The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Model United Nations Club (BRMUN) kicked off the new year with a special treat for all club members, an alumni meeting.
On January 3, 2025, after school, fifteen college students, former members of the school’s Model UN team, revisited Bridgewater-Raritan High School to talk to the club members about their experience with the club.
The BRMUN’s annual Alumni Meeting is a tradition that was started last year as a means of inviting graduated club members to share their first-hand experiences in college and learn lessons about high school with current club members. Club members see the event as a great way to gain valuable knowledge from their predecessors and solidify their interest in the club tenfold as they see the achievements of past officers.
The alumni in attendance were officers and participated in the club for the majority of their high school career, with some even pursuing Model UN in college. The purpose of this meeting was for the alumni to talk about their club experience and how it has positively impacted their lives and outlooks. Additionally, the alumni talked about their college experiences, the college admissions process, their high school experience, how to balance time with friends and studies and what other activities have helped them.
There were three rooms filled with all attending club members in which all 15 alumni rotated between each room with five alumni in each room. The alumni who participated in the event included Sid Inta, Emily Lu, Anushka Gandhi, Aneesh Nagalkar, Arjun Khanna, Angelo Chen, Judy Gao, Keshav Badri, Muskan Manikakar, Diya Hunashimarad, Alyssa Xu, Abhijay Edavalapati, Pranav Karra, Akhil Kalepalli and Ashwin Lakshman.
Club members had the option to ask additional questions to the alumni about college admissions and advice about choosing the best college for them. The alumni came from a variety of schools such as New York University, Columbia University, University of Michigan, University of Pennslyvania, Rice University, Princeton University, Rutgers Honors College, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Virginia and more.
Most of the alumni were in their undergraduate years of college, with five from the high school Class of 2024, five from the Class of 2023 and four from the Class of 2022.
Nandini Kuppachi, Chair of Member Training for BRMUN and one of the student officers who organized the event, added her perspective on the event and its impact on the club. “Watching so many club members show such enthusiasm reminded me of how impactful this club can be. Meeting the alumni was especially inspiring—it showed me that they were once in my shoes, and pursuing my goals could lead to the same kind of success. It was a proud moment to witness the growth of our club and the interest from our members,” she said.
