In March, the all-new Model UN team broke a BYU record with three Outstanding Delegation Awards when they represented Nepal, Türkiye, and Tajikistan at the 2025 National Model UN New York competition—the result of two semesters of constant research and preparation.
Building Diplomacy upon Faith
During this banner year, the largest post-pandemic team—consisting of fifty-one students—spent Sunday evening before the conference at the East Side Chapel in Manhattan to prepare spiritually for the week by attending a fireside.
First, the team heard a musical number by Logan Stats, an International Relations major representing Tajikistan on the General Assembly 3rd Committee. He sang “Behold the Wounds in Jesus Hands,” setting the tone. Next, Kennedy Center director Stan Benfell welcomed the team and shared remarks about seeking personal revelation, reflecting on his time as an NYU graduate student. He shared his own spiritual journey in the city, including the challenges and pressures he faced studying for his PhD, and encouraged students to remember how revelations come to us and that seeking the spirit throughout the week and all across their lives makes a difference.
Life Lessons
Then, Gloria Gong and her husband, Carl Brinton, each shared perspectives on balancing family, career, and faith on their paths that brought them back to New York City. She is Senior Advisor at the GovLab at Harvard University, with a focus on the intersection of technology, policy, and governance and works on bridging gaps between innovation and society. He is Vice President at Maroon Venture Group, and shared his thoughts on how philanthropy and business can intersect in a meaningful way. His career threadline shows how business leadership can also be a tool for social good.
What stood out to Mauricio Morales, a Latin American Studies major and head delegate from Tarija, Bolivia, was not just their accomplishments, “but the way they spoke about balancing careers with family and living purposefully in the context of the gospel. Gloria and Carl provided a refreshing perspective on this.”
Gong and Brinton shared how, as parents, they have worked together to ensure that both their careers and their family life are prioritized, and emphasized that it’s not about who works or who stays home—it’s about both parents valuing their roles and supporting each other. Their example painted a picture of a healthy, balanced life where living the gospel and working hard as a family are not mutually exclusive. Morales said, “This message was particularly empowering for many of us, reminding us that it's possible to have a fulfilling career while nurturing family life, a reality that often feels distant in a culture that can emphasize one over the other.”
The Power of Action Over Perfection
One of the most powerful themes of the evening was their focus on decision-making. Gong and Brinton shared how crucial it is to identify what is essential in life, and then everything else becomes a matter of choice. As they put it, "This is what is necessary; everything else is a choice that we get to make." This mindset has been a guiding principle in their own lives, shaping them into doers, people who actively pursue what they believe in and work to create a positive impact in the world.
They encouraged their listeners to focus on action over deliberation, reminding them that we shouldn’t wait for the "perfect" path or moment to begin pursuing what excites us. Instead, we should commit to doing what’s good and meaningful, following our passions even if the path ahead isn’t perfectly mapped out.
Week of Competition
For months before the fireside, BYU students also prepared for the National Model United Nations Conference throughout two semesters in IAS 351R, a Kennedy Center Diplomacy Lab course. This experiential learning elective is open to all majors and is a requirement for participation.
The BYU team had 7 international students along with 44 undergraduates from 18 US states; the students representing 7 different colleges on campus. BYU is unique in that most students attending each year have never competed at the conference. Even so, the team’s three delegations—representing Nepal, Türkiye, and Tajikistan—each received Outstanding Delegation Awards, a program first. Since 1992, BYU has received 37 other Outstanding designations and a total of 74 individual position paper awards.
Students also learned from alumni in business, law, non-profit, and creative industries at a BYU Model UN Alumni Meetup in Brooklyn. High above the ground—with stunning views of the entire southeastern side of the island of Manhattan—students mingled and munched as they learned from BYU alumni who had, in many cases, had their first NYC encounter through the program. The event, hosted by alumnae Caroline Black and Emily Thorn, “helped us connect more deeply with the city, feel at home, and realize that we can make it here,” according to Madison Curtis, a History major from Rexburg, Idaho.
Next Year Restarts
Any BYU student, regardless of past experience with Model UN, is invited to join the fall class and get started. In the class, students develop and deepen diplomacy skills, including negotiation, public speaking, persuasion, policy research and writing. The Kennedy Center also offers other diplomacy simulation programs, including Model European Union, Model Organization of American States, and Model Arab League. “Model UN is a launching pad for peacemaking and leadership across campus and throughout our lives,” notes Morales.
Follow the team @byumodelun and see a highlight reel including the fireside, conference, and more.