an Iconic conference experience
YMUNE XIV is the 14th iteration of Yale Model United Nations Europe, which brings together experienced Yale students and delegates from around the world to create an innovative, collaborative, and inspiring conference. Hallmarks include:
An innovative take on the traditional MUN format
YMUNE was created as a more educational and dynamic reimagining of the usual Model UN format. We have combined the best of American and European conferences to create a simulation devoted to issues pertaining Europe. Delegates will be placed in a diverse range of committees, ranging from the most standard UN committees to fictional worlds.
An integrated press corps
This year, YMUNE will introduce an Integrated Press Corps, where media delegates interested in journalism will collect updates from their assigned committees and produce articles for our YMUNE daily newsletter during the conference. These delegates will also have the opportunity to participate in an exclusive journalism workshop, providing them with valuable insights into the field of journalism.
Our Mission
The mission of YMUNE is to bring the renowned Yale experience abroad by fostering global understanding and leadership skills among high school students through a rigorous and inclusive platform for diplomacy. YMUNE hopes to raise awareness of and foster discussion about international relations in the European context through simulations of the UN, global crises, and fast-paced debate.
MEET THE SECRETARIAT
Secretary-General:
Lily Chatalbasheva
Lily (she/her) is a junior double majoring in Physics and Economics from Sofia, Bulgaria. Before becoming Secretary-General of YMUNE XIV, she served as Director-General of Committees for YMUNE XIII and Under-Secretary-General of General Assemblies for YMUN 50. Her main goal as YMUNE Secretary-General is to make it the best educational experience yet, bringing together people from all around the world while also bringing the Yale experience to them. Outside of YMUNE, she also works as an econometrics peer tutor at the Department of Economics and as an Events Assistant at the Yale MacMillan Center for European Studies. She serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Yale Smart Woman Securities and Finance Lead at Yale Bulldogs Racing. For fun, Lily enjoys watching Formula 1, reading, hiking, and art/architecture. Feel free to reach out to her at secgen@ymuneurope.org at any time!
Director-General of Operations:
Ivana Ramirez
Ivana (she/her) is a senior majoring in Global Affairs with an Advanced Language Certificate in Mandarin Chinese and a Certificate in Education Studies. She is from Greenville, South Carolina and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She has served on the Secretariats of YMUN conferences in India, Taiwan, and China! Outside of Model UN, Ivana sings with two acapella groups, dances with Yale Danceworks, works as a tour guide, and with the Yale-China Association as a fellow. Outside of Yale, Ivana likes to do film photography and karaoke. She can’t wait to meet all of the amazing delegates this year! Feel free to reach out to her at operations@ymuneurope.org.
Director-General of Committees:
Jessica Huang
Jessica (she/her) is a sophomore from Chicago, Illinois majoring is Statistics and Data Science. In addition to YMUN Europe, she’s been a part of the Secretariats for Yale’s conferences on campus as the USG of GAs and in Taiwan as a Director. Besides Model UN, Jessica is the president of the Yale Sustainable Consulting Collective and works at the Yale Social Science Library and the New Haven public library as a Yale-China fellow. She is also an elite Level 10 rhythmic gymnast and a member of the national elite squad team, plays the piano and loves Chinese dramas. She’s super excited for this year’s committees and can’t wait to meet everyone! Please do not hesitate to reach out with anything at all at committees@ymuneurope.org.
USG of Recruitment:
Hrishita Shah
Hrishita (she/her) is a first-year in Silliman College from Mumbai, India. She is a prospective Economics and Statistics and Data Science major. Outside of YMUN, she serves as a finance manager on the Yale College Council, is involved with the Yale Student Investment group, YES as a first-year liaison, and is the Marketing Director for the Women’s Leadership Initiative. In her free time, Hrishita loves going on roller coasters, karaoking to pop and bollywood music, and getting ice cream with her friends! She is thrilled to connect with all the delegates at this year’s conference and is available via email at intl.recruitment@ymuneurope.org.
USG of Recruitment:
Samantha Álvarez
Samantha (she/her/ella) is a sophomore in Pierson College from San Juan, Texas–a Latine border town right besides the U.S. Texas-México border. She is a transfer student from UT Austin–where she completed her first year–and is a prospective Political Science and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration major with a certificate in Education Studies. In addition to YMUNE XIV, she is a student coordinator at La Casa Cultural, a declaration writer for the Migration Alliance at Yale Immigration Group, and a Program Development Intern for Elena’s Light. She is also a teacher for Yale’s Hemispheres program, founder of a high school mentorship program for first-gen Latinas, and a volunteer for Girls on the Run. Outside of school, she enjoys exploring Connecticut, hiking, and dancing to Latin American social dances. She is super excited to meet all the delegates at this year’s conference and is available via email at euro.recruitment@ymune.org.
USG of Conference and Events:
Christian Thomas
Christian Thomas (he/him) is a junior in Pierson College at Yale studying Political Science with certificates in Education Studies and Spanish Language. He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and loves to talk about his pride in his home state. Outside of classes, he is the Legislative Coordinator for the Yale College Democrats, the Financial Policy Director for the E-Board of the Yale College Council, and is a public school intern at Hill Regional Career High School in New Haven. He previously served on the YMUN China Secretariat as the USG of Conference/Events and as a Committee Director for YMUN Europe X. In his free time, he enjoys playing the marimba in the Yale Marimband, having friends over for vinyls and tea, and traveling.
USG of Conference and Events:
Hameeda Uloomi
Hameeda Uloomi (she/her) is a senior in Berkeley College, majoring in Political Science. She is a transfer student from El Camino College–a community college in Los Angeles, California. Aside from being the USG of conferences and events, she serves as the Public Affairs Director for Yale Amnesty International, writes for the Yale Human Rights Journal, is the Director of Media for the Yale Entrepreneurial Society, Co-President of the Afghan Student Association, and Recruitment Coordinator for the Yale Admissions Office. In her free time, she enjoys video photography and hiking. She looks forward to connecting with all the delegates. You can reach her at conference@ymuneurope.org.
USG of Branding:
Alexis Lam
Alexis (she/her) is a sophomore in Ezra Stiles College from Long Beach, California. She is a prospective Political Science major with an international relations concentration. Outside of YMUNE, she is a Under-Secretary-General of Branding for YMUN 51, an editor for the Yale Daily News Instagram, Marketing and Publicity Chair for Dwight Hall’s Brightspaces, and a member of the Chinese dance group: Red Lantern. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, reading, embroidering and getting coffee with friends. She is very excited to meet all the delegates at this year’s conference and can be reached by email at branding@ymuneurope.org.
USG of Branding:
Sophia lahik
Sophia (she/her) is a junior in JE majoring in Biomedical Engineering from Orlando, FL. Outside of YMUNE, she is an instructor and competitor for the Yale Taekwondo Team, officer of business for the Yale African Innovation Symposium and Gala, singer for Proof of the Pudding, and researcher in an orthopedics lab where she develops surgical devices. You can usually find her tinkering away in the CEID, taking random dance classes, or organizing breakfasts with new friends. Reach out to her at branding@ymuneurope.org.
USG of Beginner Committees:
Micah Draper
Micah (he/him) is a first-year from Wallburg, North Carolina who is majoring in Global Affairs with a Certificate in Education Studies. In addition to YMUNE XIV, he is on the Model United Nations Team at Yale, serves on the First-Year College Council, plays French horn in the Yale Concert Band, and cooks up delectable grilled cheeses in the Pauli Murray Buttery. Outside of school, you can catch Micah hiking, trying out new coffee shops, or playing pickleball. Micah has participated in Model United Nations since his freshman year of high school where he began as a shy, unconfident delegate. He can’t wait to share the awesomeness of Model UN with current delegates, both beginners and experienced alike, in hopes of inspiring confidence and igniting passion in the leaders of tomorrow.
Reach out to Micah any time at beginner@ymuneurope.org.
USG of Intermediate Committees:
Henry Chen
Henry Chen (he/him) is a sophomore in Jonathan Edwards College originally from Orlando, Florida. He plans to double major in Computer Science-Economics and History, but has growing interests in the environment. You can often find Henry leading backpacking trips for Yale First-year Outdoor Orientation Trips (FOOT), hyping up the Yale science facilities as a STEM tour guide, conducting carbon credits research with the Yale School of the Environment, or (trying) to dance with Yale Danceworks. Outside of YMUN Europe, he was a part of YMUN China and Latin America. He can’t wait to meet you all in Geneva! In the meantime, you can reach him at intermediate@ymuneurope.org.
USG of advanced Committees:
Velislav Vaglev
Velislav (he/him) is a freshman at Benjamin Franklin College from Sofia, Bulgaria. He intends to major in Ethics, Politics, and Economics but is strongly interested in all Humanities-related fields, especially History. Apart from being a USG of Advanced Committees in YMUNE XIV, he is a member of the Yale Effective Altruism Fellowship, where he discusses the maximization of impact on society with the limited resources our world has. In addition, he works as a Bulldog Caller, where he connects with Yale alumni and ensures that they stay engaged with the University after graduation. Velislav knows how stressful and yet incredibly rewarding an experience MUN is because he himself was a delegate for four years in high school. He is excited to connect with you, MUN enthusiasts, who know the importance of simulating an institution that has been changing and is continuously shaping the world. Until then, you can reach him at advanced@ymuneurope.org.
Director:
Emma Neville
Emma (she/her) is a sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia majoring in Economics and Statistics and Data Science with a certificate in Education Studies. Beyond YMUNE, she has been involved with Model UN over the last six years, chairing five committees, including within YMUN 50 and YMUN LI. Outside of Model UN, Emma serves as a project manager and executive board member for Yale Undergraduate Consulting Group (YUCG) and peer tutor in Yale’s Economics department. She also participates in Greek life on campus as a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. In her free time, Emma’s likely out with friends for movie and game nights or listening to musical soundtracks. She is thrilled to serve as a Director of one of the specialized committees, and can’t wait to meet you all! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Emma any time at emma.neville@yale.edu.
Director:
Juliano Portela
Juliano (he/him) is a sophomore in Timothy Dwight College majoring in Computing and Linguistics from Manaus, Brazil, and is beyond honored to serve as a Director of YMUNE this year. He fell in love with ModelUN back in 2017 and hasn't stopped since then, participating in more than 20 conferences! At Yale and outside YMUNE, Juliano does research in Computational Linguistics at the Department of Linguistics, volunteers for his non-profit focusing on preserving the heritage and languages of the Amazonian cultures, and works fixing students' computers at the Student Technology Collaborative. In his free time, Juliano loves to learn new languages, read poetry, and spend time with friends. If any questions arise, feel free to reach out at juliano.portela@yale.edu at any time!
Juliano (il/lui) vient de Manaus, au Brésil et il est en deuxiéme année de ses études de Informatique & Linguistique au college de Timothy Dwight à l'Université de Yale. Il est très honoré de servir comme Directeur à cette édition de YMUNE ! Il est tombé amoureux des ModelUN en 2017 et n'est s'est plus jamais arrêté, ayant participé a plus de 20 conferences depuis. À Yale, en dehors de YMUNE, Juliano fait des recherches en linguistique computationnelle au Départment de Linguistique, est bénévole dans son ONG dont l'objectif est de préserver le patrimoine et les langues des cultures amazoniennes, et travaille en réparant les ordinateurs des ses collègues au Student Technology Collaborative. Dans son temps libre, Juliano aime apprendre de nouvelles langues (le français inclus !), lire des poèmes, et passer le temps avec ses amis. Si vous avez des questions, vous pouvez le contacter à juliano.portela@yale.edu à tout moment !
Director:
Brendan Kaminski
Brendan (he/him) is a freshman from Long Island, New York, studying History, Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, and Education Studies. Outside of YMUNE, he is one of the Saybrook College representatives in Yale’s First-Year Class Council, a Legislative Fellow with Yale College Democrats, a teacher for Yale’s Hemispheres program, and a front-desk service assistant at Bass Library. In his free time, Brendan loves to hang out with friends, try new salad recipes, listen to music, and read great books. He is very excited to have his first Model UN experience at this year’s conference! As director of one of the specialized committees, Brendan hopes to encourage delegates to think creatively and apply diplomatic strategies to fictional scenarios. Please feel free to contact him at brendan.kaminski@yale.edu with any questions.
Director:
Frank Lin
Frank (he/him) a Yale College junior from Singapore. He has been involved in Model United Nations–as a delegate, a chair, or a secretariat member–since 2016, including in YMUN, YMUN China and YMUN Korea. At Yale, he is pursuing a double major in Economics and Statistics and Data Science, and aside from Model United Nations he is also involved in the Yale Debate Team and the Yale Undergraduate Consulting Group. He also spends some time doing research in environmental policy and Chinese politics. You may reach him at any time at frank.lin@yale.edu.
