Instead of forcing herself into another resume-padding activity, she found a Harvard mentor who'd walked this exact path.

What happened next transformed not just her college applications, but how she approaches every opportunity in life.

 Avery with her family at Lakeside graduation

From Paralyzed to Powerful: The 4-Year Transformation

Picture sophomore Avery: brilliant, ambitious, but frozen by the paradox of choice. Lakeside School offered endless opportunities, but she couldn't shake the feeling that one wrong move would derail everything.

"I was so obsessed with grades," Avery told me. "I loved writing but got so stressed and perfectionist that I lost the joy in it."

Enter Lydia, her Harvard classics major mentor. But what made their relationship different? Lydia didn't start with college strategy. She started with a question:

"What are you genuinely most excited about?"

The Framework That Got Her Into Stanford

Over four years, Lydia taught Avery something profound: how to transform authentic interests into meaningful action. Here's the exact process:

• Year 1: Find Your True North

  • Instead of scanning the clubs fair for what "looks good," Avery asked herself what she'd research at home for fun. The answer? International relations and ancient history. This led to Model UN—not as a checkbox, but as genuine exploration.

• Year 2: Let Curiosity Compound

  • One authentic interest created a cascade. Book club led to library board. Library board led to studying abroad in Geneva. Each step felt natural because it was driven by real passion, not manufactured interest.

    • "Once you start tapping into your passions," Avery explained, "all these opportunities follow. From the book club, I got introduced to the library board, and it just started this path of exploring."
      
      

• Year 3: Own Your Story

  • When Geneva called, Avery didn't hesitate. A semester at an international school near the UN? Her parents might have panicked. But Lydia had taught her to trust her instincts—and to see how perfectly this aligned with her authentic interests.

• Year 4: Connect the Dots

  • College essays weren't about inventing a narrative. They were about revealing the story that was already there—a young woman who'd followed her curiosity from a nervous sophomore to a globally-minded scholar.
    
    

From film & book club to a semester abroad in Switzerland, Avery went all in pursuing her genuine interests

What Avery Does Differently in College (That Your Child Can Start Now)

Now a rising sophomore at Stanford studying International Relations and Art History, Avery uses the exact framework Lydia taught her:

• When overwhelmed by choices: "I go back to those beginning conversations with Lydia. I take reflection time. What am I actually passionate about? How do I want to spend my time?"

• When facing competition: "Stanford clubs are 10x more competitive than high school. But I use the same process—start with genuine interest, let opportunities compound."

• When seeking growth: "I look for mentors everywhere now. I'm less intimidated by successful adults—I see them as opportunities to learn."

The result? She's already secured gallery and museum internships, joined Fashion X, and become a student guide at the Cantor Museum—all because she knows how to identify and pursue authentic interests.

Avery at the art gallery she interned at this past summer

Avery’s Secret Weapon

"All Lakeside students have drive and ambition," Avery reflected. "But many are doing activities because parents push them. They're not enjoying high school."

What made the difference for Avery wasn't another achievement to list. It was having someone who:

• Saw her as an individual, not another anxious achiever

• Taught her frameworks that lasted beyond high school

• Modeled what passionate, curious adulthood looks like

• Believed in her when 3% acceptance rates felt impossible

"She was someone I could go to for anything—school, advice, life questions. We'd tackle everything together."

Your Child's "Model UN Moment" Awaits

Every teen has their version of Avery's Model UN question—that thing they're curious about but afraid to pursue because they don’t want to be "wrong."

The tragedy isn't choosing the wrong activity. It's never learning how to choose authentically at all.

As Avery puts it: "Stanford appreciates when students have crazy interdisciplinary interests—like aerospace engineering and fashion. Everyone's so unique that you're less competitive because everyone's on their own path."

But finding that path? That takes guidance from someone who's walked it recently.

Ready to help your child discover their authentic path to success?

SCHEDULE A CALL WITH CURIOUS CARDINALS TEAM

Let's match them with a mentor who can teach them Avery's framework—turning genuine interests into Stanford-worthy achievements.

Stay Curious,

Me with Avery—always a joy to meet our star students in real life!