Introducing our LAMUN XXII Secretariat.
Their leadership is centered on helping others succeed. By mentoring staff members behind the scenes and assisting hundreds of attending delegates, they have been working tirelessly to ensure a seamless experience for everyone, and they cannot wait to meet you soon.
Samantha Lyle
Secretary-General
Samantha is a fourth-year Political Science and Geography and Environmental Studies double major. While she cherishes her time in LA, her favorite city is her hometown, Las Vegas. She joined MUN during her 1st year of college after debating for 7 years on the local and national circuit. During her time with MUN at UCLA, she has chaired General Assembly and Crisis committees at BruinMUN and LAMUN, and has actively participated in conferences as a member of the travel team. Beyond MUN, Sam is a member of UCLA’s rock climbing team, and she loves listening to live music, taking her Labrador Lily on car rides, and going to the beach. After graduating, Sam hopes to be a policy analyst or go into environmental law.
Vaibhav Aggarwal
Director-General
Vaibhav Aggarwal is a fourth-year Anthropology and Asian American Studies major on the pre-law track with hopes to go into criminal law. He's lived in Bakersfield, California in Kern County for most of his life. He took a break from MUN until his second year, but competed in high school. When not doing logistics for a conference, he'll probably be running around LA finding new cafes or galleries to go to and/or at some kind of concert. He loves exploring different parts of LA, side-questing, listening to music, and hanging out with his friends.
Asher Rao
Under-Secretary-General for General Assemblies & Specialized Committees
Asher Rao is a second-year Political Science and World Arts and Cultures major from San Francisco. He has been involved with Model United Nations since high school and has competed all across the nation at conferences in Washington D.C., Stanford, Berkeley, and Boston. When not on the plane to the next MUN conference, you can find Asher dancing on UCLA’s Bollywood fusion dance team Root]d or herding prospective students as a campus tour guide. He is incredibly grateful for the UCLA Model United Nations’ community and is ecstatic to put on the best LAMUN to date. Go Bruins!
Lauren Park
Under-Secretary-General for Crisis
Lauren Park is a fourth-year Pre-Law International Development Studies major. Originally from Seoul, South Korea, she grew up in Carlsbad, California. She is now in her second year with MUN at UCLA, but has a strong background in speech & debate and mock trial. Outside of Model UN, she works as a speech & debate instructor/judge and is an editorial writer for Her Campus. She’s a huge foodie and loves exploring new eats in the greater Los Angeles area. You can find her discovering new coffee shops, hunting at flea markets, or raving about her latest book recommendation.
Haktan Keskin
Under-Secretary-General for Crisis
Haktan is a third-year Biology and Political Sciences double major hailing from Istanbul, Türkiye. He is on the pre-med track aspiring to become a surgeon one day, though he is uncertain which body part to cut yet. He has been involved in Model United Nations since his freshman year of high school. It is his first time living too. In his free time, Haktan indulges in the latest dinosaur news, discovers new sitcoms (although he will argue that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the best one to ever exist), and doomscrolls on Twitter to laugh at the unfunniest jokes.
Madeline Abellera
President
Madeline Abellera is the President of Model UN at UCLA. She's a fourth-year majoring in Political Science with a minor in Russian Studies, and is particularly interested in the intersection between tech policy and geopolitics. This is Madeline's fourth year in Model UN (previously, she was UCLA's GA head delegate), and she loves the MUN community both at UCLA and around the circuit. In the rare moments when she's not competing in a GA, overseeing BruinMUN and LAMUN, attending a MUN social, or doing something else MUN-related, you can usually find Madeline doing work for her AI startup or spending too much money on food. Madeline was born in Chicago but now lives in the Bay Area (shoutout Walnut Creek), and enjoys drinking coffee, travelling the world, hanging out with her friends, and playing golf.
Ava Tasharrofi
Director of External Relations
Ava Tasharrofi is a second-year Public Health major and Public Affairs and Entrepreneurship minor from Granada Hills, CA. Ava has been involved in Model UN for five years now; she started competing on the SoCal circuit in high school and now also competes on the college circuit, which has only made her love MUN more. Outside of Model UN, Ava is working toward her private pilot certificate and loves spending time flying above Los Angeles. She also dabbles in DJing and loves house music. When she’s not in a conference room, in the air, or behind the decks, she’s probably at the gym lifting weights or heading to CorePower Yoga for an evening workout.
Josephine Gore
Director of Finance
Josephine Gore is from Long Beach, California, and is a third-year student triple majoring in Global Studies, French, and Political Science. In her seventh year of MUN, she is excited to serve as Director of Finance. Previously, she has staffed BruinMUN and LAMUN in addition to being last year’s Director-General. Josephine interned at the United Nations headquarters in New York last summer and is also a violist in the UCLA Symphony. You can find her in the music rooms practicing piano, playing volleyball and card games, searching for new cafes and study spots, and rushing tickets to musicals at the Pantages. This fall, she is excited to be studying abroad at SciencesPo in Paris. After college, Josephine plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in diplomacy, with a potential focus on refugees and forced migration.
Vincent Nyvene
Director of Technology
Vincent Nyvene is a second-year majoring in Political Science and Public Affairs. Originally from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Philadelphia, PA, he began Model UN in high school under THIMUN before transitioning to North American procedures. After chairing and competing across Southeast Asia’s international school circuit, he has continued on as a staffer for BruinMUN and LAMUN, and as a competitor on the collegiate circuit. Other than MUN at UCLA, Vincent is also an Assistant Project Manager and Consultant for a political consulting organization, writer and editor for the Bruin Political Review, intern with the US-ASEAN Business Council, and formerly an NGO representative at the United Nations. Outside diplomacy, he enjoys exploring LA’s food scene and traveling around the world.
Valerie Pham
Director of Marketing
Valerie Pham (she/her) is a third-year Economics and Political Science double major from Oakland, California. She originally started Model United Nations in college, where she has both travelled and staffed various conferences. Outside of Model UN, Valerie spends her time painting, sewing, or dying her hair, and occasionally will work towards her career goals in finance. This is Valerie's second year serving as Director of Marketing for MUN @ UCLA and cannot wait for another amazing year of design!