Purpose: The purpose of the College Model UN All-Star Team is to recognize exemplary individuals in the college MUN community who have made a difference inside and outside of committee. These could be but are not necessarily limited to just the best delegates or award winners; conferences already determine those. Rather, the College MUN All-Star Team should be representative of the best and most respected leaders in the community. They are diplomatic and skilled in committee, help strengthen the relationships between schools, provide thought leadership, and make the Model UN experience better for everyone.
Process: College students who participated in at least one college conference were eligible to submit one nomination form of up to ten students on the college circuit. Due to the All-Star Team’s emphasis on community, students were only allowed to nominate up to three delegates from their own school and were not allowed to nominate themselves. The nomination process took place from April 23-30. Each nominated name received one vote. Ballots were manually edited for spelling inconsistencies and manually checked for validity, and results were checked for accuracy. Delegates receiving the top number of votes were given All-Star team honors divided into three tiers: 10 for First Team, 10 for Second Team, and 18 for Third Team.
Credits: Thank you to Best Delegate Media Associate Amy O’Halloran for proposing the initial idea and for leading this project and sourcing all the biographies. Thanks also to all the individuals for contributing biographies and photos of their All-Star peers and to the rest of the Best Delegate Media Associate college team for spreading awareness of the nomination process. And thank you to everyone on the circuit for participating in recognizing their peers for their leadership in the community.
Without further ado, here are the delegates on the College Model UN All-Star Team!
College MUN All-Star Team (First Team)
Names are in alphabetical order.
Alex Haber University of Pennsylvania
Senior Alex Haber has made his mark on Penn MUN history, having led the team to eight Best Large Delegation awards out of ten conferences this year. He is widely regarded as the most successful and charismatic head delegate on the circuit. Haber truly serves as a role model for fellow students in the Penn International Affairs Association, and they thank him for a memorable 2013 season.
Anais Carmona Georgetown University
Anais is a rising senior at Georgetown University. This past academic year, she served as the IRC’s Chief of Staff. This summer, she will be going to India this summer as the Georgetown/ Georgetown International Relations Association Inc. representative to teach Model UN and debate skills. Additionally, she represented Georgetown at WorldMUN this past year for the first time in Georgetown MUN’s program history. Outside of MUN, Anais has interned with the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
Chris Longman The George Washington University
Chris has been an integral member of the George Washington International Affairs Society since his freshman year. Chris has served on the Executive Board in multiple capacities, including the Secretary-General of GWCIA, the IAS’ middle school MUN conference, and most recently as Chairman. Chris has been an outstanding member of our MUN team, bringing home the gold for all of the conferences that he has attended.
Dane Shikman Georgetown University
Dane is a graduating senior at Georgetown University. He served as IRC Conferences Coordinator for the 2012-2013 term, and before this he served as Chair of the 2011-2012 term. He will be going to China this summer as the Georgetown/ Georgetown International Relations Association Inc. representative to teach Model UN and debate skills. He also represented Georgetown at WorldMUN this past year for the first time in Georgetown MUN’s program history. Outside of MUN, Dane has interned with the US Department of State and the US Senate.
David Schwartz University of Pennsylvania
Senior David Schwartz has proven to be one of the most successful delegates on the circuit. A four-year competitor, he has helped cultivate a robust Penn team. Always known for his expertise on financial and business committees, Schwartz will go on to work for UBS in New York this fall.
Mark Mahvi University of Chicago
Mark Mahvi served as President of the University of Chicago’s travelling team. With a decorated Model UN résumé including countless awards and experience as a Chair and Crisis Director, Mark led UChicago’s team through one of its most successful years. In addition to serving as President of UChicago’s team, Mark has served as a Chair at ChoMUN (UChicago’s college conference), MUNUC (UChicago’s high school conference) and WEMUN’s National Training Camp in Beijing. Model United Nations has been a huge part of Mark’s life at the University of Chicago, and he knows the skills he has honed and the friends he has made will stay with him when he graduates this June.
Parvathy Murukurthy University of Chicago
Parvathy Murukurthy served as Vice President of the University of Chicago’s travelling team and Director General of ChoMUN. After seven years of Model UN as both a staffer and a delegate, Parvathy is one of the most experienced and successful delegates on the circuit. Her experience in Model UN has fueled a passion for international relations and education policy. This experience and passion guided UChicago’s travelling team through one of its strongest years and made ChoMUN XVI the best yet. While Parvathy will graduate from the University of Chicago this June, the leadership skills she developed and the friends she made will stay with her for life.
Rodolfo Diaz Harvard University
Rodolfo has served as Harvard’s Head Delegate for the last two years. He is one of the most competent delegates on the circuit, gaveling nine times in his time at Harvard, and befriending delegates from around the world. Rodolfo helped to revamp the Harvard team, making it a cohesive and incredible family, and he has served as a mentor and friend to everyone who knows him. In addition to MUN, Rodolfo also serves on the staff of HACIA Democracy. Rodolfo will be pursuing a MPhil in Development Studies Program at the University of Oxford in the Fall.
Timothy Tsai Harvard University
Tim has served as Harvard’s Head Delegate for the past year, and will serve as the President of the Harvard International Relations Council in the coming year. Tim is a great person with a ton of emotion – he is always there to help a fellow delegate out in or out of committee. Tim is also incredibly committed to making a tangible, positive change in the world, and he is already launching initiatives within the Harvard IRC to increase its positive impact.
Warren Geary United States Military Academy at West Point
Warren Geary has been an integral part of the West Point Model United Nations team since he joined in the fall of 2010. He brings innovative thinking, a positive attitude, and one of the most diligent work ethics that you could ask for. He has served in many positions since his time on the team. Along with participating in the travel team, he has served as the Financial officer for WPSC 2012, the Chief of Staff for WPSC 2013, and next year he will serve as the Commander of WPSC 2014. He is pleasure to work with, and will continue to do great things both at West Point and once he is a commissioned officer.
College MUN All-Star Team (Second Team)
Names are in alphabetical order.
Arka Mallela University of Pennsylvania
Senior Arka Mallela, a molecular life sciences major, unexpectedly joined the Model UN circuit as a freshmen. Mallela, a versatile delegate, garnered tremendous success on the circuit and on the UPMUNC secretariat, later serving as Chief Operating Officer for the 45th annual conference. Arka recently finished his term as President of the Penn International Affairs Association and will attend the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in the fall.
Connor Smith The College of William & Mary
Connor, next year’s Head Delegate for the William and Mary team, already has a delegation award under his belt for this year’s ChoMUN team, which he trained and led before he was even elected to the official position for the 2013-2014 school year. However, an even more impressive feat is that Connor was the Secretary-General of William and Mary’s first collegiate conference, &MUN, this past April, building the conference from scratch for more than a year after chairing an exploratory committee for it over the course of yet another year prior.
Jeremy Illoulian The George Washington University
Jeremy has been an integral member of the George Washington International Affairs Society since his freshman year. Jeremy served as the MUN assistant during his sophomore year as well as the IAS Chairman during his junior year. As Chairman, Jeremy played an important role in the creation and implementation of the Colonial Cadets program, GW’s freshman training program. Jeremy will be serving as the President of the United States delegation to the Y8/Y20 Youth Summit this summer.
Katherine Bonner Emory University
Katherine is one of the most dedicated individuals to MUN on the circuit. She traveled to all 8 of Emory’s competitive conferences this year, while simultaneously serving on executive board, and Director General of MUNE I. She will be working for Global Classrooms and Best Delegate this summer, and will be the Secretary General of RCAMUN next Spring. Katherine has been involved in Model UN since the 9th grade, and her passion has only grown since. She contributes not only to the Emory Model UN team, but to the circuit as a whole with her charm, and infectious passion for all that is MUN.
Lwam Stefanos Colgate University
Lwam Stefanos is a rising senior at Colgate University, double majoring in international relations and English literature. She is the current head delegate and Vice President of the Colgate Model United Nations team, and has done Model UN for seven years. Her MUN career began at a Best Delegate Top 25 school, West Windsor Plainsboro HS North. A true world traveler, Lwam has been to every continent except Antartica, and most recently studied abroad in London. Lwam’s attitude in committee embodies the true spirit of the UN; she works with everyone regardless of position, and works hard to show that even ‘non-P5’ colleges can have fantastic delegates.
Pritika Gupta Emory University
Pritika is from Mumbai, India, and is currently the President and Head Delegate of Emory Model United Nations, while also serving as Under Secretary General for MUNE I. She has worked tirelessly to ensure that EMUN expands its presence on the circuit, in addition to at Emory. She has received awards and recognition at nearly every conference she has traveled to this past year, and carries the ideals of Model UN with her in her everyday life.
Ross Boston United States Military Academy at West Point
Ross Boston is a graduating senior at the United States Military Academy at West Point. A team player, Ross is a straight-talker, and enhances committee with substantive knowledge above and beyond the typical delegate. Leading by example in crises and GAs, Ross can command a presence in the committee room and is among the circuit’s most respected and diplomatic delegates.
Shunsuke Hirose Columbia University
Shunsuke Hirose is a senior at Columbia University graduating with a degree in Political Science, and served as Columbia’s Head Delegate for the 2012-2013 year. His passion for history and international affairs led him into Model United Nations and has inspired him to further his studies at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs for a Master’s degree in International Security Policy. This summer, he will be interning at the Asia Society doing policy analysis for security affairs in East Asia.
Susannah Wang University of Chicago
Susannah Wang is a rising fourth year student at the University of Chicago, double majoring in Economics and East Asian Languages and Civilizations. Susannah has chaired committees at both ChoMUN and MUNUC, the collegiate and high school conferences that UChicago hosts each year. She also staffs American Model United Nations International in Chicago, and is an integral member of UChicago’s Top 5 travel MUN team. Outside of Model UN, Susannah is an Alpha Kappa Delta Phi sister, and loves to travel. Her enthusiasm and love of meeting new friends translates to the committee room, and is a testament to her appreciation of the art of diplomacy.
Yadavan Mahendraraj University of Pennsylvania
Junior Yadavan Mahendraraj’s strong presence does not come from his stature, but from his strong leadership and quick-witted humor. Although Yadavan has one of the best track records on the circuit, he is better known as the Secretary-General of ILMUNC XXIX—the most successful high school Model UN conference in recent years. Yadavan currently presides over the Penn International Affairs Association as President.
College MUN All-Star Team (Third Team)
Names are in alphabetical order.
Ankur Bajaj Cornell University
Ankur Bajaj has served as a leader for the Cornell International Affairs Society (CIAS) since his freshman year at Cornell. While serving as the Cornell Model UN team’s consistent “gaveler,” he has also held the positions of USG of committees at Cornell’s first collegiate conference (CIAC), Vice President, and President of the Cornell International Affairs Society. His commitment to Model UN has continued past his Presidency as he now serves as the leader of alumni relations for the club. Ankur Bajaj helped get Cornell on the scoreboard at conferences and his intensive training sessions have helped to inspire the team’s younger members. Without him, CIAS would not be as large and successful as it is today.
Ben Ketchum United States Military Academy at West Point
Benjamin Ketchum as always been an integral member to the success of the West Point Model United Nations team, and this year he continued his strong performance on the team and served as an inspiration and mentor to the younger generation of West Point MUN. This year and last year he served as the social event coordinator for the team providing great opportunities for our team to celebrate conference performances, and for the veteran team members to mentor and develop the younger members of the team. Ben also served as the Crisis Director for WPMUNI 2013 and put together a superb crisis that focused on a global issue requiring bureaucratic cohesion and integrated decision-making across various sectors of the US government (simulated).
David Hoyt Stanford University
David Hoyt is a senior at Stanford University. Following his first MUN experience at NAIMUN 40 in 2003, Hoyt was forced to drop out of high school by a serious illness. However, through his later time at Mercer County Community College and Stanford, Hoyt remained interested in MUN; this year, Hoyt was the Co-Captain of Stanford’s traveling team; he has also previous served as Vice-President of the Society for International Affairs at Stanford. At Stanford, Hoyt majored in international relations, and wrote his Honors Thesis on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He credits MUN with having helped to prepare him for his job at the McChrystal Group.
Jared Greenspan The George Washington University
Jared has been an integral member of the George Washington International Affairs Society since his freshman year. Jared came to GW not intending on joining the MUN program but after learning about the Colonial Cadet program and interacting with members of the Executive Board, quickly changed his mind. Jared is perhaps one of the friendliest and kind hearted people you will ever meet, a trait that has allowed him to develop his interpersonal skills and become well known throughout the circuit. Jared will serve as the IAS MUN Coordinator for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Jeff Caso Georgetown University
Jeff is a rising senior at Georgetown University. He will serve as Chair of the IRC during the upcoming 2013-2014 academic year. He will be going to China this summer as the Georgetown/ Georgetown International Relations Association Inc. representative to teach Model UN and debate skills. He also represented Georgetown at WorldMUN this past year for the first time in Georgetown MUN’s program history. In addition, Jeff is also involved with staffing the IMUNA conferences such as NHSMUN.
Jeff Rohde The College of William & Mary
Jeff was so good at being the President of William and Mary’s International Relations Club – the largest student organization on the school’s campus – this past year that the club re-elected him to be President again for the 2013-2014 year! Because Jeff is a wonderful human being, he also participates in William and Mary’s Students for Medical Outreach and Sustainability (SOMOS), which takes him to the Dominican Republic to build community health care resources there, and has been a member of the Filipino-American Students Association.
Jocelyn Perry University of Pennsylvania
Senior Jocelyn Perry joined the Penn International Affairs Association during her freshman year and instantly gained prominence as one of the most hard working and tenacious delegates on the team. She served as the Director-General of ILMUNC XXIIX, and her prominence in the Penn IAA will be greatly missed next year.
Katrina Trost Boston University
Katrina Trost is a rising senior at Boston University studying Political Science, and is finishing up a study abroad at the University of Haifa in Israel studying Peace and Conflict Resolution. She is BU’s new Head Delegate has helped shape the future of Model UN at BU, as the team has risen to the Top 10 of Best Delegate rankings over the past two years. She is a force to be reckoned with in committee, and rarely goes home empty handed. Katrina is a great asset to her fellow delegates; her genuine spirit and love of diplomacy has made her a friend to many on the circuit. Beyond being a phenomenal delegate, Katrina is a dedicated student and will be graduating with her MA in Political Science in 2014.
Keagan Tafler McGill University
Keagan Tafler has been McGill’s Head Delegate for the past two years. She pushed way beyond her duties and completely reformed the Canadian delegation’s team. Her passion and ambition have provided her with bragging rights for her MUN track record. Outside of McGill, Keagan has staffed for the Global Classrooms International MUN conference in New York.
Keshava Guha Harvard University
Keshava served as Harvard’s Head Delegate from 2010 to 2011, helping to revitalize the team to bring it up to the powerhouse that it is today. Keshava is an incredible source of knowledge – he knows everything about everything, regardless of the time or topic. He also is very well known, and goes way back with members of every team. His wide expertise, substantive skill, and presence throughout the circuit make him a mentor for all.
Mari Manoogian The George Washington University
Mari joined the George Washington International Affairs Society her junior year after transferring from Michigan State. Mari brought many talents and great knowledge of the circuit to the MUN program and it was not long before she became an integral member of the team. Mari will serve IAS Treasurer for the 2013-2014 academic year. Mari also serves as a Best Delegate Media Associate.
Max Sanders The George Washington University
Max has been an integral member of the George Washington International Affairs Society since his freshman year. Max joined the MUN program without any prior experience and excelled beyond expectations. Max joined the Executive Board as the Freshman Representative and later as the MUN Coordinator during his sophomore year, helping expand the Colonial Cadets program. Max is one of the most driven and goal oriented people in the circuit, leaving a lasting impression on those he works with. Though it’s most likely his sneaky smile that you’ll remember.
Nicolette Kraska Emory University
Last year, Nicolette Kraska was the President and Head Delegate of Emory Model United Nations. The club was founded in 2005, and Nicolette was one of the driving forces in growing the organization from 20 students to over 100. She has received countless gavels and awards, but above that, continues to contribute to Model UN at Emory and beyond. She has an incredible presence, and everyone surrounding her becomes a better delegate learning from her poise and skills.
Sam Brothers Georgetown University
Sam is a rising senior at Georgetown University. He will serve as Conferences Coordinator of the IRC during the upcoming 2013-2014 academic year. He has currently spent the past semester studying abroad at King’s College London, an experience that he has thoroughly enjoyed.
Shannon Thomas University of California, Berkeley
Shannon has served as head delegate of UCBMUN’s travel team for the last two years. Along with co-head del Anirudh Garg, she reshaped UCBMUN’s conference funding system to enable more delegates to travel to away conferences and revitalized delegate-training sessions. Shannon has applied skills honed through her participation in MUN to her work with the Olive Tree Initiative, a group which aims to promote education and dialogue regarding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Theresa Lou Georgetown University
Theresa is a rising senior at Georgetown University. She will serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown International Relations Association Inc during the 2013-2014 academic year after having been appointed to the position by her peers. She also represented Georgetown at WorldMUN this past year for the first time in Georgetown MUN’s program history. In addition to traveling with the team, Theresa served as Secretary-General of NAIMUN 50 this year.
Troy Robinson University of Florida
Troy is rising fourth-year Political Science and History dual-major with an emphasis on International Development. He has been involved with MUN since his junior year of high school and has had the pleasure of attending over 20 conferences. Currently serving as one of University of Florida’s head delegates, Troy has played a role in building stronger relations between this up-and-coming MUN team and more established schools on the circuit. While last summer Troy worked at the Department of State, he will spend much of this summer devoted to MUN. Not only will he work for Best Delegate as a Summer Program Counselor but Troy will also represent his team at all of their school’s orientation programs. Additionally, he plans on using summer down time to build stronger relations with other MUN programs in Florida.
Zann Isacson The College of William & Mary
Not only did Zann led the William and Mary team to its first WorldMUN delegation award in several years, she did so while taking more William and Mary International Relations Club members to conferences over the course of the year than the IRC has ever taken before! The IRC also performed unprecedentedly well at CMUNNY, SCSY, and McMUN under Zann’s extraordinary leadership this year. When Zann is not plotting elaborate training schemes for the IRC, she can often be found listening to The National or talking about how much she loves Sheryl Sandberg.
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Congratulations to everyone on the College MUN All-Star Team! We hope the College MUN All-Star team recognition platform will continue to help encourage delegates to engage their community and make it better.
Tim has served as Harvard’s Head Delegate for the past year, and will serve as the President of the Harvard International Relations Council in the coming year. Tim is a great person with a ton of emotion – he is always there to help a fellow delegate out in or out of committee. Tim is also incredibly committed to making a tangible, positive change in the world, and he is already launching initiatives within the Harvard IRC to increase its positive impact.
Warren Geary has been an integral part of the West Point Model United Nations team since he joined in the fall of 2010. He brings innovative thinking, a positive attitude, and one of the most diligent work ethics that you could ask for. He has served in many positions since his time on the team. Along with participating in the travel team, he has served as the Financial officer for WPSC 2012, the Chief of Staff for WPSC 2013, and next year he will serve as the Commander of WPSC 2014. He is pleasure to work with, and will continue to do great things both at West Point and once he is a commissioned officer.
Susannah Wang is a rising fourth year student at the University of Chicago, double majoring in Economics and East Asian Languages and Civilizations. Susannah has chaired committees at both ChoMUN and MUNUC, the collegiate and high school conferences that UChicago hosts each year. She also staffs American Model United Nations International in Chicago, and is an integral member of UChicago’s Top 5 travel MUN team. Outside of Model UN, Susannah is an Alpha Kappa Delta Phi sister, and loves to travel. Her enthusiasm and love of meeting new friends translates to the committee room, and is a testament to her appreciation of the art of diplomacy.
