HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY

 Hello Delegates!! 

I am honored to welcome you to HUMUNC. My name is Aarushi Chauhan and I will be your Chair of the Historical Crisis Committee . I am a Sophomore pursuing Economics and Philosophy here at Hofstra University but I am originally from New Delhi, India. 

As an international student I have always been intrigued by the art of diplomacy and its necessity in international relations, making Model UN a natural fit for me. I attended my first conference virtually during freshman year of high school amid the pandemic, and that experience solidified my passion for Model UN. 

I love reading and I am a big fan of classic Russian literature. My favorite book is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Lately, I have been trying to explore more nonfiction, and I am currently reading To Lose a War by Jon Lee Anderson, which examines the rise and fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan. In my free time, I enjoy exploring different dance forms. I have been learning Kathak, a classical Indian dance form, since the age of 12 and I love performing on stage. Other than that, I like cooking, making coffee and listening to Blonde by Frank Ocean on repeat. 

I am super excited to be your co-chair and looking forward to connecting with all of you. I hope to help create a welcoming environment where everyone feels encouraged to contribute, engage and collaborate. As your Chair, I am always available to answer any questions you might have. Please use me as a resource and reach out to me with any concerns. 

I cannot wait to see you all! 

Thank you, 
Aarushi Chauhan 
Chair, Historical Crisis Committee 
achauhan1@pride.hofstra.edu 

 Dear Delegates, 

Welcome to HUMUNC 2026 and the World Health Organization (WHO) committee. My name is Trisha Painuli and I am honored to serve as your chair for this year’s conference. 

I am a sophomore at Hofstra University majoring in Neuroscience and Pre-Medical Studies with a minor in Cognitive Science. I am also a member of the Honors College and hope to pursue a career in medicine. One of the reasons I was drawn to WHO is because healthcare affects every single person, yet the decisions that shape healthcare often happen far beyond hospitals and doctor’s offices. I have always found it interesting how policy can influence health outcomes on both a local and global scale. 

I started Model UN during my freshman year of high school. My high school team mostly attended General Assembly committees, so my first collegiate conference at Hofstra was definitely a bit of a culture shock. Seeing specialized committees and crises for the first time completely changed the way I looked at MUN and pushed me to think on my feet, become a more confident speaker, and enjoy the challenges that come with debate. 

Outside of classes and MUN, I stay pretty busy with other organizations and volunteering as a Crisis Counselor, EMT, or at the hospital. Whenever I get a break, I love making art and have I have been lucky enough to exhibit my work in several galleries. I also enjoy hiking, gardening, and listening to music. My playlists are kind of chaotic, but Future and PARTYNEXTDOOR are definitely favorites. 

This year, we will be discussing strengthening global preparedness for future pandemics and ensuring equitable access to healthcare and essential medicines. These topics may seem intimidating at first, but they are issues that all of us can relate to. Every person in this committee experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, and every one of us has interacted with the healthcare system at some point in our lives. The discussions we have throughout the weekend will focus on how countries can work together to address challenges that affect people across the world. 

My goal is to create a committee that is collaborative, engaging, and also challenging. Whether this is your first conference or your twentieth, I hope you feel comfortable sharing your ideas, debating respectfully, and learning from one another. Most importantly, I hope you leave committee having had fun and with a greater appreciation for the role international cooperation plays in addressing global health issues. I am looking forward to reading your position papers and meeting all of you at HUMUNC. If you have any questions before the conference, please feel free to reach out to hofstramodelun@gmail.com or me. Best of luck with your research, and I will see you soon! 

Sincerely, 
Trisha Painuli 
Chair, World Health Organization (WHO) 
HUMUNC 2026 
tpainuli1@pride.hofstra.edu 

 Dear Delegates, 

Welcome to HUMUNC! My name is Nene Dzaveluri, and I am incredibly excited to serve as your Chair for the United Nations General Assembly First Committee (Disarmament and International Security Committee), or DISEC. 

Model United Nations provides a unique opportunity to step into the role of diplomats and confront some of the most complicated challenges facing the international community. What makes MUN especially interesting to me is that there is rarely one clear solution to these issues. 

Every country enters the room with different interests, priorities, and perspectives, and it will be up to you as delegates to find areas of cooperation and still represent the interests of your assigned nation. 

This year’s committee will focus on two issues that are becoming increasingly important to international peace and security: the regulation of artificial intelligence in autonomous warfare and Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), and strengthening international cybersecurity and preventing AI-driven cyber warfare. Both topics raise difficult questions about how the international community should respond to technologies that are developing faster than the laws and institutions designed to govern them. Throughout the committee, you will have to balance national security, technological innovation, state sovereignty, humanitarian concerns, and international cooperation. 

As Chair, I am especially looking forward to seeing how each of you approaches these challenges. Some countries will enter the committee advocating stronger international regulation, while others may prioritize national sovereignty or technological development. Successful delegates will not simply argue their country’s position, but also will work with others to build realistic solutions capable of gaining broad international support. Debate, negotiation, compromise, and coalition-building will therefore be essential throughout the conference. I also recognize that delegates will enter this committee with different levels of Model UN experience. Whether this is your first conference or you have participated in MUN for several years, my goal is to create a committee environment that is engaging, competitive, and welcoming. Do not be afraid to speak, ask questions, introduce ambitious ideas, or challenge the proposals of other delegates. Some of the best moments in Model UN come from taking risks and becoming more involved in debate than you originally expected. 

Most importantly, I hope you use this conference as an opportunity to meet new people, develop your skills, and enjoy the experience. I am looking forward to seeing the research, diplomacy, creativity, and solutions that each of you brings to the committee. I cannot wait to meet all of you and officially call our first session to order. Good luck with your preparation, and welcome to DISEC! 

Sincerely, 
Nene Dzaveluri 
DISEC Chair 
HUMUNC 2026 

 Dear Delegates, 

Welcome to HUMUNC 2027! My name is Kellsie Verdone, a junior at Hofstra University and I will be your chair of Press Corp for Hofstra’s Model United Nations Conference 2027. I am a double major in Mass Media and History, and I hope to be a librarian someday. 

I started Model UN in my sophomore year of college. I was very unsure at first, but I learned to love it through doing conferences and helping behind the scenes at HUMUNC 2026. I am so excited to be chairing Press Corp this year, and I believe the skills it teaches are important for not only just Model UN, but the world as a whole. 

There will be a wide variety of global events from across history to report and interview other delegates about. You will be assigned a committee to report on for the first day, either crisis or general assembly. You will play a reporter from a specific show on a news network with a specific style of writing and interviews. A written report will be presented at the end of the day. The next day, I will tell you when you will switch committees. This will give everyone a chance to do both crisis and general assembly. A one or two page report will be expected at the end of the second day. Interviews with the delegates in each committee will be conducted during their unmoderated caucuses, and writing will be conducted either as you have time or towards the end of the day. Those in crisis committees will have an opportunity to ask questions to delegates during crisis updates. The final task will be a video summarizing your findings throughout the two days of reporting. You can include clips or quotes from your interviews, or just speak yourself. In the very polarizing times of today, Model UN serves as a way to stay engaged in current and historical events while having polite discourse with differing perspectives. 

I look forward to seeing every single one of you show your diplomatic prowess and develop a distinct voice as you present this committee with new ideas, insightful interviews, and reports that you bring to the table. 

Best, 
Kellsie Verdone 
Chair of Press Corp 
HUMUNC 2027 

Hello Delegates! Welcome to the galaxy! My name is Abigail Tait (She/Her) and it is my pleasure to be your chair for the Fictional Crisis Committee. 

I am a Sophomore here at Hofstra University and it is actually only my second year doing Model UN, the first being my Freshman Year of College. Outside of Model UN though I am a double major of Biology and Political Science with a concentration of Pre Med. 

I hope that this conference can be as fun for you as Model UN has been for me, and I hope that you find the topic just as interesting as I do. I also hope that this conference, and time in the contemporary crisis committee inspires you to both look at things more deeply and make your leadership skills a little better! 

Good luck with your research and preparation, and I look forward to meeting you all in February and seeing what you are able to accomplish at HUMUNC 2027! 

Sincerely, 
Abigail Tait 
Fictional Crisis Chair, HUMUNC 2027 

 Hello Delegates! 

Welcome to HUMUNC 2026! My name is Raven Bateman, and I have the absolute pleasure of serving as your Crisis Director for the Historical Crisis Committee! 

I am a senior here at Hofstra pursuing a double major in Biology and Political Science, with minors in Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Global Studies. I am also a part of the direct entry BS/MS 5-year program Hofstra offers. Outside of the classroom, I work in Hofstra’s Chemistry Lab stock room and am President of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. Aside from academics, I am a lifelong dancer. I’ve been a hula dancer (think Lilo and Stitch!) for more than 15 years and was competitive for about 5 of those years. At Hofstra, I also dance with the non-audition team transcenDANCE (where I serve as vice president!), as well as copy editing for the Hofstra Chronicle and participating in SMACS (Student Members of the American Chemical Society) club. 

Although much of my high school experience followed a non-linear pathway thanks to Covid, this will be my eighth year doing MUN after participating as much as I could through high school. With Hofstra MUN, I have participated in five crisis committees so far, with more planned for the future. I also served as Secretary General of HUMUNC last year and co-chaired for the World Health Organization the year prior. I got my start with HUMUNC in the back room for the Historical Crisis Committee my freshman year, so I am excited to return to where I started one final time! MUN has taught me so much about the global order and the issues we face as an international community, so I hope that HUMUNC can be as much of an opportunity for you as it is for me to learn such valuable lessons. 

This committee means more to me than simply existing as a historical crisis. As someone who all but grew up in hālau and surrounded by Hawaiian culture, I also experienced an education system that frequently and systematically disregarded Polynesian history, Polynesian voices, and Polynesian contribution. The TMT protests on Mauna Kea in 2021 briefly put Hawai’i in the breaking news spotlight, but it also highlighted the deep-rooted connections to their land that Hawaiians have been fighting to protect since Captain Cook stumbled upon the islands. I hope this committee allows you to learn something new about our reluctant 50th state and the trials and tribulations that we often overlook. 

As your Crisis Director, I am always here as a resource for you – before, during, and after the HUMUNC weekend – whether you have questions about anything MUN-related or are simply curious about college life and beyond! I know that this committee may be difficult at times, but I hope that we together can make the challenging aspects rewarding. 

I’m looking forward to meeting all of you soon and having a great time at HUMUNC! 

Me ke aloha pumehana, 
Raven Bateman 
Crisis Director, Historical Crisis Committee 
HUMUNC 2027
rbateman1@pride.hofstra.edu 

 Dear Delegates, 

Welcome to HUMUNC 2027! My name is Jacob Iacobovici, a Junior at Hofstra University and I will be your Secretary-General for Hofstra’s Model United Nations Conference 2027. I am a Political Science major with minors in English and European Studies and I hope to pursue a career in international relations 

Model UN has served me and many other people as an outlet to learn more about the world, to hone in on public speaking skills and diplomatic skills that will serve you later in life. This conference, and the skills you take from this conference, will help contribute to our overarching theme of Leadership in an era of uncertainty. 

As delegates and as students, there will be a wide variety of global events from across space and time to learn and debate about. Whether it be about the regulation of AI in warfare or the rise of the rebellion across the galaxy, everyone involved will be enthralled in the thrilling debate and engaging conversations. In the very polarizing times of today, Model UN serves as a way to stay engaged in current and historical events while having polite discourse with differing perspectives. This conference should be your opportunity to immerse yourself within your committees and be yourself, bring your own touch to every crisis note and every resolution you choose to write. 

I am excited to see every single one of you show your diplomatic prowess as you elevate each committee with new ideas, brilliant speech, and resolutions that you bring to the table. I cannot wait to see amazing debates all weekend long. Remember, in Model UN, you write your own destiny. 

Warm Regards, 
Jacob Iacobovici 
Secretary General 
HUMUNC 2027