【Shao-qi Zhang, Special Report】“Because I love my country!” Exclaimed, Mu-yong Tao, first year student of the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations after travelling to Rome in March to win the World Model United Nations Competition. The student from Burkina Faso won the Social Innovation Challenge Division which consisted of 2,500 students from 60 different countries and was awarded 3000 US dollars.

When Mu-yong Tao returned to Taiwan he stated, “I discovered that the method of waste disposal in Taiwan is really worth studying. There are a lot of resources that can be utilized and it’s my hope to adopt these skills so that I can take it back and make improvements in my own country.” Mu-yong Tao performed exceptionally in the first three divisions of the Social Innovation Challenge Competition, but when it was time to go to Rome for the next three divisions of the competition, he met with financial difficulties. He stated, “Fortunately the director at TKU has been very supportive so I didn’t have to worry about the competition fees.”

Mu-yong Tao selected sustained energy development and reusable resources for his project. He mentioned that while studying in Taiwan, he learned a lot about reusable resources that could prove very beneficial in his country, Burkina Faso. He hopes to later be able to create a bridge between Taiwan and his country to transfer much of the needed knowledge and resources in terms of sustainable energy to improve the quality of life for his homeland. Director of the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations, Chin-mo Cheng expressed, “Mu-yong Tao is an excellent student who is always asking questions and finding innovate methods to approach issues.”

He expressed a warm thanks to his professors and all of the supporters in Taiwan. After winning the competition, Mu-yong Tao added, “There is no such thing as impossible. If you have a dream, you have to follow through and do it.”