#ucbmun

New member Margaux Payton joined UCBMUN in Fall 2016! Marguax is a junior studying Political Economy from Poway, California. 

Why did you want to join UCBMUN?

UCBMUN has opportunities for intellectual conversation, political debates and provides a sense of purpose in this frustrating world. I wanted to grow in my debate skills and meet like-minded people from all over the country--celebrating diversity and showing respect for a wide range of opinions. 

Who’s your favorite world leader or historical figure?

Justin Trudeau 

What are your hobbies and interests?

Play the French Horn as well as go rock climbing with friends. See awesome performances, lectures and concerts through my job as an usher on campus and work as a peer advisor for students interested and declared in the Global Poverty and Practice minor. I also love Bollywood movies and Indian art and food! 

What are you looking forward to this year? Possibility of going to Delhi to work with the Tata Institute for Social Sciences on a library project and speaking Hindi!  

Our next new member is Jaeyong Danny Han, who hails from Seoul, Korea and is a sophomore majoring in Economics! Danny joined UCBMUN in Fall 2016. 

Why did you want to join UCBMUN? UCBMUN provides a unique opportunity to meet and befriend people with different nationalities, backgrounds and interests. I wanted to expand my horizons of world views, as well as have the chance to debate various world issues.  

Who’s your favorite world leader or historical figure?

Nelson Mandela

What are your hobbies and interests?

I enjoy talking about various economic issues, especially health economics. I also take particular interest in British and Northeast Asian politics. Outside of academia, I enjoy playing football (soccer), tennis and listening to classical music.

What are you looking forward to this year? 

Talking and debating with UCBMUN members on wide-ranging issues and staffing our annual conference in SF. Most importantly, having fun!

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

The 22nd edition of the UCBMUN conference, UCBMUN XXII, will be lead by our newly elected Secretary-General Anisha Dangoria and Deputy Secretary-General Nik Mathur! Thank you again to our outgoing SG and DSG, Beckett Kelly and Allie Gordon - UCBMUN XXII will be building off of your success! 

Leila Hooshyar is a freshmen hailing from Morgantown, West Virginia! Leila joined UCBMUN this spring semester, and is a double major in Society & Environment and Economics. 

Why did you want to join UCBMUN?

I wanted to join UCBMUN because after one full semester spent at Cal I realized that I still hadn't found an extracurricular activity that I felt passionate towards and a group of people besides my (awesome) roommates that I could connect to. I also wanted to take part in something that not only made me happy but challenged all of the things that I saw myself as having room for improvement, like public speaking and group cooperation. 

Who’s your favorite world leader or historical figure?

Caught between Shirley Chisholm and Michelle Obama 

What are your hobbies and interests?

Running, hiking, camping, going to new coffee shops, historical fiction, almost any nonfiction, Billy Joel 

What are you looking forward to this year?  Getting better at Crisis 

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

Our next new member spotlight is on Raj Aurora, who joined UCBMUN this spring! Raj is a junior Molecular and Cellular Biology major from Redwood City, California! 

Why did you want to join UCBMUN?

Being pre-med is a great, but it get's to be a lot of forced learning of the sciences. Sometime's it's nice to venture out into the unknown, non-STEM world of extra-curriculars. I stumbled across a variety of clubs, but non seemed as charged, novel, and fun as UCBMUN. Here's to the next year!

Who’s your favorite world leader or historical figure?

It may be a generic answer, but props to Obama for being the first male president of color. 

What are your hobbies and interests?

Listening to EDM music, going to concerts, road trips, any form of exercise, volunteer service!

What are you looking forward to this year?

Making meaningful memories with people who start as strangers but become close friends.

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

Meet Mahshad Badii! A Political Science major, Mahshad is a freshmen and comes from Los Gatos, California! 

Why did you want to join UCBMUN?

I did an IR camp over the summer after my freshman year of high school that turned out to be a Model UN camp. The experience was incredible and so I wanted to bring it back to my own school, where I started a new MUN chapter and competed. With UCBMUN, I wanted to continue that experience and gain a sense of community at Cal.

Who’s your favorite world leader or historical figure?

Catherine the Great

What are your hobbies and interests?

writing, slam poetry, running, playing flute/piano, watching too much netflix 

What are you looking forward to this year?

Improving at MUN and expanding my IR knowledge!

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

Our next new member spotlight is on Fernando Salazar! Fernando is from San Diego, California, and is a junior majoring in Political Science with a minor in Public Policy!

Why did you want to join UCBMUN?

It seemed like a great opportunity to develop professionally and make some amazing friends along the way! I'm happy to say that it's been all of that and more so far :) my only regret is not joining earlier!

Who’s your favorite world leader or historical figure?

Margaret Thatcher. She was a total badass and her leadership style was unparalled. She literally rammed things through the opposition. Iconic.

What are your hobbies and interests?

hiking, reading state department policy memos, stress cooking, talking politics ceaselessly until I realize it's 4 am, memorizing Margaret Thatcher speeches, watching scandal, listening to music, and being normal (I swear).

What are you looking forward to this year?

my first UCBMUN!

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

This past weekend, UCBMUN hosted the 21st edition of our annual collegiate conference! Helmed by Secretary-General Beckett Kelly and Deputy Secretary-General Allie Gordon, nearly 600 delegates participated in UCBMUN, coming from both US and international schools. UCBMUN XXI featured four days of debate in 17 committees! 

The weekend started off with opening ceremonies, where the secretariat was introduced, and conference attendees heard a speech from UC Berkeley professor Dr. Nadesan Permaul, who spoke on the importance of liberalism in international relations. 

Our 110 staff were hard at work running committees that spanned specialized bodies and crisis committees, tackling a variety of topics. The Specialized Bodies, run by USG Wendie Yeung, included DISEC (international intervention in civil wars), UNESCO (media censorship and sexual education), the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (food security and food aid to developing countries), the 1989 NBA Owners Meeting (building a global game), and the Legal Committee (the Trial of the Juntas in Argentina’s Camara Court).

Crisis committees were organized by USGs Anisha Dangoria, Alison Spencer, and Patrick Babajanian, and included the 2014 Bangkok Shutdown, Teutonic Knights of 1226, the Death of Lenin, the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the Porfiriato, the Hong Kong Riots of 1967, the Mau Mau Uprising, Building Zion: the Founding of Utah, the United Nations Security Council, the Ad-Hoc Committee of the Secretary-General, and the Egyptian Revolution JCC: Rebels vs. Government. 

Finally, the social events at UCBMUN XXI are not to be forgotten! Thursday night featured a Bear Crawl, with Friday evening featuring the inaugural Bear Fest, with local food trucks, karaoke, and a photo booth. Delegates and staff celebrated the end of debate on Saturday with Bear Rave, hosted at a San Francisco night club. 

Hosting a successful conference is an enormous endeavor, and we thank the Secretariat of UCBMUN XXI and all club members for their dedication and work this weekend! We couldn’t be more proud of you!