Our eighth graders have been in New York for the Montessori Model United Nations Conference this past week. Wednesday evening, the group had dinner with an extraordinary guest. Camille Moro, daughter of Ms. Janet and MSSA alumna, works at the United Nations. After a hectic day at work, we were so happy that she could join us and talk about the United Nations and some of her work. This is her story.
Camille graduated in 2014 with a degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from Seton Hall University. She credits her experience in Model UN at the International School of the Americas with that decision. After graduation, she worked as a Meetings Services Assistant, which means she provided support during UN meetings. Camille found it to be a really cool job for being 22. She got to be up close to big moments like the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement. However, the job was not intellectually stimulating. Mainly because she was watching the meetings and unable to participate. With that in mind, she began pursuing new opportunities.
Camille then worked for the Italian delegation to the UN. This new opportunity was meaningful because her dad is Italian, and her parents worked hard to make sure she was in touch with the country, her family, and the culture. Afterward, she worked in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in the Division for Inclusive Social Development. The Division works on social policies to help the world’s most marginalized.
By this time, Camille was ready to do some substantive work in the UN and be more involved in actual policymaking and projects, so she went to grad school in 2018. In May 2020, she graduated from American University School of International Service with a Master’s in International Development. During her final semester of school, Camille worked again as a Consultant in the same UN Division above. This time her focus was on researching and writing a report on San peoples (marginalized indigenous peoples in southern Africa) to identify policy gaps and potential areas of engagement for the Division. The report doubled as her capstone project to finish school.
Currently, the proudest accomplishment of her life is to serve as a Policy Advisor with the Norwegian UN delegation for the duration of its term on the UN Security Council. She feels that Norway has a phenomenal diplomatic tradition that she had admired even before she had the opportunity to join their team. “It’s an incredible opportunity to learn from the best. It’s hard to assess what kind of tangible impact you have on the world in this field when you’re working in an office here in the states. But, Norway has some excellent priorities that they work to advance in the Security Council- climate change and security, protection of civilians, peace diplomacy, and inclusion of women- that I feel very proud to be serving,” Camille said.
Dinner with Camille was lovely. She talked with the eighth graders about their topics and offered some advice as they shared their research. Camille said, “The Montessori method teaches you from a young age to pursue your interests, and I can absolutely say that I have done so. Even though I didn’t always attend Montessori school, having Ms. Janet meant the methods and ideology were always a part of my daily existence!”