SJ Model UN Travels to Brown University
BUSUN Conference - A Successful Weekend
By Trevor Higgins ’27 - Director of Communications for SJMUN
From November 14 to November 16, 2025, members of the Saint John’s Model United Nations team (“SJMUN”) traveled down Route 146 to attend the 29th Brown University Simulation of the United Nations (“BUSUN”). Twenty-five SJ students participated in a weekend of debate and collaboration made possible by faculty moderators, Mr. Chuck Abdella ’92, Mr. Ben Lizotte ’89, and Dr. Russ McClintock P’25.
Upon arrival in Providence on Friday, thanks to FTI Bus Lines, the SJMUN team built up their energy with sandwiches and burgers at our team lunch to open our National Conference season at Blake’s Tavern (where we hosted SJ alum and Brown U. freshman Jackson Dorazio ’25) before heading over to Providence Place for some shopping. The team then checked into the Courtyard Marriott in Providence to begin the weekend’s BUSUN events.
On Friday evening, Brown University’s Simulation of the United Nations began with opening ceremonies. At the conclusion of opening ceremonies, the delegates moved into committee session, the first of five sessions over the weekend. Spanning three days, the delegates spent over ten hours in committee sessions, debating, collaborating, and negotiating the global issues that each delegate had researched and written about in his position papers.
At the closing ceremony on Sunday, November 16, 2025, several SJ members were recognized for their performances and active participation in BUSUN throughout the weekend. Those award winners include JR Chopra ’26, Manav Guttalapalli ’26, Kirpal Rayat ’26, Ryan Pergola ’26, Aryan Modi ’27, Alex Krolewski ’27, Trevor Higgins ’27, and David Wang ’28.
Thank you to Brown University students, Lucas Pham, Diane Dao, and Robayet Hossain, for organizing the 29th BUSUN and ensuring that the conference ran smoothly. Their hard work made this weekend a success for all who participated. Thank you to Mr. Abdella, Mr. Lizotte, and Dr. McClintock for their patience and guidance this weekend. It was a great teambuilding weekend for SJMUN.
Saint John’s Model United Nations’ next conference is scheduled for February 4-8, 2026, at the University of Chicago’s 38th Model U.N. Conference. Over the next few months, SJMUN members will continue to develop their skills in public speaking, debate, and policy so that the team can replicate their strong performance this past weekend. For more information about Saint John’s Model United Nations, please follow us on Instagram (@saintjohnsmun) or on Facebook (SJMUN).
Saint John's High School
Saint John’s High School has educated young men under the sponsorship of the Xaverian Brothers since 1898. Through the Saint John’s strong college preparatory curriculum, over 900 students in grades seven through twelve pursue personal and intellectual growth in an environment that is committed to the development of the whole person and recognizes a moral dimension of life through service to God and to others.