About Us
2011-2012 Board of Directors
Name: Michael Tong
Position: President
Email: president@irsam.ca
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Education: U3 Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University
Born and raised in the suburbs of Toronto, Michael has been a dedicated member of IRSAM for 3 years before being elected President, previously serving on the SSUNS Secretariat as Deputy USG Committees and USG Committees for the 2009 and 2010 conferences respectively. Although his studies are in the field of life science, Michael is no stranger to international relations, having participated in model United Nations for 8 years as a delegate, staffer and Secretariat member, and serving on the editorial board of the McGill International Review as the Design Editor. Michael looks forward to an amazing year for IRSAM with three extraordinary model UN conferences, innovative speakers panels and recruitment events held jointly with McGill Career Planning Services.
Name: Matthew Tan
Position: Vice-President, Financial Affairs
Email: finance@irsam.ca
Hometown: Manhattan Beach, California
Education: U2 Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University
Between his birthplace of Orange County, California (yes, that OC), growing up on the Jersey Shore, and now settled in Montreal, you can be sure that a TV series will soon come to the most populous city in La Belle Province. Currently pursuing a degree in Microbiology and Immunology, Matt derives most of his corporate finance experience from running the company he founded, Inobo Media, as well as managing the accounts of several others. Though a relative tyro when it comes to model United Nations, he’s no stranger to real diplomacy, with much of his extended family working in the field. Formerly a part of the 2011 McMUN Secretariat, as well as a coordinator for SSUNS 2010, Matt is looking forward to heading the financial portfolio and working with the rest of the board to ensure that IRSAM has it’s best year yet!
Name: Maanasa Rayavarapu
Position: Vice-President, Internal Operations
Email: internal@irsam.ca
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Education: U3 Political Science, McGill University
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario (the best city in the world), Maanasa has been a member of the international community right from the get go. Whether it be visiting different regions, or her short stint living in India, Maanasa has cultivated quite the international palette. It was this interest in international relations and a honed passion for Model United Nations since high school, that first drew her to IRSAM. Three years later, Maanasa is thrilled to be serving on its Board of Directors as VP Internal, and hopes to share that same passion and enthusiasm with all of its members! In order to balance a heavy academic workload and the rest of her life, Maanasa drinks copious amounts of coffee, and is never seen without a cup of Starbucks in hand. Given that she loves all things international, Maanasa loves Montreal for its diverse culture, as well as some of the best restaurants in the country. Maanasa looks forward to hearing from members of IRSAM, whether it be input on how to make things better, ideas for new initiatives, or simply to chat.She is confident that this will be IRSAM’s best year yet, and is extremely glad to be a part of that process.
Name: Keagan Tafler
Position: Vice-President, Delegation Affairs
Email: delegations@irsam.ca
Hometown: Scriba, New York
Education: U3 Political Science, McGill University
Hailing from Scriba in New York state, Keagan is pursuing a B.A. in History and Political Science, with a minor in Economics at McGill University. Keagan has been involved in Model United Nations since 2004, and along with attending multiple delegations trips since coming to McGill, recently served as Director of Public Relations for SSUNS 2010. In her spare time, Keagan is a devoted fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide and Pittsburgh Steelers. Keagan has big things planned for the delegations team this year, and looks forward to working with everyone in IRSAM!
Name: Zara Ansari
Position: Vice-President, External Relations
Email: external@irsam.ca
Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan
Education: U3, International Development Studies, McGill University
Hailing from the warm and tropical, Karachi, Pakistan, Zara has openly started a love-hate relationship with the cold that Montreal has to offer. While not slipping and sliding down the streets of Montreal, Zara has been actively involved in IRSAM, previously serving as the Deputy Under-Secretary General for Specialized Agencies for McMUN 2011 while also partaking in activities related to the external portfolio. Trying to fully comprehend what Zara is trying to study at McGill is a mouthful. However, she is currently pursuing a double major in International Development and Political Science with a minor in Social Studies of Medicine. While not camping out at the IRSAM office, Zara likes to assert the belief that she is the cookie monster at heart; so one can frequently hear her saying, “Nom Nom Nom,” to other individuals on the board and on the streets of Montreal. As the VP for External, Zara really looks forward to expanding the portfolio and providing everyone with a project that fits into their niche and would absolutely love to discuss ideas over new projects over a chocolate chip cookie of course!
Name: Suryadeep Seal
Position: Secretary-General, SSUNS 2011
Email: sg@ssuns.org
Hometown: Dehradun, India
Education: U3 Political Science, McGill University
Originally from India before moving to South Korea and eventually landing in Canada, Deep’s love odyssey with model United Nations started in his junior year and he hasn’t looked back. Having been on the SSUNS Secretariat twice before in 2009 and 2010 as the Deputy Undersecretary-General, Committee Affairs and the Chargé d’Affaires, Deep now looks forward to making the SSUNS 2011 experience an unparalleled feat with and for you all. When not replying to e-mails or speeding down the stairs of Shatner and corridors of Leacock, Deep enjoys sleeping and asserting the supremacy of the Indian cricket team over that of Pakistan’s with Zara in his minuscule hours of leisure. As the Secretary-General for IRSAM’s high school conference, Deep envisions an innovative and nuanced approach to the traditional model United Nations mantra and would be glad to hear your ideas over any beverage of your choice!
Name: Niranand Kumar
Position: Secretary-General, McMUN 2012
Email: sg@mcmun.org
Hometown: New Delhi, India
Education: U3 Political Science, McGill University
Indian by birth, Nir has formed a multicultural identity through his international childhood. Having lived in the Philippines and India, visited 26 countries and been perpetually surrounded by a fantastically diverse group of people, he grew into it naturally. It is this identity that has created his strong belief in global citizenship and its ever-growing importance in the international system. This belief and his international background gravitated him to model UN and IRSAM like any Indian to the seductively sensational smell of curry. Contrary to his Indian roots, Nir did not take to Computer Science as he started his higher studies, but instead chose to major in both Economics and Political Science. While his studies take up the majority of his spare time, he is most often found perusing the wires for his football fix, indulging in the many culinary delights of Montreal, or finding ways to distract his friends from the onslaught of course-work. All this, and with 2 years of experience on the McMUN Secretariat in tow, Nir is confident that he, together with the unimaginably ambitious 2012 Secretariat and Staff, will produce the most innovative, professional and exciting conference on offer.