Conference Staff Board
Meet our Conference Staff Board, the group that strives to make the annual UCIMUN an engaging and valuable experience for students across California.
Nancie Huang-Ball
Secretary-General, She/Any Pronouns
Nancie is a third-year Political Science student from the northern bit of San Diego (where Legoland is). She’s excited to enter her seventh year in MUN, as she joined as a freshman in high school and had stayed involved ever since. While Nancie is passionate about world issues and global politics, she ultimately plans to attend law school and explore International Law deeper— something she credits MUN for. At MUN at UCI, Nancie has been a part of both teams, Conference and Travel, and has loved every second of it. Last year, she was the director of a creative AD HOC committee that took place during the collapse of communism in Poland. The twist? Each delegate was an artisan of various time periods, tasked in organizing an artistic convention to serve as a Track II diplomatic effort amidst the chaos.
Outside of MUN, Nancie stays busy with a variety of creative and professional pursuits. You may find her learning (yet another) Chopin Ballade on the piano at 3am, sketching a new portrait using a random Pinterest reference photo, diving deeper into tax law to assist in filing clients’ corporation taxes, or organizing pre-law speaker events. It’s safe to say she has a wide variety of interests, but none of them compare to her love for MUN and the friendships she’s built through it.
ucimunsg@gmail.com
Natalie Nicole Palacio
Under Secretary General of Mains, She/Her
Natalie Nicole Palacio is a fourth-year political science major hailing from La Habra, CA. Natalie entered the Model United Nations world four years ago and has grown as a leader and public speaker. Ever since joining Model UN at the beginning of her college career, she has enjoyed spending time with companions she has met in the club and has adored staffing MUN at UCI. Natalie has had the honor of not only chairing at UCI but also served as a chair for National High School Model United Nations hosted in New York City. Her college experience has taught her many interpersonal skills and debating techniques, which have held her in good stead ever since. Outside of academics and extracurriculars, Natalie enjoys cooking, working out, and experiencing new things.
Natalie joined MUN at UCI in her fall quarter of freshman year when she served as a member of the administrative staff team. She has staffed a Model UN committee during all of her years at the prestigious University of California, Irvine. She is eager to carry out her duties as Under Secretary General of Mains and see what positive changes she can continue to bring to the organization.
ucimunusgmains@gmail.com
Asrita (Ash) Prathigudupu
Under Secretary General of Specials, She/Her
Ash is a third-year student at UCI majoring in Biological Sciences on a pre-med track, with aspirations to become a psychiatrist. She is passionate about both science and helping others, which led her to Model United Nations (MUN) as a way to cultivate valuable skills for her future career. Although Ash was always interested in MUN during high school, she never had the chance to get involved. However, during her freshman year at UCI, a friend encouraged her to apply as a staffer, and she eagerly took the opportunity to dive in. In addition to broadening her passion for international relations, joining MUN also became a way for Ash to face her fear of public speaking—an important skill for both MUN and her future profession in psychiatry.
Beyond the professional and academic growth, MUN at UCI has given her something even more meaningful: a close-knit community and a place to truly be herself. Through MUN, she’s formed one of her closest groups of friends—people who share the same values and passions, and who have supported each other throughout the journey. MUN has created a space where Ash feels free to express herself openly, and she is grateful to be surrounded by individuals who genuinely care and provide a sense of belonging.
More than anything, Ash wants to give back to this community and build on the legacy set by those she looks up to. She is deeply inspired by the past leaders and mentors who created this welcoming, loving environment, and she is determined to preserve and enhance that spirit. Ash hopes to continue fostering the same open community she experienced when she first started, one that is filled with love, acceptance, and shared growth. One of her favorite memories was during last year’s conference when the former Secretary General portrayed President Ulysses S. Grant in a historical crisis committee, creating a fun and immersive experience. As a returning member, Ash is excited to work alongside the directors this year to create fresh, unique committees, continuing to build an unforgettable experience for delegates while growing alongside her MUN family.
ucimunusgspecials@gmail.com
Rhea Remesh
Social and Communications Director, She/Her
Rhea Remesh is a second-year Cognitive Sciences major and Informatics minor from Seoul, South Korea. She’s worked in MUN since her junior year in high school and has a strong background in Specials committees. Rhea has chaired and participated in conferences in Taiwan and Korea and is the current director for the Olympus committee this year. UCIMUN was Rhea’s first endeavor into administrating at the college level, with her original start as an Assistant Director for the Secretary-General’s ADHOC committee in 2023. She also manages the social media accounts for MUN at UCI, making sure to leave a cute emoji in all her captions.
Rhea likes to keep herself busy outside of MUN, whether with schoolwork or with other student organizations, you can find her running around campus with a computer in hand at all times. She has a passion for graphic design and a drive to work with other that motivates her in all she does in MUN. To put it neatly, she loves what she does at MUN, and will do her best to make you love your UCIMUN experience, too!
ucimunsocialdirector@gmail.com
Michal Mengistu
Secretary General Assistant She/Her
Michal Mengistu is a 1st-year International Studies and Psychology double major from Cerritos, CA. She developed a love for international affairs and debate after being placed in her first conference in middle school and now will mark her 7-year anniversary of being a part of MUN. She has competed across the Southern California region and nationally. She will always say the peak of her MUN career was speaking at the United Nations General Assembly Hall.
Besides fulfilling her incurable love for international affairs, you can usually find her doing a variety of activities when she’s not scrambling around campus to make it to her 8 a.m. lectures. She might be hanging out with her friends in pre-law organizations; lounging at Laguna Beach with her friends, Kindle, and emotional support Hydro Flask in hand; or walking around with an AirPod in, listening to one of her 160 playlists, constantly chasing her goal of breaking 100,000 minutes on Spotify Wrapped (she hit 94,621 last year).
Overall, she truly loves MUN and is grateful to be a part of MUN at UCI.
Nghi Le
Secretary General Assistant He/Him
Nghi Le is a fourth year Political Science major and history minor from Ontario, California. This is his third and final year with the UCI MUN team. Nghi joined MUN during the beginning of his second year of college with no experience and not knowing what to expect, but during the next three years with the club, he was able to make many memories and friends, whether it be working together in committee to come up with new world crisis arcs, or helping organizing the high school conference. He started his MUN adventure as a crisis staffer for the Security Council Committee (in this role he enjoyed coming up with the craziest ideas to present to the high schoolers), then next year he was an assistant director in the historical committee (the best part is getting your own gavel). Currently, Nghi is one of your co-secretary general assistants, so he’s always running around planning the events or checking in with the Secretary-General for whatever needs to be done.
Outside of MUN, you can always find Nghi grinding at the gym or at your local Canes and Wingstop for his weekly dinner. He loves watching soccer, going on spotaneous adventures with his friends, playing with Pokemon cards, and listening to kpop.
Vanessa Leong
Secretary General Assistant She/Her
Vanessa Leong is a fourth-year student double majoring in Political Science and International Studies. Originally from Macau, a city near Hong Kong, she has moved frequently since high school. After completing high school in Beijing, China, she pursued her B.A. at UC Irvine and studied abroad for a year at Sciences Po in Paris, France, where she completed most of her Political Science coursework. She also participated in the UCDC program, where students intern at public or private organizations. As a Strategic Communications intern at a public affairs firm, she worked on media outreach, policy research, and drafting opinion pieces and press releases.
Vanessa was first introduced to Model United Nations (MUN) during her time in Beijing. She chose to join MUN over the Debate Club and immediately fell in love with it, drawn by her passion for global affairs and pressing international issues. As she gained experience by attending conferences across China, she eventually became Secretary-General of her school’s MUN team in her senior year.
Although she was not active in MUN related activities during her first two years at UCI, Vanessa rediscovered her passion for MUN while studying abroad in Paris. She joined SPNU (Sciences Po Nations Unies), where she met new friends and participated in conferences across Europe. This experience reignited her enthusiasm for MUN, and upon returning to UCI, she rejoined the club.
After years of participating in debates at various conferences, Vanessa decided to take a step back from debating and contribute through administrative work. With the experience she has gained across different continents, she currently serves as the Secretary-General’s Assistant, helping with administrative duties for the club.
MUN at UCI Conference Staff
We work hard throughout the year to ensure the conference is a success—and we would love to have you as part of our team!
Conference Staff Applications for Crisis Staff and Admin Staff have been re-opened for the 2024-2025 year!
MUN at UCI holds a high school conference every year for students all over Southern California for two days of debate and discussion. This conference is entirely run by UCI students, and is held right at our student center
What does a Member of the Conference Staff Do?
Members of Conference Staff here at MUN at UCI work include our Directors, Assistant Directors (ADs), Crisis Staff and our Administrative Team. We welcome students of any major and year, and no experience is necessary to join; all we ask is that you have a passion for international affairs and the United Nations, and are willing to work hard to make MUN at UCI the best it can be!
Our Directors envision and build their core committees in the Mains and Specials agendas for students in our United Nations Simulations. Over the course of a year, Directors form their team of Assistants and bring their committee to life, from the Topic Synopsis to the days of chairing with their assistants. Directors maintain close communication with our Conference Board and create the pillars of our conference for students to showcase growth in their problem-solving and speaking skills. Crisis Directors, in particular, organize an ongoing crisis in their committees, and create an engaging and continuously changing experience for students in Specials Committees.
Assistant Directors are the backbone of our program and are vital to the continued success of MUN at UCI. ADs work alongside our Directors in developing and refining topics, and on the day of the conference will chair alongside their Director(s), helping to take notes, score speeches, and moderate debate. ADs will be expected to attend meetings during the winter quarter to learn about MUN at UCI procedure and will be writing an Update Paper to their Director’s Topic Synopsis, which will be posted on the MUN at UCI website for delegates to use for their research.
Crisis Staff is a section of our team delegated to our Specials committees. The flexible, in-time, and ever-changing aspects of our Specials Committees require knowledgable and quick thinking Crisis Staffers to create new points in Crisis Arcs, respond to the actions of members of each committee, and carry out transitions between resolutions and incoming crises. The Crisis Staffers are meant for those who hope to use their knowledge to advance committees and create an engaging experience for Specials Committees at UCIMUN.
Our Administrative Team is integral in ensuring that the conference runs smoothly. Responsible for the organizational aspect of our conference, the Administrative Team works behind the scenes during the conference and assists with troubleshooting, providing supplies to committees, printing committee awards and aiding the chairs whenever necessary. The administrative team is perfect for those who are interested in helping out MUN at UCI but cannot fully invest the time into becoming an AD, or those who are simply curious about Model UN and want to see how it is run.
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