BruinMUN 34 Secretariat
Introducing our BruinMUN 34 Secretariat.
Their leadership is centered on helping others succeed. By mentoring hundreds of staff members behind the scenes and assisting thousands of attending delegates, they have been working tirelessly to ensure a seamless experience for everyone, and they cannot wait to meet you soon.
Leia Norton
Secretary-General
Leia Norton is a fourth-year Computational Biology and Statistics double major (with a Biomedical Research Minor) from the wonderful New Jersey. This is her fourth year in Model UN, joined after a stint in high school Model Congress. Leia has previously served as the Under Secretary General of Crisis at LAMUN. Additionally, she has senior staffed a trifecta of a GA, Specialized, and Crisis committee. Outside of MUN, Leia can be found running a theater company on campus (shout out Out of the Blue), baking a cake, or struggling through imaging analysis for her research project. Following UCLA, Leia hopes to obtain a PhD in bioinformatics, only after a prospective gap year in Antarctica conducting penguin research.
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.
Jack McClung
Under-Secretary-General for General Assemblies
Jack McClung is a second-year Political Science, Geography, and Environmental Studies Major from Huntington Beach, California. On a pre-law track, he has aspirations of practicing environmental or constitutional law. Outside of MUN, you can find him in the pool as a member of UCLA’s Club Water Polo Team or hiking the surrounding mountains. He loves traveling around the world, playing pickleball with friends, or being outside.
Vivian Jingozian
Under-Secretary-General for Novice
Vivian Jingozian is a second-year and Los Angeles native studying Business-Economics. She joined MUN at UCLA in her first year where she both staffs conferences and travels on the collegiate circuit. Outside of MUN, Vivian enjoys trying new coffee shops, watching the sunset, and binging a new TV show. She is excited to serve as your Under-Secretary General of Novice Committees for this years BruinMUN!
Lidiya Lopuga
Under-Secretary-General for ECOSOC & Specialized Committees
Lidiya Lopuga is a second-year Public Affairs major with a minor in Public Health. She is from West Sacramento, California and joined Model UN her first year at UCLA, where she has staffed both BruinMUN and LAMUN and competed on the collegiate circuit. Outside of Model UN you can find Lidiya exploring coffee shops around LA, listening to music, or working at UCLA’s med school. After college she hopes to attend law school and ultimately go into health law or policy, but for now she looks forward to being your BruinMUN USG of ECOSPEC!
Elizabeth Lynch
Under-Secretary-General for Crisis
Elizabeth (Liz) Lynch is a third-year student studying Mathematics of Computation. She is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and joined MUN at UCLA during her first year, where she has since staffed both conferences. Within these conferences, she has crisis directed at both this past year’s BruinMUN and LAMUN. Outside of MUN, Liz can be seen in the National Society of Black Engineers and UCLA’s Statistics club. After college, she hopes to pursue a career in Biostatistics. Right now, she is very excited to serve as your USG of Crisis!
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.
Paige Kim
Director of Operations
Paige Kim is a fourth-year English major who is proud to be fifth generation Southern Californian. She was born at a young age and is now the oldest she has ever been. She enjoys dying her hair, thrifting, spending too much money on coffee, and going to concerts.
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!