Model UN and the Loss of a Mentor

How a single teacher brought opportunity and expertise to our humble club

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Without him, these future politicians and politicos would have had nowhere to go.

At the halfway point of the school year, prominent educator and beloved mentor, Mr. Thomas Mullane announced that he would be stepping down from his role as club advisor for Model UN, marking an end of an era in Brewster Model UN history.

For several years, Mr. Mullane oversaw Brewster’s Model UN club, an organization spearheaded mainly by students. Mr. Mullane was a key figure in the club, playing a vital role in the club’s logistics, operations, fundraising, and all other ways to keep the club afloat and able to travel to other Model UN Conferences around the county, state, and country. During his time as advisor, the group frequently traveled across the nation visiting Georgetown, Boston College, and Cornell and Columbia universities, to debate the most distinguished Model UN delegates in the nation. Mr. Mullane saw how challenging it would be for Brewster delegation members to receive any recognition in a debate with participants from All American Model UN or St. Ignatius College Prep School. Knowing this, Mr. Mullane gave much greater thought to the growth and continual improvement of abilities like independence, responsibility, public speaking, and most significantly, creativity. Most of the club’s delegates would concur that they were able to develop these skills thanks to Model UN after participating in a number of conferences and debates with some of the most talented high school students in the country.

Even though it’s uncertain if the club will carry on once Mullane leaves, it would be negligent not to acknowledge his enormous contributions to the current state of the club. Mr. Mullane spent hundred of hours making sure his club members had the finest experience possible, and many people would agree that he went above and beyond to accomplish this.

Thank you, Mr. Mullane, for building the program and creating the foundation for others to follow. You will be missed.