Students in King School’s Model UN club traveled to Brown University to compete in BUSUN, the university's Model UN simulation, for the first time in-person since 2021. Students in the club meet bi-weekly to hone their writing and debate skills throughout the year. 

A month before the competition, students received research topics on pertinent global topics, including globalization and interdependence, building urban resilience and adaptation to climate change, promoting biotechnical advancement for sustainable development, the feminization of poverty, application of digital health in a global health context, job accessibility, and shadow economy. In late October, King held its own Model UN conference to further prepare students for the competition.

Fifteen King students traveled to the competition, along with club advisors Christos Galanopoulos and Lindsay Stone, where they met students from across the country and the world.

The intense debates required the students to expertly argue their positions with a high level of sophistication and knowledge against their peers.

“It was truly wonderful to see our students actively and seriously engaged in a highly competitive venue and an intellectually charged and intensive atmosphere,” remarked Christos Galanopoulos, history and social sciences teacher and club advisor. “They gained invaluable experiences and knowledge of major problems facing humanity and the Earth.”

At the culmination of the competition, Grade 10 student Olivia Asnes ’25 received an Honorable Delegate certificate and placed third for representing Italy in the General Assembly’s Conference of the Food and Agriculture Association, debating the topics of desert locust crisis and agricultural water pollution.

“I was nervous at first to give my country's position and speak in front of many others, but as time went on, I felt more comfortable,” wrote Asnes. “I didn't go into the conference hoping to win an award, I just wanted to perform to the best of my ability. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and strived to work towards drafting a solution with other nations. As the conference came to an end, I was proud of myself, and winning Honorable Delegate was the cherry on top.”