Secretariat
MEssage from the secretary general
Hello Delegates,
My name is Pranav Gunhal and I am honored to serve as the Secretary General for GauchoMUN XVII. I am a second year student studying Computer Science and Education Studies at UCSB. As part of UCSB MUN, while I primarily organize GauchoMUN, I am also involved in planning SBIMUN, our collegiate conference and compete as a delegate on our nationally-ranked collegiate team. Outside of MUN, I enjoy coding random projects, sketching outdoors on campus, teaching people any and everything, and exploring UCSB's 8 story library.
I first joined MUN in high school because I thought the idea of simulating countries would be a fun side hobby. However, over the last 6 years, I have gained much more than I could have ever imagined. Not only do I have a unique perspective on the regulation of issues I am interested in such as technology and education, but can I more clearly express my ideas as a result of MUN.
I cannot express how excited my Secretariat is to host you at UCSB for GauchoMUN in January. This conference represents the hard work of a team of over 40 college students over the last several months. Everyone on this team puts in this effort because we truly believe in our delegates as the next generation of leaders in MUN and beyond. The committees this year
were chosen by members of our team based on relevant real-world issues. Our General Assembly committees provide delegates with the opportunity to interact with financial and social issues, while our Specialized bodies offer them perspectives into government and college admissions. While our Crisis committees focus on historical conflicts and fantastical universes, the skills delegates develop have real world implications. This is all to say that we are excited to see the solutions delegates come up with in all committees.
If you ever have questions about anything related to GauchoMUN XVII, or anything at all really, please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us. I look forward to seeing all of you in (hopefully) sunny Santa Barbara in January.
Best,
Pranav Gunhal
Secretary General
GauchoMUN XVII
Director General
Bindhya Parthasarathy
Bindhya is a first year biology major from Sunnyvale, California. She has been involved in MUN since her freshman year of highschool and even had the oppurtunity to compete in GauchoMUN! She cannot wait to meet you all and hopes you all make as many fun memories that she did. Outside of MUN you can find Bindhya painting her nails, trying to lock in at the library, and photosynthesizing wherever she can in sunny Santa Barbara.
Director of Logistics
Samira Sinha
Samira Sinha is a senior at UC Santa Barbara double-majoring in Political Science and Ethics & Public Policy, now in her third year with UCSB Model United Nations. She is the founder and head coach of Veritas, where she mentors students to national-level success, and is currently writing an article for the UCSB Undergraduate Law Journal on AI and privacy. She also holds a B.F.A. in Indian Classical Dance, which shapes her discipline and creative problem-solving. For GauchoMUN XVII, she aims for reliability, thoughtful communication, and steady coordination—and quietly suspects her inbox gets more steps in than she does. Outside MUN, Samira experiments with baking projects that occasionally alarm her roommates and and battles her daily gallon-of-water goal.
Under-Secretary General of General Assembly
Timothy Huy
Tim is a first year Political Science student from Orange County, California who is interested in pursuing law after undergrad. With previous MUN experience in high school, he joined his fall quarter of freshman year and is proud to join the Secretariat team for this year’s conference. Outside of MUN, Tim enjoys spending time with friends and finding new places to grub at. He is excited for Gaucho and cannot wait to see you all during the conference!
Under-Secretary General of Specialized Bodies
Milady Villacana
Mila Villicana is a 3rd year biopsychology major from Redlands, CA. She has done MUN for 3 years and has enjoyed every second of it. Outside of MUN, you can catch her at home studying or at Kin Bakeshop. Her order is a hojicha einspanner and when they have it, the pandan muffin.
Under-Secretary General of Crisis Committees
Sebastien Freitag
Sebastien is a first year Physics major from Sunnyvale, California. He has been doing Model UN since he was a freshman in high school and joined UCSB’s MUN team during fall quarter. Outside of Model UN when he’s not locking in on physics homework, he enjoys running around the lagoon, reading, and watching movies during the week and football on Sunday (go Niners!). He is excited to watch all of your insightful debate, crazy crisis arcs, and memorable moments at GauchoMUN!
Chief Editor
Arli Andrews
A second year Chemical Engineering and Chinese major, Arli loves being able to get invested in the diverse and unpredictable problems that MUN presents. Coming from Bozeman, Montana, MUN was always a little hard to access for Arli, who began competing in junior year of high school, and Arli is now looking forwards to sharing the joys of MUN with all of you. Outside of MUN, Arli loves reading really sad books, but never seems to have enough time for it, cooking food from all over the world, and slowing down and smelling the flowers.
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Director of Technology & Design
Addy Nguyen
Addy is a first-year Political Science major from Orange County. She did Model United Nations in high school for all four years, and recently joined UCSB’s MUN team in the fall. She plans to attend law school and become an attorney and international ambassador. In her free time, Addy enjoys spending time with friends and family, thrifting at vintage markets, and eating at new cafés and restaurants. She is thrilled for an amazing conference!