Meet the Secretariat

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  Jourdan Smithwick — Secretary-General

  Jourdan Smithwick (’20) is proud to serve as one of the Secretaries-General for BUSUN XXII. Jourdan is a junior from Long Island, New York concentrating in Public Policy and Cognitive Science. She has been involved with Model United Nations as a delegate since middle school and now works to organize and staff conferences at Brown, serving most recently as Director of External Affairs for BUSUN XXI and chair of Arctic Council 2019 for BUCS VII. When not busy with BUSUN planning and logistics, Jourdan can be found adventuring in the woods, buying crazy socks to add to her growing collection, or exploring the Providence food scene. She is looking forward to a successful conference!

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  Colette Bare — Secretary-General

  Colette Bare (’19) is the Co-Secretary General for BUSUN XXII. A senior from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Colette studies biomedical engineering. Colette has been competing in Model UN since her freshman year of high school and loves Brown MUN - spending time as a delegate, past SG for Brown’s college conference (BUCS), and now working to make this BUSUN the best yet! Outside of MUN, you can find Colette playing soccer with her intramural team, volunteering with the Society of Women Engineers, and doing research in a cardiovascular engineering lab on campus. Colette enjoys spending her few spare moments running the hills of Providence and working on the New York Times Crossword puzzle. She can’t wait for BUSUN 2018!

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  Cathy Bai — Senior Advisor

  Cathy serves as Senior Advisor for BUSUN XXII. Originally from China and Indonesia, she is a senior double-concentrating in Computational Biology and Applied Mathematics-Economics. She has been involved in Model UN since high school, during which she had the opportunity to debate in and help run several conferences in Southeast Asia. Outside of Model UN, Cathy is a certified scuba diving instructor and enjoys cooking and traveling (though she wishes she could do more of both). Cathy served as Co-Secretary-General last year, and Director of General Committees the year before that. This will be her last BUSUN, and she hopes that it will be her best BUSUN, too!

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  Zahra Asghar — Chief of Staff

  Zahra Asghar (’20) is the Chief of Staff for BUSUN XXII. She is a junior from Dubai, UAE concentrating in Cognitive Neuroscience and International Relations with a focus on the Middle East. She has participated in MUN since her freshman year at high school and has participated in all aspects of the Brown University Model United Nations program. When she’s not doing MUN, she can be found working as a research assistant to find ways that neuroscience can be used to improve education and psychosocial support for refugees (or napping). She looks forward to a wonderful BUSUN in November!

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  Juliana Simon — Director-General

  Juliana Simon (’20) is excited to serve as Director General for BUSUN XXII.  Juliana is a junior from Los Angeles, CA concentrating in Health and Human Biology.  Although lacking formal Model UN experience, Juliana had the pleasure of working as a member of the Operations Staff at BUSUN XXI, and she is thrilled to help make this year’s conference a smashing success.  When Juliana is not spending her time on the tennis court competing on Brown’s varsity team, she can be found baking, watching Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, and roaming Providence in search of fabulous desserts.

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  Bailee Peralto — Under-Secretary General of General Assemblies

  Bailee Peralto is the Under-Secretary General for General Assemblies for BUSUN XII. She is a sophomore from Cape Coral, Florida and plans on studying International Relations during her time at Brown. Her MUN career began during her freshman year in high school and is still going strong as, alongside working for BUSUN XII, she participates in the Brown MUN travel team and staffs for the BUCS, Brown's MUN conference for college students. Although firmly believing that MUN is truly a lifestyle (and not just a club), Bailee can also be found immersed in her Russian and Spanish studies, or drinking coffee in one of the many Providence cafés. She can’t wait to see all of the passion delegates bring to the table at BUSUN XII!

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  John Metz — Under-Secretary General of Specialized Agencies

  John Metz is a history major and a diehard New England Patriots fan. A junior at Brown, he is extremely excited to mark his third year at BUSUN and his seventh year in Model UN. Besides MUN, he has spent his free time working as a staff writer at the Brown Political Review, a student of German literature, and an advocate for political causes in Rhode Island and around the country. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, he has come to think of Providence as a second home, and hopes you’ll find it as beautiful as he does.

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  Caroline Deitch — Under-Secretary General of Crisis Committees

  Caroline Deitch is a junior concentrating in International Relations on the Political Economies and Society track. This is her 7th year of Model UN, and her third BUSUN conference. She participated in last year’s conference as a crisis manager for the Arab Spring JCC, and is thrilled to be returning to the BUSUN team as a member of the Secretariat! Outside of Model UN, Caroline is a Women in Business e-board member and an information session leader for the Bruin Club. She is originally from Baltimore, Maryland, and loves to root for the Ravens!

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  Elinor Martinez — Director of External Affairs

  Elinor is the Director of External Affairs for BUSUN XXII. She is a second-year concentrating in Economics and International Relations and hails from Worcester, Massachusetts. She has been involved with MUN since her freshman year of high school and is a part of Brown's Travel team, BUCS, and BUSUN. Outside of MUN and Econ problem sets, Elinor can be found playing her oboe or downhill skiing (not at the same time, regrettably.) She is looking forward to the best BUSUN yet!

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  Siddhi Nadkarni — Director of Outreach

  Siddhi Nadkarni (’21) is the Director of Outreach for BUSUN 2018. Siddhi is a sophomore, studying Public Health and Economics, from Syracuse, New York. She has been participating in Model United Nations since her freshman year of high school and served as the Director for the Society of Muslim Brothers Committee for BUSUN 2017. When not in search of the best coffee shops in Providence or reading for class, Siddhi volunteers at Planned Parenthood and the Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island. She is extremely excited to welcome everyone to BUSUN 2018 and cannot wait for a weekend full of passionate debate!  

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  Ben Navetta — Director of Technology

  Ben Navetta ('19) is the Director of Technology for BUSUN XXII. A lifelong New Englander, Ben comes from a small, just-past-rural town in Massachusetts. Ben is a senior studying computer science. Outside of BUSUN, he is a teaching assistant in the computer science department, an organizer for Brown's annual hackathon, and a systems administrator for a computer vision research lab. He got his first Model UN experience when a friend pulled him into staffing at BUCS his freshman year. Since then, he has served as Director of Technology for BUSUN XXI and staffed and directed at BUCS VI and VII. When he has time, Ben is passionate about coffee and classics, and is an aspiring baker and chef.

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  Tess Rossi — Director of Operations

  Tess Rossi is the Director of Operations and Implementation. She is a junior, studying psychology and literary arts. She has a passion for science-fiction and writing. She has been a part of Brown’s Model UN club since her freshman year, and served as BUSUN’s Director of Operations last year. She looks forward to improving everyone’s BUSUN experience this year!