Ross Trivisonno is a senior at The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Management, Government, History, and Plan II Honors, with certificates in Security Studies and Core Texts & Ideas. He first attended this conference as a freshman in high school many centuries ago (HAMUN 39), and soon became addicted to Model UN — countless crisis committees and dais gigs later, Ross is still hooked on MUN. As a student on the 40 Acres, Ross serves as an agency officer in UT Student Government, a recurring staffer of Central Texas Model United Nations, and is a member of various public affairs organizations including Pi Sigma Alpha, of which he is Vice President. He is a fellow with the Clements Center for National Security, as well as with the JJ Pickle Undergraduate Research program. He also enjoys extensive freelance writing, including for a campus-affiliated political publication. Outside of campus, Ross is heavily involved in both local and national politics, having served on numerous campaigns — from state representative to presidential — over the past three election cycles, and worked the 86th Texas Legislature during last year’s regular session. He is currently serving as a recently-elected National Delegate to this summer’s national convention. Having road-tripped across much of North America and explored several far regions of the globe, including all throughout Western Europe and China, Ross is also an avid traveler; he believes that international awareness and open-mindedness to other cultures is a key to success not just in Model UN, but in life. Serving as the 46th HAMUN Secretary-General is a phenomenal honor, and Ross very much looks forward to this upcoming year’s conference. 

Arsalan Afzal is a senior at Texas A&M University majoring in Computer Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. He began his journey through Model United Nations as a freshman in high school where he developed an unhealthy obsession with global issues and world politics and chose to pursue a long and involved journey through the pillars of Model United Nations. This included serving as a delegate at over a dozen conferences, staffing at nearly a dozen high school and collegiate conferences, as well as becoming the Secretary-General of Texas A&M Model United Nations and leading others to follow in his footsteps. He strives to promote the intersection of technology and global politics, utilizing technology in order to enhance communication and discourse through not only Model United Nations but also among local corporations in his community. Having the privilege of being Deputy Secretary-General allows Arsalan to pursue his goal of enabling HAMUN to conduct its conference entirely through virtual means this year.

Sena Pecen is a junior at Texas A&M University (Whoop!), studying Business Honors and Management in the Mays Business School with a certificate in Non-profit Management. Upon graduation, she has ambitions to attend law school and in the future hopes to provide legal assistance to local non-profits and start-ups. Sena participated in Model UN as a delegate while in high school and had a great time chairing for HAMUN 45. She believes that Model UN is a creative and fun way to educate people on a range of international issues and topics not mentioned in regular classes. At A&M, she serves as staff for a freshmen leadership organization that hosts international outreach and service programs on campus, developing freshmen into global-minded leaders. Sena also spends her time teaching Turkish to graduate students at the Bush School of Government and Public Service, and loves getting involved in ways to share and learn about different cultures. Outside of academics, she enjoys playing volleyball, watching soccer (a hopeful Arsenal fan), and spending hours watching crime documentaries. Sena looks forward to serving as Chief of Staff for HAMUN 46 and hopes to make it a memorable conference for all the delegates and staff!

Hemish Thakkar is a sophomore in the University of Houston’s Honors College, pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering on a pre-med track. Deeply fascinated by spaceflight and exploration, he is considering a career in the aerospace industry either as an engineer or as a medical professional. Despite being a STEM major, Hemish is still an avid fan of history and politics. He first attended HAMUN in his junior year of high school, followed by various other conferences throughout his upperclassman years. Hemish was a delegate in both standard and crisis committees, winning multiple awards. He was also a Crisis Director at HAMUN 45. Outside of school and Model UN, Hemish is a lead instructor at his martial arts school where he empowers students’ self-defense, discipline, and confidence. He is a Second Degree Black Belt in Kuk Sool and a First Degree Black Belt in taekwondo. Besides teaching and training, Hemish also competed at a national level throughout his high school career. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer and practicing the electric guitar. He looks forward to serving as Director-General for HAMUN 46.

Hamsini Ajjan is a sophomore at The University of Texas at Dallas majoring in Finance while pursuing a pre-med track. Her first Model UN experience took place in her senior year of high school. Participating in SOCHUM, discussing real issues with strong viewpoints, and ultimately winning Best Delegate left her absolutely excited and craving for more. Joining the HAMUN staff this past year encouraged her to become a part of the Secretariat and further her contributions to HAMUN as the USG of Logistics. She was previously involved in DECA, CometX, and GalaXc this past year in an effort to continue developing her start-up business plan, while also giving back to her community in America and India through Akshaya Patra. Her future career goals consist of attending medical school after college and, hopefully, starting her own clinic or hospital in the future. 

Alyssa Caver is a sophomore at The University of Texas at Austin, majoring in International Relations and Global Studies. She has been involved in Model UN since her junior year of high school, when she attended HAMUN for the first time as a delegate. Since then, Alyssa has served as a delegate to crisis committees and standard committees, as well as a logistics staffer, crisis staffer, and crisis director at HAMUN and CTMUN. Outside of HAMUN, Alyssa is also involved in CTMUN at UT-Austin, along with the International Affairs Society, and the Jefferson Scholars Program. Upon graduation, Alyssa hopes to work for the U.S. State Department as a Foreign Service Officer. She is incredibly excited for this upcoming conference, and wishes everyone the best. Hook ‘em!

Niamh Cosette Gerdes is a junior at the University of St. Thomas, majoring in International Studies and International Development with minors in Finance and Economics. Niamh dreams of working for NGOs and hopefully even the United Nations one day. She has participated in Model UN for seven years since middle school, and is the president of her MUN chapter at the University of St. Thomas. Her HAMUN experience includes serving as a delegate throughout her upperclassman years of high school, as well as staffing HAMUN 44 as a chair, and HAMUN 45 as the USG of Registration. Niamh believes staffing HAMUN is a valuable way to give others an opportunity to be a global citizen and expand their minds to include a wider variety of perspectives.

Nikola Skerl is a junior at The University of Texas at Austin, studying International Relations & Global Studies, with a certificate in Applied Statistical Modeling and a minor in Arabic. A veteran of HAMUN, he’s attended this conference since freshman year of high school, and has helped staff it for the last two years while in college. Nikola also staffed for CIMUN and CTMUN, and is passionate for the opportunity to help young diplomats and students learn about the nuances and processes of international diplomacy. On campus, he is an Undergraduate Fellow at the Clements Center for National Security, and serves his local community through Texas Blazers. Shaped by his experiences and passions, Nikola hopes to build a career around the intersection of government, business, and accountability. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, drawing, and biking, and you can find him either exploring beautiful architecture or planning his next ambitious Minecraft project.

Ishna Ali is a sophomore at Sam Houston State University, majoring in chemistry. She participated as a delegate to HAMUN for four years, and last year was her first year as the director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) committee. She is also a part of her own university’s Model UN organization. After graduating from Sam Houston, she plans on becoming a chemical engineer. Ishna is excited to be your public relations officer!