Hello! My name is Fabiana Avendaño, and I am a senior at the International School of Panama. I am extremely excited to be this year’s Deputy Secretary General of External Affairs in such a special edition as it is the 25th anniversary of PANAMUN.
 

I was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, but when I was 9 I moved to Panama and have been living here for a total of 6 years. When I was 13, I moved to Caracas, Venezuela. This occurred amid an economic, political and social crisis in Venezuela. Even though I experienced debating in 10th grade, I already knew that I wanted to go through a political and humanitarian path in which I could advocate for those who can’t speak up for themselves. Seeing the social injustice, political corruption, and living the harsh crisis, perhaps was the reason why I decided to get involved in debate in the first place. I had already witnessed debate in Caracas, and I remember seeing the most amazing debaters ever and telling myself that one day I wanted to acquire the ability to do what those students were doing. Once I returned to Panama in 10th grade, I experienced PANAMUN for the first time which was completely different from what I saw in Venezuela. Regardless of the fact that I barely spoke in my first conference, I loved the feeling of standing up for your beliefs and the idea of representing your country's position on a certain issue. Therefore, I decided to continue my journey in the Debate Team. As of now, I have attended a total of 4 conferences outside my school including Harvard’s conference HACIA Democracy, and two sessions of PANAMUN.
    

Being part of the Secretariat is an accomplishment that I cherish and value deeply. The fact that just a year ago I was a delegate in PANAMUN and now I am a member of this team makes me feel honored to be part of this wonderful conference. I can’t wait to see you all this year, and see how PANAMUN XXV turns out!