Fred and Chris first met, unsurprisingly, at a beer pong table at someone’s apartment in Gainesville. Neither recalls who won, but even if they did, it would be little more than a footnote in their long friendship, which didn’t start that night, but in hindsight feels inevitable. Throughout their years of living together at UF and extensively debating topics they both feel passionately about until the early morning hours, Chris became someone whose advice Fred could always count on. Together they set out to save the world, but the world sadly had other plans, something they often lament when they speak on the phone. They had lots of great ideas for how to make UF Model UN a national powerhouse and whenever they hit the road together, whether it was to New York, Charlottesville, Washington D.C. or Chicago, fellow delegates would start shivering whenever they walked into committee and laid down the law. Chris helped Fred overcome moments of self-doubt and pushed him to take on challenges that he already knew Fred was ready to tackle long before he did. Not few people laughed when Fred, out of nowhere, decided he wanted to run FLCS, the annual college conference put on by UF Model UN. Chris took him seriously. They watched each other stumble into and out of relationships over the years but have now both found the people they want to spend the rest of their lives with. It’s only fitting for him to be Fred’s best man, just one more adventure after their countless other ones throughout the past decade. Chris obtained his law degree at Georgetown University and is an attorney at Sidley Austin. He, his wife Janie, and their dog Maverick live in Miami.
Ever since they met at their first college Model UN conference in Fall 2011, Fred’s friendship with Nick has grown throughout the years thanks to their many shared interests and civil disagreements that on more than one occasion led Fred to reexamine his views on issues they are both passionate about. Nick, to Fred’s continued astonishment, managed to persuade him to join a fraternity his sophomore year of college, which is paying dividends to this day thanks to the convenient parking on gamedays in Gainesville. Together they took FLCS, the annual college conference hosted by UF Model UN, from a footnote in history to one of the premier events in the Sunshine State. Nick was patient with Fred whenever he indulged in self-pity and needed to be steered back on the right path, especially during one night in Nashville many years ago when the two of them explored the bar scene on Broadway and enjoyed the live music together. Their escapades together have taken them from UF to New York, Boston, Washington D.C., and Cancun and they have another one scheduled for October 2023 in the Smokey Mountains. Nick obtained his law degree at Boston College and is an attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell. He lives with his wife Kat and dog Barrister in New York.
Fred and Alex have known each other longer than they have their respective soon-to-be-wives. While neither would have guessed during their UF Model UN days that they would be brothers-in-law one day, they have over the years found several opportunities to bond, whether that be kayaking and snorkeling in the Keys, standing in line at various Disney theme parks or passing the time at TopGolf while their future wives went wedding dress shopping together. Alex’s quick thinking helped save Fred’s life at one point when he was bleeding out on UF’s campus (it wasn’t quite that dramatic, but the story is more fun that way). They share a love for German Christmas markets, craft beer and Ethiopian food. Alex has become a dependable source for Fred to make sense of the chaotic political landscape in this country and on which candidates running for office to keep an eye on. He recently obtained his master’s degree from George Washington University and lives with his fiancée and Fred’s future sister-in-law Lindsay and their dog Kona in Arlington, Virginia, near Washington D.C.
Kevin has many a time over the years been a voice of reason in Fred’s life. Few people, if any, can lay claim to giving advice as unfailingly sound as he does. During their Model UN days at UF, Fred could always trust Kevin to stop him from self-destructing thanks to his unmatched ability to patiently talk him out of whatever awful idea had just popped into his head. Throughout their four years in Gainesville, they never actually lived together, but they might as well have by the end. Their adventures together have taken them from Times Square in New York, over the White House in Washington D.C. to the infamous lawn at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. They kept up their friendship after graduation thanks to Fred’s inability to leave his college days behind, which led him to spend many a weekend in Gainesville, where Kevin was attending law school at the time. Eventually, Kevin, who works as a public defender and his wife Alexis, moved to Charlotte, NC, the city Fred’s future parents-in-law currently call home and they were able to carry on their friendship in person.
Fred and Diego literally went to war against each other at one point. Paradoxically, they both won, which is to say they both received Jefferson Cups at the first and final Virginia Crisis Simulation that they attended together. When they were not busy sabotaging each other via elaborate behind-the-scenes schemes in a Model UN committee, it was indeed a rare occasion when they were not on the same page ever since they shared the misery of pledging a fraternity together. They bonded over their frustration with the U.S. immigration system and their attempts to get into American football after growing up watching real futbol. Diego was a generous host to Fred on multiple occasions after he graduated and patiently provided advice during some of his darker days. They hit the road together to Nashville and Charleston and got to be there at the beginning of each other’s relationships with their then future wives. Since their time at UF together, they have shared adventures in St. Augustine, Washington D.C., Houston, and the Smokey Mountains, where they will be reuniting in October 2023 for Fred’s wedding. Diego works as a controls engineer for Amazon and lives with his wife Danielle in Arlington, Virginia, near Washington D.C.
Throughout their many years of friendship, Fred and Adam have often found themselves in a room using their superior intellects to try to solve problems together. Whether it was the Cuban Missile Crisis, organized crime during Prohibition or whatever issue was plaguing Florida football at the time, no challenge was too big for them to tackle. Jim McElwain and Dan Mullen may not have had the answers, but Adam and Fred always did. Fred has undoubtedly learned more about the sport from Adam than anyone else, and quite a bit about music and gourmet coffee as well. They share a passion for movies, even if they will likely never be on the same page about “Detective Pikachu”. Together they braved the unpredictable crises that came with moderating a political discussion group on Facebook, which caused both of them to age a decade in a year. Adam is a journalist for the Sun Sentinel and covers the Miami Hurricanes and Miami Heat for their sports section. He lives with his wife Kayla and their dogs Melody and Chica in South Florida.
Fred was unsure whether to even invite Paul to his wedding initially. He is in fact still salty about getting beat up in Super Smash Bros over the course of several years. Whenever Fred wasn’t giving serious thought to throwing the controller out the window, he did enjoy their many late-night bonding moments and learning that aggressive button mashing was not an effective strategy to Falcon Punch someone off the stage. While living together during their years at UF, Paul and Fred connected over their mutual interest in fantasy and science-fiction franchises. Whenever they were not on the same page, they were always able to overcome their disagreements as their friendship over many years prevailed and they remain as close as ever more than a decade after they first met. Paul taught Fred many things, mainly that it’s unacceptable for a shuffleboard table to not be properly sanded and that it’s important to aim a golfclub for the ball to go in the right direction. They also realized during a day of sightseeing in Atlanta that they should have tried out as kickers for the Florida Gators, but by then, both had already graduated and could only yell at the TV in frustration that same night as the team missed a vital extra point against LSU. Paul is also getting married in 2023, making him the last groomsman in the wedding party to tie the knot, which means every single one of Fred’s best friends beat him to the punch. He recently obtained his master’s degree from Columbia University and works for Texas Instruments. He, his soon-to-be wife Chloe, and their dog Sammy live in New York.