The faces behind our organization’s success

CIRA Executive Board

Sunhee Frecker

President

Sunhee is a senior from Wake Forest, NC, double majoring in PWAD (Peace, War, and Defense) and Economics, with a minor in Journalism. She first got involved with CIRA through JFAC but has been involved in every branch since.

When she’s not raising her placard or cramming for the next econ midterm, you will find Sunhee on the beach or watching basketball with her friends (roll heels!). She loves everything music, fun, and adventure and is looking forward a productive year with CIRA!

Irine Raju

Vice President

Irine Raju is a junior majoring in Political Science and Peace, War, and Defense from Cary, North Carolina. She is currently the Vice President of CIRA and has been involved in CIRA since she was in high school, where she competed in UNC's high school conference, MUNCH! When she's not spending all her time in a branch of CIRA, Irine likes to try new coffee shops, play soccer, and read.

CarolinaMUN

  • Sahar Sayam is a sophomore from Charlotte, NC, majoring in Global Studies and Peace, War, and Defense. She has been participating in Model UN since high school, leading her to join CarolinaMUN and CIRA. She is now UNC’s Travel Team Head Delegate, leading a group of driven and accomplished students at conferences all across North America. Sahar is an active member of CIRA through UNCMUNC and MUNCH as well. She has staffed both conferences, and is looking forward to chairing this upcoming year. Outside of Model UN, she enjoys cooking, listening to music, and shopping for clothes she does not need. Sahar is very excited to meet all the new CarolinaMUN delegates and to spend time with them on conference weekend!

Sahar Sayam

  • Sam is a Sophomore from Chapel Hill, NC, majoring in Data Science on the Economics track. He was introduced to Model UN at a CIRA interest meeting in his first week of college and instantly fell in love with the program. Since then, he has staffed both UNCMUNC and MUNCH committees as well as travelled across the country as a Carolina MUN delegate. Sam is currently the Head Delegate of the Carolina Model United Nations Travel Team, where he competes in conferences around North America and leads a team of highly trained and talented delegates from UNC. He is excited to continue Carolina MUN’s upward momentum as they strive to become one of the most elite programs in the country while maintaining the team’s cheerful culture. Outside of the Model UN world, Sam enjoys sailing, grilling, and travelling with his friends.

Sam Podgoreanu

MUNCH XXVII

  • I am a senior from Cary, North Carolina, majoring in Data Science with a Geography Information Science concentration. I participated in Model UN conferences throughout middle and high school, and in college, I served as a Crisis Director and Director of Communications over the past two MUNCH conferences. I am thrilled to serve as the SG for MUNCH XXVII and am looking forward to making this the best MUNCH yet! In my free time, I love traveling, going on walks with my dog, reading mystery novels, watching comedy shows, and dabbling in just about any art or craft.

Anika Rajesh

  • Liam is a junior from Apex, NC, majoring in Statistics and Political Science with a minor in music. He has been involved in Model UN since his sophomore year of high school, when he attended MUNCH and helped run his the Apex High School Model UN team. Prior to becoming Director-General, he has been on the travel team, served as director of External Affairs, and served on the secretariats for both UNCMUNC and MUNCH, focusing on running specialized/GAP committees. Outside of CIRA, Liam is the co-director of PORG, which conducts campus public opinion polling, Speaker of the Undergraduate Senate, and plays bassoon and contrabassoon.

Liam Kiley

UNCMUNC XVII

Marvin Lee

  • Marvin is a senior from Nashville, TN, double majoring in Public Policy and Peace, War, and Defense with a Business (coloring) minor. He first got involved with Model UN during his first year at Case Western Reserve University and continued after transferring to UNC, where he competes on the collegiate circuit. He has served as Director of Logistics for UNCMUNC XVI, Head Delegate of CarolinaMUN, and Director of Campus Affairs. Marvin is grateful and thrilled to be running UNCMUNC XVII as Secretary-General! Outside of CIRA, you can find Marvin in the press box as a sportswriter for The Daily Tar Heel, listening to an inordinate amount of music, and riding buses as an intern for the MBTA and WMATA.

Pranav Nemani

  • Pranav is a junior from Cary, NC, majoring in Public Policy and Media & Journalism on the Ad/PR track. He first became involved with CIRA during his first year at UNC, competing with CarolinaMUN and staffing UNCMUNC XV. He has also served as a JFAC design editor, a USG for UNCMUNC XVI, and a Vice Head Delegate for CarolinaMUN. Pranav is currently serving as the Director-General for UNCMUNC XVII, where he hopes to bring a new level of engagement and creativity to the circuit. Outside of CIRA, Pranav is involved in the swim club AND Student Government, and enjoys going to the gym and exploring the outdoors.

Journal of Foreign Affairs

Annabella Rozin

  • Annabella Rozin is a second-year Peace, War, and Defense student concentrating in international security and intelligence. She is also minoring in Hispanic Studies and Russian Culture. Annabella is interested in learning about foreign communities through their languages and enjoys taking classes about the Middle East. She served as both a staff editor and a managing editor for JFAC before stepping into the role of Editor-in-Chief. Annabella first got interested in foreign affairs during her gap year where she worked and backpacked in countries like South Africa, Greece, and New Zealand. Outside of JFAC, Annabella serves as Community Outreach Officer for Sigma Rho Lambda, UNC’s Jewish-interest sorority. In her free time, Annabella loves going outside, knitting, and reading.

Campus Affairs

Jackson Wellons

  • Jackson is a sophomore from Summerfield, North Carolina and is majoring in Political Science and Economics with a minor in data science. He has been involved with Model UN since his first week of high school and has been heavily involved ever since. Aside from Campus Affairs, he also serves as the Director of Communications for MUNCH XXVII and the Under-Secretary-General for UNCMUNC XVII. Outside of committee, Jackson loves spending time with friends, kayaking, and watching Modern Family.

External Affairs

Hadley Pridgen

  • Hadley is a Sophomore from Nashville, North Carolina, majoring in Political Science and History. He became involved in CIRA as a CarolinaMUN Delegate in his freshman year of college. Since then he has been a senior staffer at both MUNCH and UNCMUNC and traveled across collegiate conferences in the Mid-Atlantic. Hadley is excited to operate External Affairs by providing professional development skills and encouraging new perspectives on international relations, diplomacy, and what it means to be a leader.

MoMUNtum

  • Kayla is a junior Public Policy and English double major and PPE minor from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. When she’s not building Star Wars Legos or writing movie reviews (thecinemagazine.com– shameless plug), there’s no secret third option because that’s what she loves doing. You will almost always find her deeply invested in a cheesy romance novel and, if the time of day is right, singing and dancing to country music! In terms of CIRA, she is Chief of Staff of UNCMUNC XVII and Co-Director of UNC moMUNtum alongside the lovely Lindsay McRae. She’s also a huge Heat fan (and Tar Heels ofc) and is the most competitive word hunt player you’ll probably ever encounter.

Kayla Giset

  • Junior History B.A. with minors in Philosophy and Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE)

Lindsay Mcrae

Finance

  • Evan is a junior from Miami, FL, majoring in Business Administration and Data Science. Outside of CIRA, he enjoys 3D modeling and making physical projects in the Makerspace.

Evan Seifer

  • Aidan McCrohan is a Sophomore from Middletown, MD, planning to double major in Business Administration and Peace War & Defense, with a minor in philosophy. He first got involved with Model UN in high school and helped to grow its program. Aside from being Chief Financial Officer, Aidan competes with CarolinaMUN and has staffed both conferences UNC hosts: UNCMUNC & MUNCH. In his free time, you can find him either playing soccer, running, or enjoying Sci-Fi / Dystopian Literature (Cormac McCarthy is the GOAT). Aidan looks forward to this year as CIRA continues to grow and becomes an outstanding program on the circuit.

Aiden McCrohan

Oversight

Anisa Hasanaj

  • Hi, I’m Anisa Hasanaj and I am the director of oversight for CIRA for the 2026-2027 academic year. I am a current sophomore I’ve been a member of CIRA since my freshman year. As a PWAD and EURO double-major, I enjoy all things related to Balkan geopolitics and history.