Meet the Directors
Marvel Hanna
Director of UNICEF
Marvel Hanna, is a rising junior pursuing biomedical engineering and a citation in American Sign Language. She was born and lived in Cairo, Egypt for seven years before her family moved to the sunny shores of Huntington Beach, California. She attended Huntington Beach High School where she was involved in Model UN for four years. She participated in several conferences such HMUN, National High School Model UN, and Berkeley Model UN. Outside of MUN, she enjoys hiking, playing the viola, and binge watching shows.
Lucia Gallo
Director of DISEC
Lucia is a sophomore at Harvard College studying Government and Economics. She was born and raised in New York City.
Lucia has been involved in Model UN for the past five years and currently serves as a Head Delegate for the Harvard Intercollegiate Model UN team. She also directed DISEC at Harvard Model United Nations and Harvard National Model United Nations.
Outside of Model UN, Lucia is also involved with the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations and Harvard Undergraduate Consulting on Business and the Environment. She enjoys cooking and reading in her free time. Lucia is excited to serve as the Under-Secretary General of Administration and Director of DISEC and is incredibly excited to be part of this conference!
Nicolette Reale
Director of UNEP
Nicolette is a junior at Harvard College studying Government and Psychology. She grew up in New York. Nicolette has been involved in Model UN since her first year of college, and has been part of HMUN and HNMUN since then.
Outside of Model UN, Nicolette writes for the Harvard International Review and is part of the Harvard Undergraduate Urban Sustainability Lab. She also enjoys finding new music and traveling in her free time.
Nicolette is so excited to serve as a director for HMUN China 2025, and she is looking forward to meeting all of the delegates!
Sophia Lichterfeld
Director of ECOFIN
Sophia is a first-year at Harvard studying Statistics and Global Health and Health Policy, originally from Massachusetts. Having been a delegate throughout high school, she was eager to staff HMUN 2025 and HNMUN 2025 as well as join the Harvard Intercollegiate Model UN team on campus.
Outside of Model UN, Sophia is involved in the Harvard Political Review, the Institute of Politics’ Policy Program, and the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative. She loves playing squash and the violin in her free time. She is incredibly excited to serve as a Director for HMUN China!
Nicole Hernández Abud
Director of UNESCO
Nicole Hernández is a rising junior at Harvard College concentrating on Economics with a secondary in Math. She was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Encouraged by her enthusiasm for literature and writing, she started getting involved in journalism and Speech and Debate during high school. As she continued developing in the world of advocacy, her passion to defend children’s rights evolved into interest for the relationship between education and economic mobility, which she hopes to explore as she studies in the United States.
At Harvard, Nicole is the Comp Director for the Design Board of The Crimson, a calculus course assistant for the Math Department, and part of the Harvard Candela Latin Dance Troupe. She served as an Assistant Director for the FIFA World Cup Committee at HMUN Boston 2025 and for the International Labor Organization at HNMUN Boston 2025. During her free time, Nicole loves reading, drawing, dancing, and will often be seen running by the Charles River.
Nicole is really looking forward to directing the UNICEF committee at HMUN China and cannot wait to meet the delegates and get the conference started!
Emily Chen
Director of SOCHUM
Emily Chen is a first-year at Harvard College planning to study Economics and Environmental Science and Public Policy. She is from Toronto, Canada, but most of her family resides in Shandong, China.
At Harvard, Emily is involved in various organizations under the IRC, such as competing with the Intercollegiate Model United Nations team, serving as an Assistant Director for HMUN and HNMUN 2025, writing for the Harvard International Review, and recruiting for the IRC as the Model Security Council President. She also dances with the Asian American Dance Troupe, volunteers at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, researches for the Institute of Politics Policy Program, and does consulting for high-impact companies with Harvard Undergraduate Consulting on Business and the Environment. In her spare time, she enjoys drawing, baking, hiking, music (she plays the piano and flute!), and running.
Emily is looking forward to serving as a Director for HMUN China 2025!
Arsema Aklog
Director of WBG
Arsema Aklog is a junior at Harvard College pursuing a Sociology concentration with a secondary in Global Health & Health Policy as well as a Language Citation in Amharic. She is an Ethiopian-American from San Diego, California residing in Pforzheimer House. She has been involved in Model United Nations since the 6th grade, and has over 10 years of experience as a delegate, chair, director, and Secretariat member! She is passionate about health equity and sustainability, and has worked for the United Nations Development Programme HQ on SDG financing.
Outside of Model UN, Arsema serves as the President of the Harvard Eritrean & Ethiopian Students Association, and is an ambassador for the Harvard Global Health Institute. In her free time, she loves listening to jazz, cooking Ethiopian food, and visiting vintage markets and art museums with friends. She has directed for multiple HNMUN and HNMUN conferences, and is delighted to return to HMUN China this year!
Lucas Moreno
Director of UNCCC (COP30)
Lucas Moreno is a rising junior at Harvard College concentrating in Economics and Government with a citation in French. He was born in the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
At Harvard, Lucas is a Co-President of the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative and Vice-President of Brazil Conference at Harvard & MIT. He served as Assistant Director and Director for a couple of HMUN and HNMUN editions, having participated in HNMUN-LA in Panama and also HACIA Democracy in Rio. He loves Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, soccer, and reading.
Lucas is extremely excited to direct the UNFCCC committee at HMUN China and can’t wait to meet you all there!
Jimmy Merino
Director of CSTD
Jimmy Merino is a first-year at Harvard College, where he studies Economics and Government with a passion for understanding the intersection of policy, data, and community impact. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Jimmy's upbringing in a vibrant immigrant household shaped his commitment to civic engagement and public service.
At Harvard, Jimmy is an active member of the Model United Nations community, serving as an Assistant Director for HMUN Boston 2025 and as a Director for HMUN China 2025. He also competes with Harvard’s Intercollegiate MUN team, where he loves debating on topics around international diplomacy and policy solutions. Beyond MUN, Jimmy is involved with the Institute of Politics, consulting for nonprofits and public organizations.
Outside of academics, you'll probably find Jimmy spending his time at the beach playing beach volleyball, hanging out with friends, or rating different coffee shops around Boston!
Jimmy is thrilled to serve as Director of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development and looks forward to welcoming all delegates to HMUN China 2025!
Dalevyon (LJ) Knight
Director of AU
Dalevyon LJ Knight is an incoming junior at Harvard College studying Chemistry and History of Science. He was born and raised in Fort Myers, Florida.
During highschool, LJ discovered his passion for Model UN and debate, a passion that has led him to be involved in Model United Nations for over six years! At Harvard, LJ has been actively involved in Model UN, serving as an assistant director for HMUN Boston 2024 and HNMUN Boston 2024 and as a director for HMUN Boston 2025 and HNMUN Boston 2025.
Outside of Model UN, LJ writes for the editorial board for the Harvard Crimson, is a teaching assistant for various courses at Harvard, and researches gene editing tools for cancers. In his free time, he enjoys reading, trying new restaurants, and going to escape rooms. LJ is very excited to serve as a Director for the African Union, and cannot wait to welcome everyone to HMUN China 2025.
Juan Esteban Gallo
Director of UNSC
Juan is a Junior at Harvard doing a double concentration in Applied Math and Comparative Literature. He grew up in Bogotá, Colombia, and this will be his second time in China!
Juan has been involved in MUN since middle school, and has had the pleasure of directing at HNMUN and HMUN Boston, HNMUN-LA, and HMUN China.
Outside of MUN, Juan is on the board of the Harvard Organization for Latin America and the Harvard Colombian Student Society. He loves soccer, squash, and reading, and is looking forward to serving as USG Finance and Director of UNSC of HMUN China 2025!
Oliver Lontay
Director of IBCC
Oliver is a sophomore living in Mather House studying Economics and Statistics. He is original from Budapest, Hungary, and enjoys exploring nature in all of its forms in his free time. You'll often hear him discussing obscure geopolitics and sports. Oliver was a passionate MUN delegate in Europe, visiting various conferences (such as in Oxford and Prague). He has now moved to organizational roles in the MUN committee, most recently directing the World Bank at HMC and ECOSOC at HMUN. He's looking forward to being the Director of IBCC at HMUN China and meeting all the passionate delegates!
Jeslyn Liu
Director of World Economic Forum
Jeslyn Liu is a junior at Harvard College studying Economics and Government. She grew up in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she was introduced to Model UN in high school.
Jeslyn's passion for international affairs and discovering cross-cultural solutions has led her to explore global perspectives through both academic and professional experiences. She studied abroad at Tsinghua University last fall and spent her freshman summer in Shanghai, interning at a Chinese nonprofit for persons with disabilities.
At Harvard, Jeslyn's interests span public service, finance, and law, having led Harvard’s Global Research and Consulting Group and worked on venture capital projects supporting refugees. Much of her time has also been dedicated to projects at Harvard Law School assisting community members with tax returns, criminal-record sealing, and re-entry services.
In her free time, Jeslyn enjoys learning about unfamiliar systems and cultures, working on her startup idea, exploring how markets can solve problems governments won't, and traveling. She is excited to join HMUN China 2025 as a Director and looks forward to an engaging and thought-provoking conference!
Adam Brown
Director of The French Revolution
Adam Brown is a first-year at Harvard College hoping to study Social Studies. He is from Saratoga Springs, New York.
There was no Model UN club at Adam's high school, so he was first exposed to it when he arrived at Harvard. He fell in love immediately, and has been seeking out every opportunity to participate in Model UN activities. Adam started out with Model UN by joining the intercollegiate travel team and has been having a blast competing. He also staffed HNMUN 2025. Outside of the Model UN world, Adam is a proud member of Mariachi Véritas de Harvard and an avid folk musician. When he doesn't have his head stuck in a book for class, Adam enjoys scenic walks, video games, trying new foods, and going on side quests with friends.
Adam cannot wait to serve as a Director for HMUN China 2025, and is super excited to meet all the delegates and watch a weekend of spirited debate and problem solving!