Meet Our Secretariat
Matheus Mascarenhas
Matheus Nucci Mascarenhas is super excited to be the Secretary-General of YMUN Brasil! Born and raised in a countryside city near São Paulo, Brazil, Matheus is a sophomore-year student at Saybrook College and intends to double major in Global Affairs & Economics with a Certificate in Chinese. Outside YMUN Brasil, Matheus is a Vice-President of the Yale Global Strategy Consulting Group, the Co-President of the Brazil Club, and an actor of the Teatro de Yale. In his free time, he loves reading about Brazilian Politics and hanging out with his dear friends. Bringing a warm and hardworking spirit, Matheus is excited to meet the Delegates in August! He is devoted to ensure delegates have the best MUN experience possible! Matheus is always happy and available to answer any questions at secgen@ymunb.org.
Secretary-General
Gabby Tejada
Gabby is beyond thrilled to serve as Director General of Operations of YMUN Brasil! She is a sophomore at Ezra Stiles from Long Island, New York, and aspires to major in Political Science and Latin American Studies with a Spanish certificate. Outside of YMUN Brasil, Gabby is USG of Domestic Delegations for both YMUN LATAM III and YMUN LII, a library IT student worker, and a dancer for Yale’s Baile Folklórico group. In her free time, she loves baking sweet treats, watching rom-coms, and dancing bachata! Gabby is super excited to meet all the delegates and advisors in Brasília this August!! Feel free to reach out to her at dg.operations@ymun.org.dg.operations@ymunb.org.
Director-General of Operations
Suren Clark
Suren is in Pauli Murray College (go LiMurs!) and is looking forward to serving as the Director-General of Committees for YMUN Brasil. Suren is originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the home of the Amish, and plans to major in economics and applied mathematics. Outside of YMUN, Suren is involved with local math tutoring, The Politic (Yale’s undergraduate political publication), Yale Democrats, the Salus Populi Foundation, the Murray College Council, and club cycling and skiing. In his free time, Suren loves to hike, bike, run, play tennis, or do anything outdoors. He also plays the piano and, not very successfully, the violin. Suren looks forward to meeting all of the amazing delegates in Brasília this August. He is always eager to answer any questions at dg.commitees@ymunb.org!
Director-General of Committees
Leonardo Ladeira
Leonardo Ladeira is excited to serve as Under-Secretary General of Conference for YMUN Brasil! He is a sophomore in Trumbull College intending to double major in Global Affairs and Applied Mathematics. Leo was born and raised in Miami, FL and has family from Uruguay and Brazil. Outside of YMUN Brasil, he is involved with the Brazil Club at Yale, YMUN LATAM, YMUN, and First-Year Outdoor Orienteering Trips (FOOT). He loves to explore campus with friends, enjoy the outdoors, and listen to music. Leo is looking forward to meeting all the wonderful delegates attending and can't wait for the conference to begin! You can reach him with any questions at conference@ymunb.org.
Under-Secretary-General of Conference
Emma Upson
Emma is so excited to serve as the Under-Secretary-General of Branding for YMUN Brasil! She is a junior at Yale studying Architecture with a certificate in Climate Science and Solutions. Her family is from Sucre, Bolivia, but Emma was raised in Naples, Florida. Outside of YMUN Brasil, Emma recently served as Secretary-General of YMUN LII on Yale’s campus and is Creative Director of the Yale Herald and Lead Design Editor for The Yale Record. In her free time, she loves all forms of creation and is always working on something new. Emma is happy to answer questions at branding@ymunb.org.
Under-Secretary-General of Branding
Isa Nascimento
Isa Nascimento is a first-year student in Trumbull College intending to major in Global Affairs and Economics. She was born and raised in Belo Horizonte, Brazil but has called Connecticut home since 2022 after moving to the United States for high school. At Yale, she is involved with the Yale Global Strategy Consulting Group, the Yale Film Festival, the Yale Daily News, and The Politic. She joins the YMUN Brasil team as an Under-Secretary General of Branding, building off of her experience with graphic design and marketing. In her free time, Isa enjoys watching movies, listening to news podcasts, and traveling to new countries. She is extremely excited to return home and welcome all delegates to the first YMUN Brasil conference. Isa is happy to answer questions at branding@ymunb.org.
Under-Secretary-General of Branding
Sofia Costa Franco
Sofia Costa Franco is extremely eager and grateful to be serving as the Under-Secretary General of Delegations for YMUNBrasil! Sofia was born in the vast metropolis that is São Paulo, and is currently a sophomore at Yale in Trumbull College, majoring in Political Science with an Intensive Certificate in Education Studies. Outside her involvement in this exciting conference, Sofia works as the President of Teatro de Yale, a Latin-American Theater group, and is also the Research Head of the Education Center at the Yale Policy Institute. She also really enjoys working as a Yale Tour Guide on campus! When she is not writing papers for her classes, she is usually listening to her favorite musicals, or reading some fascinating mystery novel with a warm cup of hot chocolate in hand to face the brutal Northeastern winter. With enthusiasm and dedication, she cannot wait to help delegates from across Latin-America and the world attend YMUNBrasil, and make their experience as smooth, fun and enriching as possible! Sofia can be reached at sofia.costafranco@yale.edu.
Under-Secretary-General of Delegations
Lukas Koutsoukos
Lukas Koutsoukos (Miranda) is thrilled to be the Under-Secretary-General for International Delegations of YMUN Brasil! Lukas, who hails from Wilton, Connecticut, is a junior in Yale's Benjamin Franklin College, majoring in History and Ethics, Politics, & Economics. The son of immigrants from Greece and Nicaragua, he is primarily interested in investigating American foreign policy in Europe and Latin America; he also enjoys learning about topics such as ancient political philosophy, macroeconomic policy, and elections around the globe. Outside of classes, Lukas is the president of the Hellenic Society and has helped run Yale Model Congress for the last three years, most recently having served as its Director of Delegations. Additionally, he writes for the Yale Review of International Studies and sings for the Glee Club! In his free time, Lukas enjoys running, playing guitar, watching soccer, and eating chocolate. He is fluent in Spanish, Greek, and French, and is learning Portuguese on Duolingo. Lucas can be reached at delegations@ymunb.org.
Under-Secretary-General of Delegations
Franklin Wu
Franklin Wu is excited to serve as the Director of Outreach for YMUN Brasil. He is a junior in Branford College majoring in Economics with a Certificate in Data Science, and is originally from Houston, Texas. Outside of YMUN Brasil, Franklin is the Co-President of the Yale Global Strategy Consulting Group and a member of the Dwight Hall Socially Responsible Investment Fund. He’s a big fan of Tottenham Hotspur, an avid tennis player, and enjoys spending time with friends. Franklin is thrilled to be part of this incredible Secretariat and looks forward to meeting everyone this summer.
Under-Secretary-General of Outreach
Larissa Garcez
Larissa Garcez is honored to be the Co-Under-Secretary-General of Outreach of YMUN Brasil! Born and raised in the countryside of Minas Gerais, Brazil, Larissa is a sophomore-year student at Grace Hopper College and intends to double major in Political Science and Latin American Studies with a Certificate in Spanish. Outside YMUN Brasil, Larissa is the Social Chair of the Brazil Club, a member of the Rugby Club, and an actress of the Teatro de Yale. Bringing her passion for Brazil, Larissa is excited to meet the Delegates in August! She is devoted to ensuring that the conference is inclusive and egualitarian. You can reach her at larissa.deoliveiragarcez@yale.edu.
Under-Secretary-General of Outreach
Hannah Engel
Hannah Engel (she/her) is a first-year from Chapel Hill, North Carolina in Benjamin Franklin College. She is planning to major in Global Affairs with certificates in Spanish and French. She has competed in Model United Nations since 6th grade and has served as a chair for several high school conferences. She currently participates in YMUN 52 as a Crisis committee Vice Chair. On campus, Hannah spends her time working with the Yale Undergraduate Legal Aid Association, Yale Policy Institute, and the Yale Political Union. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, going on walks, and baking. She is very excited to serve as YMUN Brazil’s USG of Specialized and Crisis Committees, and can't wait to meet all of the delegates! Feel free to send any questions or comments to hannah.engel@yale.edu.
Under-Secretary-General of GAs & ECOSOCs
Elba Heddesheimer
Elba Heddesheimer (she/her) is a junior in Davenport College from Cleveland, Ohio majoring in Political Science with certificates in Intensive Human Rights and German. Before serving as USG of Committees for YMUNB, she was the DG of Operations for YMUNLATAM. On campus, she is the Co-Director of Legal Aid for Migration Alliance at Yale and works at the Yale Law Library and Macmillan Center. In her free time she loves to run, travel, and go cafe-hopping. She is so excited to visit Brazil and meet delegates in August! Please feel free to reach out at elba.heddesheimer@yale.edu.
Under-Secretary-General of Crisis & Specialized
Talia Philip
Talia is a first-year in Benjamin Franklin College and is thrilled to be serving as one of your Directors for YMUN Brasil! Originally from Austin, Texas, she plans to major in Ethics, Politics, and Economics. Outside of YMUN Brasil, Talia is an Associate Consultant with the Yale Global Strategy Consulting Group, an ASG for YMUN LI and a volunteer with Yale Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring new cuisines, watching films, and—most recently—attempting (with limited success) to learn the saxophone. Talia is incredibly excited to meet the delegates in August and learn more about Brazilian culture! You can reach her at talia.philip@yale.edu.
Director | Outreach
Aaron Ma
Aaron Ma is a sophomore in Pierson College from Orlando, Florida studying Economics and East Asian Studies. On campus, Aaron is involved with the Global Strategy Consulting Group, Urban Philanthropic Fund, Asian American Cultural Center, and Yale-China Association. When he is (often) procrastinating, Aaron loves trying out restaurants, ice-skating, playing the piano, rock climbing, and traveling! Feel free to reach out to Aaron anytime at aaron.ma@yale.edu.
Director | Outreach
José María Salvador
José María Salvador is a sophomore from Monterrey, México, and is eager to be one of the Directors for YMUN Brasil! He is part of Silliman College, and is currently pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Philosophy with a concentration in Psychology. Outside academics, José works as a Software Developer for Yale College, and does research with the quantum computing club. In his spare time, José enjoys scaling colorful walls alongside the rock climbing team, as well as playing guitar. He has been participating in MUN conferences since he was in middle school, and is now thrilled to be able to help chair a conference in Latin America! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to him at josemaria.salvador@yale.edu.
Director | Committees
Kalina Sabala Montes
Kalina Sabala Montes is a sophomore in Jonathan Edwards College from Queens, New York who is studying Cognitive Science and Film with a language certificate in Chinese. Mostly spending her days running all over campus, Kalina is a dancer and technical director of Yale Sabrosura, a STEM Tour Guide and Yale Ambassador, YMUN Chair in the SICA Committee, photographer for Yale Hospitality and Yale Pathways in Arts and Sciences, and on the communications team for the Yale College Council. Besides her many extracurricular commitments, she enjoys attempting to play barre chords on her guitar, working on student film sets, and late-night gym sessions in JE. Kalina is honored to be a Director as part of YMUN Brasil this year! Feel free to reach out with any questions at kalina.sabalamontes@yale.edu.