Ever since Nick Hoerle singlehandedly founded SPS Model UN in the 2021-22 school year, the team’s growth has been impressive. Under the leadership of Secretary-General Sofia Pace ‘24, the club holds regular meetings every Friday at 7 p.m. in Ohrstrom’s Periodicals Room. The weekly meetings differ in length and content. While some weeks last under thirty minutes and consist of watching a simple current events video, others are longer and require more commitment, such as a conference simulation that takes several weeks to complete.
Though the lack of a faculty advisor does strain the club’s ability to travel frequently to off-campus conferences, whenever the opportunity arises for SPS Model UN to attend any conference, the limited number of slots are quickly filled up by interested students. SPS students have yielded impressive successes at every conference, one recent conference being the PEAMUN in November 2023, where Asher Gupta ‘26 and Jay Nam ‘26 were recognized as best delegates. Conference Coordinator Olivia Van Stone ‘25 offers her take on why conferences are such an essential part of the Model UN experience: “At conferences, you meet so many new people and form so many lasting connections that I would definitely say they are worth attending.” Van Stone adds, “These conferences are also an amazing way for novices to improve quickly because there is no better way to gain experience and skills than by being in the debate yourself.”
Sofia is extremely passionate about Model UN and believes there are several reasons why students would benefit from being involved in it: “Though I won’t be here next year, I really hope more people take an interest in Model UN.” Pace adds, “Participating in Model UN really helps you put yourself in another country's shoes and try to understand their perspectives on global issues.”