Secretary-General
Eliana Steele is a Senior at Barnard College studying linguistics and philosophy. She has been a member of the CESIMS Secretariat since her first year of college, and she has been involved with MUN since her first year of high school. Outside of CESIMS, she works as a teaching assistant, she is a college radio DJ, and she is involved with the Neo-Luddism movement. This past summer, Eliana was awarded with a Fulbright-Hays scholarship to participate in an advanced Indonesian-language immersion program in Salatiga, Indonesia. Eliana loves cooking, listening to This American Life, and exploring New York City. She can’t wait to meet all the amazing delegates at this year’s conference!
Director-General
Allen Cai is a 3rd year undergraduate at Columbia College hoping to major in Biology and minor in Political Science. He is from Southern California and is part of the Columbia Men’s Swimming Team along with other branches of CIRCA such as CMUNCE.
Chief of Staff
Yordani Rodriguez is a second-year student at Columbia College studying American Studies and Education. He has been involved with Model United Nations since his junior year of high school and has served on the secretariat of CESIMS since Fall 2024. He is deeply passionate about making MUN accessible to all and using it as a tool to strengthen delegates’ public speaking and diplomatic skills. His intellectual hero is W.E.B. Du Bois, and his favorite writer of all time is James Baldwin.
Chief of Education
Haila Desai is a sophomore at Barnard College majoring in Gender Studies and Political Science and minoring in Ancient History. She is originally from New Jersey and has been doing MUN since her freshman year of high school. At Columbia, she is a member of the Model UN Travel Team, a staff writer for the Campus News section at the Barnard Bulletin, and a Co-Lead of the Community Advocacy branch of the Reproductive Justice Collective.
Chief of Logistics
Jesus Vargas is a senior at Columbia College studying Political Science with a focus on International Relations. He is originally from the Chicago area, where he used to lead his high school's Model UN delegation. He is also currently the Chief of Operations for Columbia's other high school conference, CMUNCE.
Chief of Communications
Ashley Zhou is a junior at Columbia College majoring in Political Science and Art History. This is her third year on CESIMS now, and she is thrilled for this upcoming conference. In addition to CESIMS, she is also a part of the Undergraduate Law Review and Journal of Art Criticism at Columbia. In her free time, she loves exploring the city and different restaurants, dancing, playing the oboe, meditating!
Chief of Marketing
Sofía Polar is a sophomore at Barnard College majoring in Economics and Neuroscience. From Atlanta, Georgia, she has been involved in Model UN since middle school! Beyond her involvement in CESIMS, she serves as a data-visualization journalist for the Columbia Spectator, an on-air programer for WKCR, an ESG Analyst for CUIIN, as well as a member of other CIRCA branches. She is thrilled to welcome delegates to campus for what promises to be the best CESIMS yet!
USG of Committees
Hector Rochell is an Under-Secretary-General of Committees for CESIMS. He is an international student from the Dominican Republic who is a sophomore at Columbia College studying Economics and Classics, with a particular interest in the ancient economies of the world. He has been involved in Model United Nations since 7th grade, being drawn to it due to its intersection of historical topics, teamwork, and vigorous debate. Previously, he has created committees from Ancient Greece to the American Senate, and is greatly looking forward to seeing the many incredible ideas and solutions that delegates will come up with for this year’s CESIMS. Outside of Model United Nations, he spends much of his time drawing scenes from Greco-Roman Mythology and researching the ancient works of Homer, along with running and cycling.
USG of Committees
Anh Tran is a Sophomore at Barnard College hoping to major in Economics and Psychology. Born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She will serve as undersecretary general of committees for CESIMS. Beyond CESIMS she’s a member of Columbia’s poker club and Girls Who Lift @ CU.
USG of Committees
Sophia Lalani is a freshman at Barard College majoring in Economics and Mathematics. She is originally from south Jersey and has competed in Model UN competitions since her freshman year of high school. In addition to serving as a USG of Education for CESIMS 2025, she competes as a member of Columbia’s Model UN travel team.
USG of Education
Gabriela Góngora Rosales is a Sophomore at Barnard College studying Political Science and Spanish & Latin American Cultures. Originally from Sanford, Florida, she has been involved in Model UN since her first year of high school. Outside of CESIMS, Gaby is a legal research Intern at an immigration services organization, the Treasurer for Colombians@Columbia, and an Advising Fellow for Matriculate! When not in class or on a Zoom meeting, you can find her drinking coffee, reading a book (she's currently reading Homage to Catalonia!), or enjoying soup in all its forms! She is so excited to welcome delegates to campus for this spring's CESIMS!
USG of Marketing
Kylie Jade Thibodeau is the Under-Secretary-General of Marketing at CESIMS. She is a sophomore at Columbia College studying Political Science and Economics. She is from Maine and hopes to work internationally to address global issues in economics and law and for underrepresented identities.
USG of Education
Edward Yang is a senior at Columbia College majoring in Political Science, with a specialty in American Politics and Theory. He is head delegate of the Travel Team at Columbia, and has served as the Director-General of CMUNNY. After serving on CESIMS secretariat for the past three conferences, Edward is excited to welcome all delegates to this iteration of CESIMS on our beautiful campus! Outside of MUN, Edward is a board member of the greater CIRCA umbrella, a director of AEI, and part of a secret (or not so secret) society.