Top Delegation Award for Model UN Club
A St. Michael’s College School (SMCS) first was recently realized as the Model UN club distinguished itself at the largest Model United Nations conference in Toronto.
Alongside taking home multiple individual awards, the club captured Best Overall Delegation for the first time at the 19th annual University of Toronto Model United Nations Conference (UTMUN), held January 29 to February 1, 2026.
“This win is a huge milestone in the history of the Model UN club at SMCS,” says Francesco Bellissimo, teacher and one of the Model UN faculty moderators, along with Vanessa Iaboni. “While the club has had the honour of winning delegation awards at other Model UN conferences, these conferences were much smaller in scale. To win an award of this nature, at such a large conference like UTMUN, is truly an accomplishment.”
UTMUN hosts high school delegation teams from all over the world and is the largest conference that SMCS participates in each year.
“I have never felt so proud of St. Mike’s,” says Lucas Umali, Grade 12, who has been a member of the club since Grade 10. “Knowing that I can be the best on an international stage comforted me immensely, knowing that all my hard work and passion have paid off. But most importantly, and to my surprise, SMCS winning Best Overall Delegation put the biggest smile on my face. I’m proud to be a part of a monumental accomplishment in our school’s Model UN history, our first-ever delegation award at a prestigious conference with just six people.”
In addition to the overall award, three SMCS delegates also took home awards in their respective committees: Umali and Austin Theal each won Best Delegate, and Ronan Zhong won Honourable Mention.
“These conferences provide students with unique and exciting educational opportunities as they prepare resolutions to dynamic and real-world situations, participate in debates, and refine their skills in the art of diplomacy and negotiation,” says Bellissimo. “For Ms. Iaboni and me, this is truly a proud moment for both of us. We have been significantly involved with the club for several years and have watched it grow during this time. This award is truly a milestone in the club’s evolution, so it is a rewarding experience for us and builds excitement for what the future holds!”
In recent years, the SMCS Model UN club has also won top delegation awards at the annual Havergal College Model UN Conference in 2021 and 2025.
“Receiving Best Overall Delegation at this most recent conference was especially meaningful to me,” says Zhong, Grade 12, who also joined the club in Grade 10. “I won my first-ever individual award at UTMUN in 2024, and now our club has won Best Overall Delegation in my senior year, making my Model UN journey feel truly full circle. It was incredibly rewarding to see our collective hard work pay off. As a Grade 12, this award also reassures me that the legacy of Model UN at SMCS is in good hands, especially with so many new members contributing to the delegation.”
The Model UN club at SMCS is always accepting new members interested in debate, politics, and international affairs, or in improving their public speaking and presentation skills.
“Model UN is a place to meet people,” says Theal, Grade 12. “I didn’t join Model UN in Grade 9 because I was particularly interested in global politics, or because I had a deep fascination with interesting roleplay or proper procedure, I joined Model UN because I’m an extrovert who enjoys debate. As much as Model UN is a club that enforces academic rigour and competitive diplomacy, it is also a way to foster communication skills and have personally meaningful dialogue with like-minded people.”
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