Anirudh Mantha
Secretary-General
To all Delegates and Faculty Advisors, welcome to TechMUN XXXI! There are not enough words to express how much it is my honor to serve as the Secretary-General for the 31st iteration of this conference. From cranking public directives in Fortnite, or restoring the stock market, we have a weekend of fun and intense debate planned ahead for you all! I hope that each and every one of you take this as an opportunity to learn and enjoy! I joined Model UN as a 7th grader and it has had a huge impact on my life. From debating privacy rights in IMF to reverting the Sokovia Accords in spec or turning humans into cars in crisis, I formed friendships across the world, and memories in my heart, both of which I will hold forever. As your Secretary-General, I ask you all to look to learn. Regardless of your experience, there will always be something you can do better, and I hope that our conference will help you identify that and get there.
This conference took up so many hours that my teachers started to say I either work on Multi or MUN, however when I am not competing, prepping, planning, or teaching for TJMUN, you can find me playing basketball or dancing. When I tell you this club has consumed my life, I cannot name a single member who I have not had a full conversation with, I cannot forget what chairs wrote in their bios, dossiers, and background guides, and I cannot stop catching strays for speaking to too many juniors. Elated to see you all in April, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to reach out to tjmodelun@gmail.com.
Tessa Joseph
Under Secretary-General
Hello everyone, and welcome to TechMUN XXXI! I am beyond excited to serve as the Under Secretary-General for this iteration of the best conference ever (I might be a little biased). I am incredibly proud of the array of committees that we have set up for this weekend, and I’m looking forward to the wonderful debate and ideas that all of you come up with! Like many others, I joined Model UN in middle school, but I had not anticipated it becoming such a huge part of my life. Over the years, I have had the privilege of meeting people from all corners of the world and participating in challenging conferences. I hope that TECHMUN provides a similarly enriching experience. Over the next weekend, I ask that you all remember to be kind, even amidst the pressure that comes with a Model UN conference. Remember that this is truly just MUN, even if it feels like more at times. Stay friendly, kind, and unstressed – the rest will follow!
When I am not planning or participating in something MUN related, you can find me singing, adding to my extensive library, or playing with my dog! I am looking forward to meeting many of you in April, and I hope you all walk away with the feeling of wonderment that I firmly believe accompanies every TECHMUN experience!
Naisha Patel
Director of Delegations
Hello everyone! My name is Naisha Patel and I am beyond excited to serve as your Director of Delegations for TechMUN XXXI. Leading up to this conference, I have truly enjoyed working with sponsors, head delegates, and administration from a wide range of schools spanning across state borders. I cannot wait to witness everyone compete in productive debate and showcase their leadership skills. When I joined Model UN in High School, I had no idea I was joining a club, and family, that would become an entity that consumed such a large part of my life. Model United Nations led me to meet people around the world, have some of my most memorable experiences, meet some of my closest friends, and (most importantly) become a strong speaker and leader. Joining this club, and competing at conferences transformed my confidence, and I could not be more thankful. I hope TechMUN can be the catalyst for confidence for those of you who are newcomers to MUN, and I hope this conference and be an informative and enjoyable experience for those of you who are experienced delegates.
When I’m not participating in or organizing events for MUN, I’m usually up late watching Bollywood movies, reading novels, or driving to the nearest bakery. I am truly ecstatic to meet you all at TechMUN XXXI, and hope you take away wonderful memories and new skills from this conference.
Adithiya Balaguru
Director of General Staff
Hey Everyone! My name is Adithiya Balaguru and I am exciting to be serving as your Director General for the 31st iteration of TechMUN! For the last several months, the rest of secretariat and I have worked tirelessly in order to bring this conference together. Working with every chair, director, member of staff, as well as our fantastic sponsor Ms. Trig, has undoubtedly been one of the most fun and exciting experiences of my high school career. From figuring out staffers and chairs in each committee, to eating Flamas Doritos at every officer meeting, the journey leading up to TechMUN is one that I won’t forget.
A bit about me outside of MUN, I love playing and watching soccer (don’t ask me what my favorite team is. I also love to watch football (again, don’t ask me what my favorite team is). Other than sports, I like to relax and spend time with my friends watching movies or going out to eat. Speaking of eating, as many people know, I am the world’s biggest taco bell fan, being in the top 1.5% of spenders in the U.S. - yes, it’s true. More into my hobbies, I enjoy anything to do with robotics, especially underwater robotics.
During TechMUN, I look forward to seeing intense debate and diplomatic collaboration throughout every committee. I know high school conferences can be a stressful time for a lot of you, whether it is striving to get a high award or even getting sponsorship on a working paper, but I encourage each and every one of you to use TechMUN as a platform to step out of your comfort zones and let your creativity run wild (crisis delegates - I am talking to you). Regardless of the award, I want TechMUN to be the conference you all leave most proud of because of the memories you made during debate. With all this being said, I look forward to seeing all of you this April and I wish all of you the best of luck!
Aria Merrill
Director of Crisis
Welcome all delegates, gamers, and fictional characters to TechMUN Crisis! My name is Aria Merrill, TJMUN’s crisis czar and proud Director of Crisis for TechMUN 2024. I am a senior at TJ, and four year member of our MUN team where I’ve competed Crisis for three. I’ve always been drawn to Crisis for its creativity – I think there’s real art in being able to push limits and toe the line of reality while remaining diplomatic amidst escalation, and I’m ecstatic for our delegates to show off their skills this weekend. We’ve built a team of directors and staffers who will prize your creativity above all else – now’s the time to take chances on what you’re able to dream up!
From being carried into committee on makeshift gurneys to racing through it in mini cars, crisis directing has been the absolute highlight of my TJMUN career. When not plotting cannibalistic komodo dragon dominations or mysterious Chinese air space takeovers, you can find me rocking out to Taylor Swift, dancing with my friends, or (newly, and slightly horribly) learning to crochet. Next year I’ll be attending college as an aspiring pre-medical student, majoring in neuroscience and minoring in statistics.
Feel free to reach out with any questions, concerns, (crochet tips?), and more – I’m looking forward to an exciting final TechMUN with you all!
Krish Malik
Director of Specialized
Hey everyone! My name is Krish Malik, and I am thrilled to be your Director of Specialized Agencies this year. I am a senior at TJ and have been participating in MUN for the past six years. From getting haircuts in committee to rolling down the hallways while giving updates for the Ad-Hoc Spec last year, MUN has been one of my best experiences in high school. TECHMUN was my very first conference, and although I was nervous walking in, I ended up having a lot of fun and meeting some of my closest friends.
When I'm not in school, you can find me on the baseball field, on the golf course, or driving with the windows down and blasting music with my friends. You will also definitely see me with food, as Anirudh can attest to my 5000-calorie diet over the summer that lasted for a grand total of eleven days.
In committee, I’ll be looking for creative solutions to the unique problems that you face. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and expand your knowledge of the topics. Above all, have fun, meet interesting people, and enjoy your time at TECHMUN XXXI!
Anmol Karan
Director of Hospitality
Hey everyone! I’m Anmol, and I’m excited to be this year’s Director of Hospitality. I’m a Junior at TJ and I’ve been in MUN since my freshman year. I’ve had so many exciting (and interesting) experiences as part of TJMUN, from staying up a whole 48 hours straight at WMHSMUN to doing the most embarrassing chair dares at TechMUN last year. Joining TJMUN was a decision I’m so thankful I made, and I hope you all continue on a similar path.
Outside of school, I am a huge fan of the Washington Commanders. I watch all their games and love talking about football to my friends and family. I like to play the bassoon as part of TJ’s band and (occasionally) orchestra and I love listening to music.
This TechMUN, my job and goal is to make sure your experience is as comfortable as possible. I organize the lunch and dinner, along with gavel grams, candy grams, and snacks. Along with this, I coordinate our guest speaker along with the charity for the conference. If you have any questions or would like any assistance to make you feel welcome TechMUN, please let me know!
Aayush Sethi
Director of Media
Hey everyone! My name is Aayush, and I am more than excited to serve as this year’s Director of Media. I am a junior at TJ, and this year is my sixth year doing MUN. Some of my greatest memories are from MUN, spending time with my closest friends. My advice to delegates would be simple — use MUN as a platform to get out of your comfort zone or channel those passions you have. For the past few years, I have been able to use MUN as a platform to channel my passion of public speaking, something which I will forever be grateful for.
Outside of MUN, I am a huge football fan, and play for TJ’s team. Just like Anmol, I am a huge fan of the Washington Commanders — dedicated enough to watch a preseason game at 3 AM in Europe, all for the team to end up going 4-13! In all seriousness, football has become a huge part of who I am, partly from watching the sport for so many years, but also developing a deeper knowledge of the game by playing these past few years.
Serving as TechMUN’s Director of Media, I will mostly be on the go, in committee rooms taking pictures and videos. Throughout this, I hope to observe delegates in action, having fun, and being creative! If you have any questions or concerns regarding media, please feel free to reach out to me through the TJMUN email at tjmodelun@gmail.com!
Arnav Bandam
Director of Technology
Hey Everyone! My name is Arnav Bandam and I’m honored to serve as your Director of Technology for TechMUN XXXI. I am a junior at TJ, and I’m completing my fourth year of MUN! Ever since I joined, I’ve loved every second of MUN from legislation on space to suing Harvey Specter to taking over the fictional island of Motunui. Outside the thrills of committee and improved public speaking, I have met some of my closest friends and made my favorite memories through this amazing club. To all the delegates joining us for TechMUN this year, I just want to remind you to have fun. Sometimes mergers can be stressful or updates might not go your way, but the most important part of any conference are the memories you take with you, a gift better than any award.
Outside of MUN, I spend a lot of time playing basketball, going to the gym, and spending time with friends. Tropical Smoothie after basketball pickup runs is absolutely the best. When I can, I also pursue neuroscience research and volunteering.
As your Director of Technology, I’ll be spending most of my time updating the website, getting rooms and opening/closing ceremonies setup, and any tech problem you might face. I’m excited to see how each and every one of you grow through this conference as we strive to make this our best TechMUN yet. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I’m eager to see you all in April and best of luck delegates!