Madeline Haefele
Secretary-General
Madeline is a senior in the Honors Program pursuing a triple major in Philosophy, Political Science, & American Sign Language and Deaf Studies on the pre-law track. She began working with Model UN her freshman year as the Topic Specialist for International Law Commission, moved on to become the Community Outreach Coordinator her sophomore year, and last year took up the role of Conference Director; she cannot wait to serve UCMUN for another year as Secretary General. Outside of UCMUN, Madeline is the Secretary of Honors Across State Borders, a member of ASL Club, and works as a tour guide for UConn Admissions. In her free time, she loves listening to music (especially Bruno Major and Stephen Sanchez). She cannot wait to see you all at the conference and work together to make it an enriching experience. Feel free to reach out to her through email at secretary-general@ucmun.com.
Jack Parr
Director-General
Jack is currently a junior, and is currently pursuing a Nursing degree. He hopes to concentrate in pediatric anesthetics/research anesthetics. Jack is serving as Director General for this conference, and is excited to bring new things to the UCMUN table. He participated in MUN all four years of high school, and was Director of Administration in UCMUN’s last conference . In high school Jack was an officer for his MUN club, and would serve as a director when his high school held conferences. Outside of UCMUN, Jack is also involved in UConn’s Greek life. In his free time you can catch him at the gym, watching Shameless on Netflix, listening to music, or reading a book. Jack also loves spending time with his friends and socializing with new people. He is very excited to work with the delegates and make this conference the best it can be. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to him at director-general@ucmun.com.
Molly Rourke
Conference Director
Molly is a junior pursuing a double major in Spanish and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and a minor in American Sign Language and Deaf Culture. This is their fourth UCMUN conference after two years as a delegate and one prior year on staff as a Topic Specialist for WHO. They participated in MUN in high school and acted on staff for IMUNA's National High School Model UN conference in New York. Outside of UCMUN, Molly is the social media manager for UConn's fencing team, in ASL Club, BAILE, and a member of UConn's chapter of the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association. Molly enjoys reading, learning languages, traveling, and hanging out with friends in the library. They are so excited about this year's conference and hope to make it a safe and inclusive environment and help delegates have the most rewarding experience possible! If you have any questions, reach out to them at conference-director@ucmun.com.
Michelle Eweka
Conference Director
Michelle is a senior at UConn majoring in Political Science minoring in Human Rights. She is also part of UConn's Masters in Public Policy (MPP) Fast-Track program. Although Michelle did not do Model UN during high school, she really enjoys working with UCMUN, as this is her fourth year doing so. In past years, she has been the Assistant Director for the CCPCJ, the Topic Specialist for UNICEF, and the Conference's Director of Education. Outside of UCMUN, Michelle is a part of UConn's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Student Leadership Board and serves as a board member on UConn's Probation Review Committee. She is also part of the clubs Honors Across State Borders (HASB) and Cru. In her free time, Michelle enjoys singing, reading, cross-country running and skiing, learning new languages, and spending time with God. She is excited to meet all the delegates and work towards making this conference a fun, enriching learning experience. Should the delegates have any questions, they should feel free to contact Michelle at michelle.eweka@uconn.edu
Justine Pearlman
Chief of Staff
Justine is a senior at UConn double majoring in Political Science and Human Rights. This is her second UCMUN conference and first year as director. She did not partake in Model UN in high school, however her interest in international politics prompted her to join UCMUN as an assistant director for the Historical Security Council during her sophomore year. Outside of UCMUN, Justine is a member of the UConn Law Society and intends to attend law school following graduation. Her other interests include drawing, reading and music – she’s a big classic rock fan! She’s thrilled to be the Chief of Staff and hopes to create a memorable experience for her delegates. Please feel free to reach out to her at justine.pearlman@uconn.edu!
Aeryn Northway
Director of Education
Aeryn is a sophomore in the ACES program with interests in history and international affairs. With UCMUN 25, Aeryn was the Director of SOCHUM. Previous to that, she had participated in her high school's Model UN club. Outside of UCMUN, Aeryn is a part of the UConn Cycling Club, Leading Women of Tomorrow, and works as an assistant in the Department of Languages. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the rec, attempting to find the time to read a good book, learning new scripts or languages, writing about everything under the sun, and watching quality (depends on the day?) television. Aeryn is looking forward to a productive year ahead of the conference, and to help in making this year's topics a hit for the delegates. She is excited to meet you all and aid in your learning about the world. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact her at aeryn.northway@uconn.edu
Nicholas Cebrik
Crisis Coordinator
Nicholas is a sophomore majoring in Actuarial Science. This is his second year as a member of UCMUN, previously being a Crisis Staff in his freshman year working with the historical crisis committee on the Signioria of Florence. Outside of UCMUN, Nick is a member of the Leadership Learning community, and UConn Actuarial Society. In Nick's downtime he enjoys learning about transportation systems throughout the world, reading a variety of novels and playing Worldle & Geoguessr. He is excited to do help delegates with the various different crisis that each committee will face.
If you have any questions for him, he's available at nicholas.cebrik@uconn.edu.
Anna Heqimi
Director of Administration
Anna is a junior double majoring in Journalism and Communication. Outside of UCMUN, Anna is a reporter for the University of Connecticut Student Television news department and a writer for Her Campus and the Daily Campus. Formerly a member of Press Corps, where she was responsible for the press releases of each committee at the UCMUN XXV conference, she is excited to take on this new position as Director of Administration. In her free time, Anna enjoys socializing with friends, playing badminton and listening to music. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Anna at anna.heqimi@uconn.edu.
Kayla Obolo
Community Outreach Coordinator
Kayla is currently a junior; she participated in the 2022 UCMUN conference as an Assistant Administrative Director, was the Chief of Staff for the 2023 conference, and is now the Community Outreach Coordinator. In high school Kayla took on leadership roles as the President and founder of the Women’s Empowerment Club, the president of National Honors Society, and the Vice President of the Global Issues Club. Kayla is looking forward to embracing her role as the chief of staff, and creating deeper bonds with the UCMUN staff. Kayla is in the academic center for exploratory students program, but is aspiring to pursue a double major in Public Health and Infectious diseases. Outside of UCMUN, Kayla is part of the African Student Association dance team, enjoys going to the gym to stay in shape, wearing a killer monochrome outfit, hanging out with friends and binge watching the Australian version of Orange is the New Black; Wentworth. She is very enthusiastic about creating a safe and welcoming environment for the UCMUN staff, and hopes to teach some basic french expressions, as a way of sharing more culture. Reach out with any concerns or questions at kayla_audrey.obolo_njoh_sam@uconn.edu.
Rayan Essaad
Director of Security
Rayan is currently a sophomore and is pursuing a Finance and Philosophy degree. He hopes to continue his studies on the pre-law track. Rayan is serving as the Director of Security for this conference. Previously, he's served as the Assistant Director of the Crisis Committee during his first year. Outside of UCMUN, Rayan is a member of the Hamden Chess Club and enjoys reading - especially poetry or philosophy. He's ready to make this conference one to remember for all the delegates! If you have any questions for him at all, you can reach him at rayan.essaad@uconn.edu
Sophia Esposito
Assistant Director-General (Ad Hoc)
Sophia is a senior studying Political Science and Spanish. Sophia is a student in the Honors Program and Special Program in Law, thus she is currently preparing her applications for law school. Due to Sophia’s interest in international law she joined UCMUN, and it has now transformed into her favorite club. This is Sophia’s third and final year participating in UCMUN. Sophia started as Assistant Crisis Coordinator, moved to a Director position in the Commission on the Status of Women, and is now serving as UCMUN XXVI’s Assistant Director General. Outside of UCMUN, Sophia is very active in both the Honors and Pre-Law community at UConn. She is a member of the Political Science Honor Society and Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. Sophia spent the Spring 2024 semester studying abroad at the University of Granada in Spain but is very excited to return to Storrs campus. In her free time, Sophia enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time with her friends and family. Sophia is looking forward to seeing the delegates’ accomplishments during UCMUN XXVI and can not wait to see the ways in which their ideas blossom. Feel free to contact her at sophia.esposito@uconn.edu with any questions or concerns. She wishes the best of luck to all delegates!
John Haslun
Assistant Director-General (Cabinet Crisis Committee)
John is a junior majoring in English and Political Science. This is his fifth year of UCMUN, after two as a delegate, one as Assistant Director for the United States House of Representatives, and one as Director for a United Nations Historical Security Council on the Yugoslav Wars. Outside of UCMUN, John is part of UConn's Film Appreciation Club, a Staff Writer for the Daily Campus, UConn's daily newspaper, and a new student Orientation Leader. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies and the Premier League, reading and writing, playing games with friends, and following politics and international relations. He's excited to have you as a delegate under one of our fantastic directors! If you have any questions for him, he's available at john.haslun@uconn.edu.
James Shiang
Social Media Coordinator
James is a senior and is excited to be the Social Media Manager for his third year with UCMUN. He’s loved the role since he started and cannot wait to make this year’s closing ceremony video even better than last year’s. He participated in Model UN throughout high school, attended conferences in Boston and New York, and is the Director of Media Production for NHSMUN. Outside of Model UN, James is a Video Production Assistant for UConn’s Communications and the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, runs videography business, and is a college Youtuber. You can usually find him around campus with a camera in hand. He loves to talk men’s fashion, content creation, and personal finance. He’s currently watching the TV show Condor. Connect with James by email: james.shiang(at)uconn.edu