Student uses international experience to organize UN Club

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - Jose Miguel Jimenez Chavez is a Mexican American and Terre Haute South Vigo High School senior with a unique perspective on some issues gaining national headlines.

An exchange student this year, he tries to dispel stereotypes some people have about his native country, stereotypes fueled by this year's presidential race. "Mexico is a country of beautiful landscapes and an amazing heritage that goes back thousands of years," he said. "It is a country I am proud to be from."

On Saturday, he graduated from Terre Haute South Vigo, and both his mother, Rosaura Chavez, and father, Guillermo Jimenez, attended the ceremony at Hulman Center. The senior class vice president with a 3.94 grade-point average had a speaking role during commencement.

Similar to other graduates, he was sad to say goodbye to friends and teachers, but he's excited about the new chapter in his life; in the fall, he will attend Temple University in Philadelphia, where he hopes to study urban planning and architecture, with possibly a minor in political science.

This is not Jimenez Chavez' first year in Terre Haute. He previously lived in the community from fifth grade through his sophomore year of high school, when his dad worked at Thyssenkrup. His family returned to Mexico his junior year of high school and he attended the American School of Puebla, but he wanted to return and finish high school at South Vigo, in part because of its strong academic program.

He was able to return as an exchange student through the Council on International Educational Exchange and has lived with a host family, Mike Magnin and Sandra Brake.

Among his many activities this year, he participated in the Academic Super Bowl program (social studies) and served as a mentor to an elementary student through the Big Brother-Big Sister program.

He also followed through on another goal of his by starting a Model United Nations Club at South Vigo. It simulates what the United Nations would do, with students researching topics, presenting their point of view and debating the issues. This year, the club selected three topics: terrorists in the Middle East, Syrian refugees and pollution in East Asia, with about 30 students participating.

One of the benefits of the club is that it "teaches us so much about the world," he said, and he believes it's important for students to know more about other countries and how they are inter-connected in an increasingly global economy. He participated in a Model United Nations Club last year at his high school in Mexico, which inspired him to start one at South Vigo.

He anticipates it will continue at South and hopes it can become an academic team; the program is national and international.

Whitney Boyce, a South Vigo teacher and a sponsor of the Model United Nations Club, said Jimenez Chavez believed the club "would bring a lot of culture to Terre Haute in a different way."

The school has a lot of clubs and academic teams, but nothing quite like the Model UN Club, she said. "He did all of it himself. He got it organized, did the paperwork and handbooks and taught the other students parliamentary procedure," Boyce said. "He really took a front seat in all of these efforts."

She's taught for six years, and "I've never worked with a student quite like Miguel before," Boyce said. "He should go into politics. He has a good head on his shoulders." She also taught him this past year in an advanced speech class.

Another person impressed by Jimenez Chavez is Susan Hayhurst, a local coordinator for the CIEE exchange program. "He is very tenderhearted and compassionate. He wants to do really great things in this world," she said. "He is very organized, studious and an awesome exchange student. I was so thrilled when I met him."

She was especially impressed with his initiating the Model UN club. "I knew he'd be successful. He is very goal- oriented, driven and good at follow-through," she said.

In a way, Jimenez Chavez is a goodwill ambassador, teaching others about his native land, but also interacting with and encouraging other Mexican Americans in the community. "This is your new home. Try to get involved and be part of the community, but never forget where you came from," he tells them.

The 18-year-old says he isn't "into" American politics, but he is troubled by comments from Donald Trump, who has talked about building a border wall between Mexico and the U.S.

"He is very irrational" and has portrayed Mexicans in a negative light, Jimenez Chavez says. A border wall "doesn't make sense," he said, and he questions if such a wall could even be built, with the natural barriers and large area involved.

Immigration, diversity and new ideas are important for the U.S. - a foundation on which the country was built, he said.

His mom, Rosaura Chavez, believes that Trump "is trying to put a big wall in the heart of Americans" that is damaging to Mexican/American relations. In fact, the two countries are neighbors and depend on each other, she said. Trump "needs more know-how regarding international issues," she adds.

Now back in Mexico, the certified public accountant and English teacher says her family loves Terre Haute, and her son wants to open Americans' eyes to other countries and cultures. "In the end, we are all human," Rosaura Chavez said.

Jimenez Chavez says he is "proud to be a South Brave," where he has made good friends, received a good education and benefited from some "amazing teachers who have given me so much."

While his next four years are set, the Mexican American is torn about his future after college. He'd love to stay and work in the U.S., but he also would like to go back and help his country and "help my people."

"I am part of both countries," he said.

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Source: (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star, http://bit.ly/1suveln

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Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com