Model United Nations

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Dear Delegates, 

Welcome to the World Health Organization! My name is Matthew Friedman, and I am incredibly excited to be one of your chairs at this conference. I grew up right here on Long Island and am now studying at Hofstra as a premedical studies major with a minor in biochemistry. I will begin working toward my MD at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra this coming fall.

Since the start of high school, Model United Nations (MUN) has been part of my life — making this my eighth year of MUN. I served as the secretary-general of last year’s HUMUNC, but I am pleased to return to the committee room this year. I have also been a delegate in every style of committee (General Assembly, specialized, and crisis) and served as a crisis director (my favorite position so far). Within the club, I was elected vice president for my second year and president for my third year.

In my free time, I love going for walks and reading. Two book recommendations for you all: The Emperor of all Maladies by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee and The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. The first is a compelling biography of humanity’s centuries-long struggle with cancer, and it is a must-read for anyone interested in medicine. The second, which is currently my favorite series, is an epic fantasy saga. I am actually running a D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) campaign set in its world, which has been very fun. Oh, and finally? I am also a massive hockey fan, and Miracle is one of my favorite movies. Let’s go Islanders!

I am excited to read your position papers in the week leading up to the conference and to meet all of you in the committee. It is my hope that we can create a debate atmosphere that is both fun and engaging, yet also informative. For those of you who are new to MUN or out of practice, don’t worry! There will be a MUN 101 session before the first committee session, and both Raven and I will be resources for you throughout the conference. If you have any questions about debate, you can ask us, and we will make sure you are following along. I am also happy to talk about college applications, the premed track, extracurriculars, (science) research, or your favorite fantasy epics during breaks in committee. If anyone has questions regarding research for our debate, you can also email me (cc hofstramodelun@gmail.com when you do) while preparing.

Warmly,

Matthew Friedman
WHO Co-Chair
mfriedman5@pride.hofstra.edu

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Dear Delegates,

Glad you could make it to HUMUNC 2025! I am Anoop Krishnadas, a senior computer science major at Hofstra University. I served as under-secretary-general last year, and because I will graduate in May 2025, I wanted to help lead a crisis committee for my last Hofstra University Model United Nations Conference (HUMUNC). Therefore, I have joined the Contemporary Crisis Committee as the crisis director. I am looking forward to hearing the unique and innovative solutions that you will debate in our committee on the avocado trade in Mexico.

My Model UN experience started in high school, where I joined the school team and got to attend annual trips to Brown, Cornell, and Harvard Universities. As a delegate, I was always assigned to the specialized committees, which are small-sized committees with my favorite aspects of General Assembly and Crisis — a more structured debate with formally written summative resolutions, which also deal with occasional crisis updates. In our crisis committee, where the topic is so modern and relevant, I hope to see realistic and exciting plans to deal with the overarching topic, with your creativity taking hold to confront crisis updates as they appear.

Some of my favorite hobbies are playing basketball, chess, and video games. I will also gladly take movie recommendations if you have any. Sci-fi and rom-coms are my go-to, but I appreciate an exceptional story above all else. I am also currently watching Ted Lasso, so please don’t spoil it since I am only on Season 1. In terms of video games, I have been enjoying Civilization VI, but I am terrible at it.

This committee will focus on the nuances driving the avocado trade, focusing on how the trade of one of our favorite fruits affects the lives of Mexican farmers, the economy of North America, and the quality of the environment.

While we are taking a small step back in time for the setting of the committee, I want you all to be looking forward with your proposed solutions. History is what we learn from, and global crises such as the avocado trade are not infrequent. The effort you put into the conference in the spring will not only help you through the committee but also advise you beyond this conference. I look forward to seeing you all at HUMUNC 2025!

Best regards,

Anoop Krishnadas
Contemporary Crisis Director

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Dear Delegates,

Hello everyone, my name is Anna Waitword. I am from Queens, NY, and I am a senior studying forensic science. This will be my fourth year participating in Model UN and my third year participating in Hofstra University’s Model United Nations Conference (HUMUNC). I am so excited to be your co-chair for this year’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC)!

I started participating in Model UN here at Hofstra during my sophomore year, when I helped with HUMUNC and participated in a collegiate conference at the University of Chicago (ChoMUN), where I was a delegate in a committee that simulated Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm. In high school, I took an AP government class, which had many lessons that were run like a Model UN debate.

Outside of Model UN, I love to dance and swim — which are not only fun activities but tend to be where I also meet many friends. In high school, I swam competitively for my school's team. 
At Hofstra, I am a member of a sorority on campus, where I have met many close friends who share similar interests, whether it be dancing or swimming, or even music and television shows.

My goal with this committee is to create an environment where delegates can learn a little more about collegiate Model UN, as well as some UNSC issues, while also having fun. Welcome to the UNSC committee — I cannot wait to meet you all!

Sincerely,

Anna Waitword 
UNSC Committee Co-Chair
HUMUNC 2025

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Dear Gathered Delegates, 

My name is Petar Gery. I grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, and spent my summers traveling and living in Europe. I can speak French and Serbo-Croatian. I am a third-year double major in global studies and filmmaking here at Hofstra University. 

I have been involved in Model UN since I started at Hofstra. In that time, I have discussed solutions to climate change in detail, negotiated an end to World War II, and died at the hands of a Sith Lord on the Fourth Moon of Yavin. I have also been on crisis staff for a few crisis committees, including the Committee on Battlefield Artificial Intelligence at HUMUNC 2021. On a related note, I am a big Star Wars and sci-fi fan. I build and paint my own custom miniature starships and have even started putting them into some of my films. Miniatures and Dungeons & Dragons are hobbies of mine, as are playing piano and keeping up with world events. 

Last year at HUMUNC, I wrote and directed a crisis committee based on H.G. Wells' famous sci-fi novel, War of the Worlds, in which delegates had to face the threat of an alien invasion in 1929. 

This year, your chair and I decided to go back in time a little further. A Correspondence of Crowns 1754 presents delegates with a lightly fictionalized scenario starting in the prelude to the Seven Years’ War. Delegates will be rewarded for studying real history and actively using it. The aim of this committee is to challenge delegates to secure as many of their monarch’s wishes as possible, using pre-industrial era technology: no phones, no steam engines, and no bifocal glasses (until your “natural philosophers” invent them). Delegates will also need to overcome the geopolitical and economic circumstances of the time, which will be no small task. 

With any luck, this committee will be a fun and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. I encourage you, delegates, to develop creative solutions with the resources available to you. Work together, bring your best ideas, and don your tricorn hats. I look forward to being your crisis director at HUMUNC this spring. 

Sincerely, 

Petar Gery 
A Correspondence of Crowns 1754 Crisis Director 
HUMUNC 2025

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Dear Delegates,

I hope you are all well! My name is Thomas Eldho, and I am a junior premedical studies major from Long Island in Hofstra’s eight-year, direct medical program. This is my seventh year of involvement in Model United Nations (MUN), and I anticipate listening to intense and riveting debate as the chair for the Contemporary Crisis Committee on the lucrative and exploitative avocado trade.

In high school, I was the secretary and eventually the president for my MUN club. Throughout my four years in this club, I attended conferences at Brown, Cornell, and Harvard Universities. Although I have participated in a variety of committees from SPECPOL (Special Political and Decolonization Committee) to futuristic general assemblies, the UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program) holds a special place in my heart as it was the committee that I received my first “best delegate” award back in 2020. I am thrilled to bring my experience from previous committees and offer a unique perspective as a chair for this committee.

In my free time, I enjoy playing basketball, working out, and watching television. While I am currently watching White Collar, I always welcome recommendations for other shows to watch. On the movie side, I cannot think of a better watch than Good Will Hunting. I must apologize and come clean that I have not watched any of the Star Wars movies in their entirety. If you can still consider me as worthy to be your chair after that confession, please feel free to reach out to me with show and movie recommendations.

For this Crisis Committee, I chose this topic as a way for all of us to further educate ourselves on the nuances of the industry that produces this popular “superfood” and the policies that govern it. Unless you are allergic, many of us have consumed avocados in some capacity — possibly on the popular “avocado toast” or mashed into guacamole and served with your favorite tortilla chips. I implore all delegates to provide innovative and conscientious solutions to strike at the core of the inequalities present within the avocado trade.

Although our actions in committee will not directly shape the outcomes of the avocado trade today, your participation will serve as preparation for a better understanding of the issues and steps that can be taken in the future, perhaps with you leading the way. I look forward to meeting all of you this coming spring!

Sincerely,

Thomas Eldho
Contemporary Crisis Chair
HUMUNC 2025

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Hello Distinguished Delegates,

We are so excited to see you all once again on our campus! My name is Nishanth Arumugam, and it is my absolute pleasure to be your secretary-general for Hofstra University’s Model United Nations Conference (HUMUNC).

I remember going to my first conference in seventh grade and feeling a little overwhelmed at first but ultimately excited to see everyone working together in this dynamic, fast-paced environment. That initial experience made me fall in love with Model United Nations (MUN) and pushed me to compete at three different levels, even becoming president of my high school club. Now in my ninth year in MUN, and serving as your secretary-general, I am excited to host this experience for you all.

The most important skill that I have gained in my near decade-long endeavor in MUN is the ability to work with anyone. Conferences force you to collaborate with people that you just met, even if their motivations and aspirations differ from your own. Being able to effectively communicate and compromise are increasingly important skills in this globalized, turbulent world. I hope that this conference will allow you to forge and develop your own skills.

HUMUNC will focus on the theme “Global Harmony: Collaborative Pathways to a United Future.” Delegates will have the opportunity to grapple with journalistic integrity, work within the Security Council on demilitarizing Srebrenica, and examine how the World Health Organization can formulate policies to provide health care for all, among other topics. As an extension of our dedication to unity, we will be hosting a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders during the conference weekend.

Outside of MUN, I am a third-year, premedical student with a major in biochemistry and a minor in sociology. I am also a student researcher and a Resident Assistant on campus. While the premedical path is not a field typically associated with MUN, the research, communication, and leadership skills I developed here definitely are. I hope this conference will inspire you all to engage with the world around you in a new way and be the exciting and fun experience that MUN is for me.

Good luck with your research and preparation! I look forward to meeting you all in February and seeing what you accomplish at HUMUNC!

Best regards,

Nish Arumugam
Secretary-General
HUMUNC 2025

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Greetings,

It is my honor to welcome you all to the 2025 Hofstra Model United Nations Conference! I am very excited to host our conference here at Hofstra and create the most immersive experience possible.

My name is Robert Cesareo. I am currently a senior at Hofstra, and I am studying TV production at The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. In addition to my major, I completed a minor in political science, which stems from a passion for Model United Nations (MUN). My MUN career has spanned nearly nine years at this point, going back to my freshman year of high school. In that time, I have taken part in multiple local conferences, as well as national conferences spanning from New York to Vancouver, Canada. My time in college has allowed me to chair multiple committees and grow my experience at the front of a conference room. I even served as president of the MUN club on campus, so you can say that I have taken part in almost every aspect of what is involved with MUN.

On a more personal level, I am a diehard baseball fan. I have no issues watching the best team in baseball, the New York Mets, play all 162 games each year. Regardless of how much the outcome of a single game can determine my mood, I live and breathe the orange and blue. When I am not watching baseball, you can usually find me in the engineering department of the communications school, where I work primarily with our school's TV network, H.E.A.T., to produce student-led shows and events. Hands down the best of these is Thursday Night Live, our very own student-run spoof of Saturday Night Live. Though the hours are long, I enjoy working behind the scenes of TV production and see this as the best path for my future.

In the end, my focus is to ensure that all of you have an exciting time at HUMUNC 2025. The work put into this conference by my fellow chairs, staff, and secretariat is truly something special. As your chair, I am looking forward to meeting all of you and getting to work during this one weekend in March.

Sincerely,

Robert Cesareo
Chair, North Atlantic Council

Dear Delegates,

It is a great pleasure to meet all of you. My name is Joseph Falco Jr., and I am a third-year student at Hofstra University. I have been studying computer science and cybersecurity, and it has been a blast so far. Most importantly, I am your co-chair for the upcoming United Nations Security Council (UNSC) committee during this Hofstra University’s Model United Nations Conference (HUMUNC) conference.

I first experienced Model UN during my first year at Hofstra University. Although I had no experience beforehand, the concept immediately captured my interest, and from there I participated in this club as much as possible. My experiences have led to me participating in several competitions from different colleges, where I have learned a great deal and had fun while participating. This will be my first time acting as a chair for a committee, and I promise I will do my best to make sure you have a similar experience at HUMUNC.

Besides my involvement in Model UN, I am a huge fan of video games. I enjoy RPGs and platformers, but I generally enjoy any genre of video games as long as they are fun. It is difficult to choose my favorite game, but at this time it is Persona 3 Reload. Aside from that, I enjoy acting and the amount of work involved in creating a character and narrative. Plays and musicals are among my favorite pieces of acting, so much so that I often get involved in school productions whenever I have the opportunity. One more thing … I am a huge fan of dogs. It does not matter what dog it is; I guarantee you I will love it from the bottom of my heart.

I am hoping that through this introduction, I might lessen your nerves for this competition. I have been in your place before, and I know that sometimes it can feel stressful to prepare for a Model UN competition. However, the main priority for this competition is for you all to have fun. After all, why put all your effort into something if you cannot enjoy it? Let us find the answer to this question together and make this an amazing experience. Have fun and get ready for this amazing opportunity! I look forward to meeting all of you soon.

Sincerely,

Joseph Falco Jr.
UNSC Committee Co-Chair
HUMUNC 2025

Hello Delegates!

Welcome to HUMUNC and WHO! My name is Raven Bateman, Co-chair of this committee. I also serve as club secretary for Hofstra MUN. I am originally from California near San Francisco but am now a second year student here at Hofstra. I am pursuing a double major in biology and political science (and if I play my cards right, minors in chemistry, biochemistry, and global studies), as well as part of the direct entry BS/MS five-year program that Hofstra offers.

Although much of my high school experience was shaped by Covid, this is technically my sixth year doing MUN after doing it as much as I could through high school. I did GA all through high school and have participated in two crisis committees so far for Hofstra. For HUMUNC last year, I worked as back room staff for the Historical Crisis Committee, so this will be my first time chairing a committee — I am really looking forward to sharing this experience with all of you!

Outside of MUN, I am a lifelong dancer and love to bake in my free time. I have been a hula dancer (think Lilo and Stitch!) for nearly fifteen years and was competitive for about five of those years. While there is nowhere for me to dance competitively on the East Coast, I still dance hula whenever I am back in California. At Hofstra, I also dance with and choreograph for the non-audition team on campus. As for baking, my favorites to make are cookies and cupcakes so I can decorate them, but I have also dabbled in making larger cakes, breads, and other baked goods. 

While I am newer to this than my Co-chair, I am super excited to learn along with you, starting with your position papers all the way through HUMUNC! I am looking forward to a fruitful and engaging debate on such important topics. Echoing what Matt wrote, we are both here for you throughout the weekend for everything MUN related and any questions you may have for either of us about college life and workload, favorite books, or anything else! You may also email either of us (as well as hofstramodelun@gmail.com) with any questions that come up before the conference itself.

I am looking forward to meeting all of you and having a wonderful time at HUMUNC!

Best,

Raven Bateman
WHO Co-Chair
rbateman1@pride.hofstra.edu