Executive Board

Justin Horn is a Junior at the University of Pennsylvania studying Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Justin was not ready for Philadelphia winter temperature. When the weather is nice here, he loves to play sports including Water Polo, Volleyball, Football, Basketball, Baseball, real Soccer, and, of course, the video game FIFA. He is fluent in Spanish and loves to travel. Most recently, Justin explored Cuba during the summer of 2016 and, according to his friends, worked in the topic of international politics into seemingly all of their encounters with Native Cubans. He is studying abroad in Hong Kong this fall and looks forward to exploring Asia. Other clubs that Justin participates in include the Penn Democrats, West Philadelphia Tutoring Project, and the Upstander Initiative. Feel free to contact him at jhorn@sas.upenn.edu with any relevant questions.

Graelin Mandel is a Junior at the Wharton School and a Program Director for Penn Model Congress this year. She participated in Model Congress at her high school in Great Neck, Long Island for four years, and was president of her school’s Model Congress Club in her fourth year! In college, she is a Joseph Wharton Scholar, Director of Speakers for the Wharton Undergraduate Real Estate Club, a founding board member and Marketing Director of Wharton’s Fintech Club, a member of Tamid (an Israeli consulting and investment group), and a member of Wharton Women. She would love to hear from you! Reach out to me if you have any questions about bill writing, model congress in general, and anything related to Penn at large at graelin@wharton.upenn.edu! She is excited to meet you this March!

Eva is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, planning to major in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and minor in Latin American and Latino Studies. She hails from San Pedro Sula, Honduras and is very excited to be the Conference Director for PENNMC 2019! Eva has previously served for two years on Penn Model Congress Executive Branch staff in the roles of Special Programs Deputy Director, Special Programs Director and Executive Branch Coordinator! This will be her third PENNMC conference. At Penn, Eva is a member of the the International Affairs Association where she served as Chair for ILMUNC XXXIV, Penn's High School Model UN conference. In her free time, Eva enjoys watching excessive amounts of Netflix, drinking coffee, and wishing she could go back to tropical weather. She is so excited for PENNMC 2019 and can't wait to meet you all!

Originally from Franklin High School in El Paso, Texas, Mercedes is a sophomore majoring in Political Science with a minor in History and Legal Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. She enjoys her involvements on campus such as PENNMC, MUSE (Marketing Undergraduate Student Establishment), the Latinx Coalition (as chair of admissions), and PPISG (Public Policy Initiative Student Group). She first began PENNMC as a college freshman when she served on the Conference Preparation Committee; she is now currently the administrative director for PENNMC 2018. In her free time, Mercedes enjoys exercising at the school gym and journaling. Please feel free to contact her with any questions at mchavez@sas.upenn.edu. She is enthusiastic for this upcoming conference and looks forward to meeting y’all there!

Hailing from the great, middle-of-nowhere state of Delaware, Cyrus is a sophomore in Wharton concentrating in statistics. He first got involved with PennMC as a sophomore in high school and has been attending the conference every year since. Since participating in the executive branch his senior year, Cyrus has served as deputy and now chair of the executive branch committee. In his free time, Cyrus enjoys drumming, rock climbing, and finding new cheap restaurants. Feel free to reach out with any questions about executive committee or model congress in general at cyrussh@wharton.upenn.edu!

A freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, Brahm is super excited to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for PENNMC this year. A perspective Economics major, Brahm has been involved with Model Congress dating back to his freshman year at Newark Academy, in New Jersey. and attended PENNMC four times. He's really enjoying exploring what the campus has to offer, from joining clubs that peak his academic interests, to playing intramural flag football. Feel free to contact him with any questions at brahmw@sas.upenn.edu.

"Originally from Dhaka, Bangladesh, Amira is a freshman (C'22) at the University of Pennsylvania double majoring in Philosophy and Political Science, with a minor in Urban Education. As an immigrant of seven years in the United States, Amira found her calling in public service. Incredibly passionate about grassroots political activism and community education, Amira has actively volunteered and served as a campaign manager, head staffer and organizer in over 13 major election campaigns at the city, state and national level. In addition, Amira served as the student board member of the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education, where she represented the educational concerns facing 26,000 students in the 31 public schools of the school district. By the end of her senior year in high school, Amira had earned over $108,000 in outside and independent college scholarships. Amira has previously interned for Congressman Adam B. Schiff, ranking Democrat of the House of intelligence committee and currently serves as a full-time intern for Congressman Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania's 2nd Congressional district where she assists with casework. Amira is highly passionate about education, health, labor, and social welfare policies, and hopes to pursue a career in law to best put her passions into practice. During her free time, Amira loves to catch up with friends and help underclassman navigate the college process. Amira is very involved with civic oriented organizations at Penn, and excited to serve as the Deputy Program Director. Please feel free to contact her with any questions at amirach@sas.upenn.edu. She looks forward to helping you make the most out of your conference experience! "

Alana is from Sarasota, Florida and is currently a Sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, planning on majoring in Cognitive Science with a Cognitive Neuroscience concentration and minoring in both Consumer Psychology and Fine Arts. She is a member of the Collective, Penn Club Swimming, and is Design Editor at The Daily Pennsylvanian. Alana also participated in and won awards at Harvard and Princeton Model Congress throughout high school and is very excited for the upcoming conference. You can reach her at ashuk@sas.upenn.edu for questions, comments, concerns, or anything else you’d like to share.

Eva Gonzalez is a freshman originally from Ardmore, Pennsylvania and planning on majoring in Political Science. She participated in Model Congress throughout high school and is excited to be involved with it at Penn! In her free time, Eva likes being politically active and watching movies. Contact Eva at evagonz@sas.upenn.edu with any questions about the conference. She is looking forward to Penn Model Congress this year and hopes you all are too!

Tyler Lawson is a Junior at the University of Pennsylvania in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Political Science, Urban Studies, and French. She’s originally from right outside of Philadelphia in a suburbs called Fort Washington. As Program Director for PENNMC 2019, this is her third year on the executive board of Penn Model Congress having previously served on the Conference Preparation Committee and as our Outreach Director. While Model Congress did not exist in her high school, it has been a great college experience for her to be involved with this club. She is excited to be a chair for the 2019 conference and looks forward to seeing you all there! Besides Model Congress, she is involved in the Black Student League, Ase Tutoring Academy, Robeson Cooper Scholars, and the Penn Black Pre-Law Association. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact her with my email, tylawson@sas.upenn.edu. She looks forward to meeting you all during the conference!

Originally from North Jersey, Jason is a junior in Wharton majoring in Finance and Decision Processes and minoring in Political Science. Jason has been involved with Model Congress since his freshman year of high school. He was president of his high school club and went on to serve on the Conference Preparation Committee of PENNMC. Jason is now in his second year as Business Director of PENNMC. You can contact Jason with any questions at cohenjas@wharton.upenn.edu. He is very excited for this upcoming conference and looks forward to seeing you all there!

Dillon is from West Harrison, NY, where he was actively involved in Model Congress as a delegate in high school. A junior in Wharton, he studies Business Analytics and Organizational Effectiveness, with a minor in Computer Science. He joined Penn MC on the Conference Preparation Committee his freshman year, and served as Chief of Staff for the 2018 conference. He is excited for another great conference this year as the Logistics Director! Outside of Model Congress, he is a Teaching Assistant for Wharton 101 and is involved in Greek Life. Please feel free to reach out to him with any and all questions at bogartd@wharton.upenn.edu. He is looking forward to another great conference this year!

Jessica is from Brooklyn, New York and went to Ramaz Upper School. As a Junior in the college, she is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Consumer Psychology. She was on the Model Congress team for two years in high school and since her Freshman year at Penn. She started out as a chair, then became the deputy program director, and is now a social director. In addition to Model Congress, she is a photographer for The Walk Magazine's website, a volunteer for West Philadelphia Tutoring Project, President of Hillel's Community Service Committee, and Marketing Co-chair of Own It. She is also part of the Sigma Delta Tau Sorority. She would be happy to answer any questions at saadj@sas.upenn.edu. She can't wait to meet some of you at the conference!

Owen is a sophomore in Penn’s College of Arts & Sciences from Nyack, NY studying Politics, Philosophy & Economics.  This is Owen’s second year in the Penn Model Congress program, and last year he served as Deputy Supreme Court Coordinator.  In high school, he participated in the YMCA Youth and Government program on the state and national levels for four years and looks forward to bringing an outside perspective to PennMC programming.  On campus, Owen participates in Penn Democrats, edits the Trade and Foreign Policy blog of the Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative, and writes for the Penn Undergraduate Law Journal blog.  If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact him at owenvk@sas.upenn.edu.  He looks forward to seeing everyone at the conference!

Zach is a junior majoring in Political Science and minoring in History. He is from Wynnewood, PA (about a 15 minute train ride from Penn's campus) and went to Friends' Central School as a high school student, where he helped coordinate his school's Mock Trial and Moot Court teams, the latter of which sparked his interest in the Supreme Court. He began working with PENNMC as a freshman at Penn, and has helped chair the competition at every opportunity since. If you have any questions about the competition (or any questions about Penn and the college admissions process), feel free to contact him at zjacobs@sas.upenn.edu. He is excited to work with you all and help run the Supreme Court program at the conference!

Saxon is a Sophomore from Pueblo West, CO studying Business Economics and Public Policy in Wharton and Political Science in the college. Last year he served as deputy National Security Council director and is excited to be returning to the situation room as NSC Coordinator. On campus Saxon in involved with the Public Policy Initiative Student Group, Penn Undergraduate Law Journal, and the International Affairs Association. Whenever he has the time, Saxon loves trying new food and listening to podcasts. If you have any questions about the conference, NSC, or podcast recommendations, definitely reach out at saxonb@wharton.upenn.edu. He is super thrilled to meet you all at the conference!

Jon is a first-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences planning on studying Economics and potentially minoring in Computer Science. He was born and raised in Great Neck, New York and went to Great Neck North High School. Jon began doing Model Congress in his Sophomore year of high school, and he was the President of his delegation in his Senior year, when he won "Best in Committee" in Appropriations. He is now this year's Deputy Programs Director and is striving to maximize the PENNMC experience. When he's not studying in the basement of Van Pelt library or unsuccessfully trying to find Persian food in Philadelphia, you’ll find him listening to rap music with his roommate, laughing at memes or working out in the gym. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, just contact him at jdsasson@sas.upenn.edu. He cannot wait for this year's conference. Don't be afraid to say hello to him and shake his hand if you see him walking across campus!

Jonathan is a freshman in Wharton concentrating in finance and real estate. Before coming to Penn, he attended PSJA North Early College HS in Pharr, Texas. This is his first year getting involved with PENNMC; he is currently serving on the Conference Preparation Committee. Jonathan spends his free time reading just about anything relating to politics and business. Don't hesitate to contact him with any questions at Garzaj@wharton.upenn.edu. He is eager for his first conference!

Chase is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences pursuing a double major in Political Science and Communications. Chase participated in Penn Model Congress throughout his time at Jericho High School in Long Island and served as a Chair of the Homeland Security Committee for PENNMC 2018. Outside of Model Congress, Chase serves on Penn Student Government as a School of Arts and Sciences Representative on the Undergraduate Assembly. He is also brother of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. Chase has worked as a Lead Event Organizer for the Long Island based group Students Against Gun Violence, which was formed after the Parkland shootings, and is an outspoken advocate for common sense gun reform. When not discussing politics, Chase enjoys runs along the Schuylkill, producing documentaries, and exploring Philly. Please feel free to reach out and share ideas/suggestions with him at cserota4@sas.upenn.edu. He is looking forward to meeting you at the conference!