UPMUNC BOARD MEMBERS 2011- 2012

PRESIDENT:

Fatima Kyari MOHAMMED,
Contact: fmohammed@master.upeace.org
Fatima Kyari MOHAMMED is a graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and the European University, Montreux. She has worked as Regional Programme Manager for the European Union Delegation in Nigeria where she was responsible for the management of European Development Fund (EDF) projects in West Africa. She has also worked as a Regional Project Manager for Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) managing the organizations regional security project in West Africa.

She is also the co-founder of ‘The Likeminds Project’ – a community based organization made up of volunteers working with the less privileged and vulnerable and interested in giving back to the society.

In addition to an internship at UNESCO HQ Paris, she has over the years collaborated with a number of UN agencies including UNODC, UNDP, and UNOWA.

She enjoys reading, painting, photography, travelling and learning about new places and cultures.

She is currently a Masters student in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development at UPEACE.

VICE-PRESIDENT:

Dr. Shahbaz Israr Khan
Contact: skhan@master.upeace.org
Dr. Shahbaz Israr Khan specializes in youth issues and is the recipient of a certificate and grant on Youth and MDGs from UNFPA. He also received formal leadership training from University of Vermont. He has represented Pakistani youth on international forums as international speaker and mentor in USA and Bangladesh. Dr. Khan is one of the core persons of Bargad team, who designed the structure and function of National Youth Advocacy Platform- a premier coalition of youth organizations for integrated youth development in Pakistan. Previously, and also served as President of Gomalian Students Council, Gomal University D.I Khan where he led more than 500 students. He also headed two peace committees at Gomal University, where he successfully mediated the violent conflicts. His research work includes ever first Youth Directory-mapping study of youth organizations and informal youth groups in Pakistan.

He is currently pursuing his masters in Gender & Peace Building from UN mandated University for Peace.

TRAINING CORDINATORS:

Irina J. BEIKERT
Contact: ibeikert@master.upeace.org
Irina studied theater, media and film studies, political science and global history at the University of Vienna, Austria.

Since 2006 she is Vice President of the United Nations Youth and Student Organization of Austria (AFA-UNYSA-Austria), in this position she participated in several Model United Nations as delegate and chairperson as well as the Secretary General at the Vienna International Model United Nations (VIMUN).

Currently she is enrolled in the Media, Peace and Conflict Program at UPEACE.

 

 

Jasmine Hartenstein
Contact: jhartenstein@master.upeace.org
Jasmine was born and raised in the small agricultural town of Tracy, CA. United States. She completed her bachelor's degree in International Business and obtained a minor in International Security and Conflict Resolution at San Diego State University. During her undergraduate studies she participated in multiple model UN simulations as well as helped facilitate a few. She is now in the International Peace Studies program at the University for Peace.

 

 

 

 

Andrés Jiménez
Contact: ajimenez@master.upeace.org
Andrés Jiménez is a member of the Masters Program in International Peace Studies at the University for Peace. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica. He has previous experience working and participation in several United Nations and Organization of American States Models with various Costa Rican Universities, and has worked directly in the field implementation phase of projects with a local NGO.

He organizes and leads the Nonviolent Communication group at the University for Peace and is very passionate about issues of governance, development, and conflict prevention. He sees the participation in international simulations and United Nations Models as excellent opportunities to gain first hand knowledge of the workings of international institutions and the dynamics of negotiation processes.

 

CO-LOGISTICS COORDINATORS

Rob Orton,
Contact: rorton@master.upeace.org
Rob was born and raised in Maine, United States.  He studied Marketing Management at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.  After graduating, he was given the opportunity to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica.  He served for two years in the Micro Enterprise Development program, working with small business owners to improve their products and services as well as their understanding of small businesses. After his Peace Corps service, he worked as the project administrator for Montana de Luz, a home for children living with HIV/AIDS near Tegucigalpa, Honduras. After a year in Honduras, he joined his older brother and his business partners in constructing an eco-hostel and community based tourism project in Northern Nicaragua, called “El Coco Loco”. Prior to beginning at the University for Peace, he worked as the Field Operations Manager for the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children, or FIMRC, in Rivas, Nicaragua. He enjoys playing soccer, ice hockey and occasionally golf and is a passionate Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox and New England Patriots.

 

MEDIA COORDINATOR

Sandra Sharman
Contact: ssharman@master.upeace.org
Sandra is an honours graduate in Communications and Linguistics from Anglia University, Cambridge. and followed on to work with the BBC, Channel 4, Discovery Channel, Time Warner AOL, Television Española and TV3 Cataluña. Her upbringing was instrumental to her outlook on the world, the choices she made and continues to make. In 2002 she left London for six months to live in Barcelona, Spain and stayed for ten years. Her move to Spain changed her life forever it gave her the opportunity to learn a new language and a profound insight into the politics and culture of another country. Shortly after arriving in Barcelona she began to collaborate with an independent production company, working on various documentaries including 'Catwalk Kids: adoption in the US', 'Ghost Towns', ‘Urban Farming’ and ‘Land Grabbing’ Gambela, the Forgotten Heroes, Paris and many more Sandra is a currently completing her MA in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies at UPEACE, Costa Rica.

 

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING

 Xaria Xuri Wong
Contact: xwong@master.upeace.org
Xaria is an honours graduate of a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph in Canada with an emphasis in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish language. She studied internationally on two occasions (one spent studying development in the field for a year in Ecuador). Additionally she has interned with Pastoral Social, an organization which helps Colombian refugees adapt to their lives in Ecuador. As such, she has a keen interest in working for the UNHCR. As a past participant as a delegate at the mock United Nations simulation at the University of Toronto, she fully supports this academic learning experience for all UPEACE students to enhance a robust understanding of the United Nations main organs.

 

 

 

Bijal Vachharajani-Vasavada
Contact: � bvasavada@master.upeace.org
When Bijal Vachharajani-Vasavada is not reading Harry Potter, she can be found looking for tigers in the jungles of India. In her spare time, she worked so she could fund those trips and those expensive Potter books. She did this by working as a journalist at Time Out Mumbai, where she edited the Around Town city section and the Kids section. At the same time, she worked as the South Asia Co-ordinator for 350.org, an international movement that’s working to stem the climate crisis. Here, she helmed events such as 10/10/10, a global day of climate action and 350 Earth, a satellite art project and handled social media. She is now studying Environment Security and Peace with a specialization in Climate Change and Security.

Bijal has also been part of the launch team at Disney Adventures, a children’s magazine where she wrote and handled marketing for the publication, including events in schools and bookstores. She has worked with Sanctuary Asia on a tiger conservation programme where she co-ordinated with 13 city co-ordinators to spread the message across 500 schools. She started her career with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India where she went on to head the media division.

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Ricardo Situmeang
Contact: rsitumeang@master.upeace.org
Ricardo Situmeang is a scholar who represents Indonesia for Asia Leader Program, Master of Arts University for Peace Dual Campus Manila and Costa Rica in 2011. He obtained his BS in Psychology from University of North Sumatera in 2005. He has been involved in social development work for the last six years, doing psychosocial support, rural community organizing, networking and coalition building with non-government organizations in tsunami and earthquake affected areas, particularly emergency and recovery phase in Nias and Aceh. He also had the opportunity to work as Project Coordinator in a local organization funded by International Labor Organization from 2009 until 2010. In addition to his formal work, he has been worked with corporate organization that allows him to expand his interest in sustainable corporate social responsibility with the biggest palm oil plantation company in Indonesia. Currently, he is pursuing his master at the University for Peace in Responsible Management and Sustainability Economic Development.

 

Natalie Rojas
Contact: nrojas@master.upeace.org
Natalie was born and raised in San Diego CA, United States. She studied Philosophy and International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN. During her undergraduate years she worked with a non-profit that supplied financial support to the community for low-cost spay and neuter pet services. I was also a skills director for a community center that offered free tutoring services to urban children. After graduating, she did research for a year on the role of compassionate research in the discipline of Peace Studies. It was then that she decided to go back to obtain her master when she found the University of Peace, working for her degree in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development. She is passionate about animal rights, human rights, and the intersection of the two.

 

 

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