Best Delegate is proud to announce its 2014 class of Diplomacy Fellows! The Best Delegate Diplomacy Fellowship is an opportunity for top university students and graduates with significant Model United Nations accomplishments and leadership experience to give back to the community and make a difference in the lives of others by teaching at the flagship Best Delegate Summer Programs for high school and middle school students in Atlanta, Berkeley, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Washington DC.
This year’s class again features an amazing group of Secretaries-General, Head Delegates, and other MUN leaders. Twelve of the seventeen staff of the Best Delegate Summer Programs has staffed or served at various Best Delegate programs previously. The entire Best Delegate summer team along with their universities and selected highlights are listed below. You can read their full biographies here.
Program Directors
- Ryan Villanueva (Yale University): Best Delegate co-founder with experience at over 130 MUN conferences and MUN teaching experience worldwide. He served as Secretary-General of the Security Council Simulation at Yale (SCSY) and at Mission Viejo High School MUN; won gavels at top conferences such as HNMUN, UPMUNC, and NHSMUN; and won over $20,000 in public speaking scholarships. He worked at Goldman Sachs in New York prior to co-founding Best Delegate.
- Kevin Felix Chan (University of California, Los Angeles): Best Delegate co-founder with experience at over 100 MUN conferences and MUN teaching experience worldwide. He served as Secretary-General at GCIMUN where he introduced UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and served as Secretary-General and Head Delegate at UCLA. He was a senior manager at AT&T in San Francisco and Atlanta prior to co-founding Best Delegate.
Diplomacy Fellows
- Aaron Kalafarski (University of Florida): Secretary-General of GatorMUN XI in 2014 and helped found Gulf Coast High School MUN. He taught at Best Delegate last summer.
- Alix Neenan (Boston University): Held several leadership positions in the Boston University International Affairs Association.
- Avik Chakravarty (University of California, Berkeley): Chief of Staff of Berkeley Model United Nations (BMUN) 2014 and has taught MUN in China. He has taught at Best Delegate programs in the United States and South Korea.
- Conna Walsh (Cornell University): Director-General of Cornell Model United Nations Conference (CMUNC) 2014. She was also a Best Delegate Media Manager.
- Erik Leiden (Ohio State University): President of Ohio State’s Collegiate Council on World Affairs and after previously serving as Secretary-General and Head Delegate. He taught at Best Delegate in South Korea.
- Julie George (Boston University): Secretary-General of Boston Area Model United Nations (BarMUN) 2014 and has taught MUN in China.
- Laurabeth Goldsmith (Emory University): President and Head Delegate of Emory Model United Nations.
- Loreena Percy (McGill University): Chargée D’Affaires of McGill Model United Nations Assembly (McMUN) 2014 and has served in roles ranging from Head Delegate, Faculty Advisor, and Best Delegate Media Associate.
- Marie Hanewinckel (University of Miami): Head Delegate of Miami team that won Best Small Delegation at Harvard National Model United Nations 2014. She also staffs MICSUN and UNA-USA Global Classrooms Miami.
- Marta Canneri (McGill University): Chargée D’Affaires of McGill Model United Nations Assembly (McMUN) 2015. She served as a Best Delegate Diplomacy Fellow last summer and has served as a Best Delegate Partnerships Manager and Media Associate.
- Melissa Miller (George Washington University): Secretary-General of Washington Area Model United Nations (WAMUNC) 2015. She served as a Best Delegate Diplomacy Fellow last summer and has served as a Best Delegate Media Associate.
- Richard Pyo (University of Southern California): Staffed multiple conferences at UN Headquarters including NHSMUN and GCIMUN and was a high-ranking officer at Cerritos High School MUN. He has staffed with Best Delegate twice in South Korea.
Residential Counselors
- Ellen Perfect (Claremont McKenna College): Delegate and staffer at the Claremont McKenna MUN, chair at Contra Costa County MUN, and served as Head Delegate of California High School MUN. She is also a Best Delegate Media Manager.
- Kareem Ascha (University of California, Berkeley): Delegate and staffer at both BMUN and UCBMUN, and served as Secretary-General of BMUN in China and at Mission Viejo High School MUN. He staffed with Best Delegate in South Korea.
- Ryan Mitton (McGill University). Secretary-General of McGill Model United Nations Assembly (McMUN) 2015.
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You can read the full biographies of all the Diplomacy Fellows here and learn more about the Best Delegate Summer Programs here. Regular Decision application deadlines for the Best Delegate Summer Programs are April 15th for the Secretary-General and Ambassador Programs and May 1st for the Diplomat and Junior Diplomat Programs.
