It is all over the news! Taylor Swift is getting married, and the internet can´t even process the seating chart yet. While we’re busy obsessing over the wedding of the year, it’s worth taking a moment to celebrate another kind of star power: celebrities who are using their fame to tackle global issues at the United Nations. From gender equality to climate change, these are the stars proving that influence is about more than headlines in your favourite pink magazine. 

After I wrote in my 2025 Bingo that I wanted to read 8 books this year, it got me thinking: which kind of books should I read? September is literally the “New Years” for students, and I really want to expand my knowledge in IR this academic year. After conducting extensive research, I received the following recommendations from my friends and professors. 

Have you ever met someone who just felt like MUN? That was Jasper. We met at the association market at KU Leuven, right when I had just started my master’s in International Politics. He recognized me before I even saw him. It was one of those funny, surreal moments where someone looks at you like you’re already in on a shared secret.  Jasper is finishing his Master´s in Business Economics, still very much a KulMUN soul. He joined three years ago, not as part of long-term planning, but following a breakup. “I just needed something to do,” he told me. “My brother suggested MUN. I thought I’d try it once. But I fell in love with it.” And he meant it.

The person I talk to the most during the whole week is Matilde. And I am not just talking about a pair of messages, I am talking from 8 am to like 2 in the morning. And yes, if you are wondering, we are probably plotting our next social media strategy.