About Us
History
Model United Nations at Arizona State University is a student and alumni-run club and conference. In 2010, its founders Stephen Protasiewicz, Elizabeth Thuenen, Joel Walker, Elizabeth Anson, and Taylor Ferguson drafted the initial Model United Nations at Arizona State University constitution, forming the organization as a student club. Bringing in diplomat-in-residence Dr. Amy Hyatt and Aziz Agbo-Panzo as initial advisors, the club's goal was twofold: to prepare students for the Model United Nations of the Far West (MUNFW) conference each spring, and to host a high school-level conference at ASU each fall. The first Model United Nations at ASU high school conference was small - only 60 students - but the conference quickly grew into a robust and lasting annual event, routinely bringing in hundreds of delegates and schools from across the Phoenix metropolitan area and beyond. On the collegiate side, the club team also developed rapidly, attending every MUNFW session since 2011, and successfully hosting both the 2012 and 2014 Model United Nations of the Far West sessions as the conference secretariat. If you are a Sun Devil enrolled in ASU, consider joining our club to attend conferences around the world and our country! We have some exciting plans in store for this school year! Through rigorous leadership, dynamic guest speakers, and the exceptional resources of the ASU School of Politics & Global Studies, MUN at ASU is dedicated to providing an outstanding academic experience for all students interested in international politics as they pave their paths towards becoming tomorrow's leaders.
Meet the MUN at ASU Team!
Ritisha (Risha) Das
Ritisha (Risha) Das
Ritisha (Risha) Das
President & Secretary General
Email: rdas25@asu.edu
Ritisha, who also goes by Risha, became President of MUN@ASU as a sophomore in 2021. She is double majoring in Mechanical Engineering & Mathematics at Barrett Honors College, ASU. She is, most notably one of Arizona’s 2020 Flinn Scholars, an annual prestige bestowed to the 20 top high scho
President & Secretary General
Email: rdas25@asu.edu
Ritisha, who also goes by Risha, became President of MUN@ASU as a sophomore in 2021. She is double majoring in Mechanical Engineering & Mathematics at Barrett Honors College, ASU. She is, most notably one of Arizona’s 2020 Flinn Scholars, an annual prestige bestowed to the 20 top high school seniors in the state, for academic excellence and exemplary leadership. With 5+ years of Model UN experience, she has won Best Delegate/Position Paper awards & was the VP of her high school MUN club. In tandem with her STEM-oriented majors, Ritisha enjoys MUN because it allows her to channel her passion for global politics, specifically with issues highlighting minority rights. A fun fact about her is that she loves to sing jazz!
Liam Nelson
Ritisha (Risha) Das
Ritisha (Risha) Das
Vice President &
Under-Secretary General
Email: lnelso30@asu.edu
Liam became Under Secretary General as a Freshman in the class of 2025, currently in progress for a BA of Global Studies and a BA of History. He also plans to minor in the Japanese Language. He has been in MUN for five years as both the President of his High School MUN Chapter
Vice President &
Under-Secretary General
Email: lnelso30@asu.edu
Liam became Under Secretary General as a Freshman in the class of 2025, currently in progress for a BA of Global Studies and a BA of History. He also plans to minor in the Japanese Language. He has been in MUN for five years as both the President of his High School MUN Chapter and the Undersecretary General of SunMUN at ASU. He enjoys Model UN not only because it helps him engage in critical debate about politics and international relations- a field he wants to base his career around- but it also gives him the opportunity to lead and help create meaningful experiences through meetings, committees, and conferences. A fun fact about him is that he knows how to do ceramics!
Karl Peterson
Ritisha (Risha) Das
Karl Peterson
Treasurer
Email: kapete31@asu.edu
Karl is part of the Class of 2025 and became Treasurer as a freshman at ASU. He majors in Economics and has been doing MUN for 2 years. He founded and became president of his high school's MUN club in early 2020 so he has specialized experience in building and running an organization from the ground up. H
Treasurer
Email: kapete31@asu.edu
Karl is part of the Class of 2025 and became Treasurer as a freshman at ASU. He majors in Economics and has been doing MUN for 2 years. He founded and became president of his high school's MUN club in early 2020 so he has specialized experience in building and running an organization from the ground up. He enjoys MUN because he loves to explore different sides of various geopolitical issues. A fun fact about our Treasurer is that he has played trombone for 8 years and loves all music, especially orchestral symphonies!
Evrim Gulser
Evrim Gulser
Karl Peterson
Secretary
Email: egulser@asu.edu
Evrim became Secretary as a Sophomore in the class of 2025, currently in progress for a B.S. of Earth and Space Exploration (Astrophysics) and for a BS in Mathematics, while also pursuing a minor in Physics. He has been in MUN since he arrived at ASU, and has prior Secretary experience in various High School
Secretary
Email: egulser@asu.edu
Evrim became Secretary as a Sophomore in the class of 2025, currently in progress for a B.S. of Earth and Space Exploration (Astrophysics) and for a BS in Mathematics, while also pursuing a minor in Physics. He has been in MUN since he arrived at ASU, and has prior Secretary experience in various High School clubs. He enjoys Model UN because it gives him the chance to explore global politics and economics, and engage in meaningful debate about these topics with passionate people. A fun fact about him is that he knows a lot about dinosaurs!
Dr. Mily Kao
Evrim Gulser
Dr. Mily Kao
Club Advisor
Email: mily.kao@asu.edu
Dr. Mily Kao is a faculty associate of the School of Politics and Global Studies and the advisor of the Model United Nations Club at ASU. She received her Honors B.A. in political science and Japanese studies from University of Toronto, M.A. in East Asian Regional Studies from Columbia University, and h
Club Advisor
Email: mily.kao@asu.edu
Dr. Mily Kao is a faculty associate of the School of Politics and Global Studies and the advisor of the Model United Nations Club at ASU. She received her Honors B.A. in political science and Japanese studies from University of Toronto, M.A. in East Asian Regional Studies from Columbia University, and her PhD in political science from Arizona State University. Dr. Kao is currently pursuing another graduate degree in Instructional Design and Technology. Her research and teaching interests include Asian politics, international security, and U.S. foreign policy concerning the Asia-Pacific. She finds the study of political science captivating because it is timely, thought-provoking, and most of all, ever-changing. As a student organization advisor, Dr. Kao would like to promote experiential learning on campus and make MUN more inclusive. We are so lucky to have her!!