2018-2019 Ambassadors
Chloe Lau
Chloe was born and lives in the city of Hong Kong. She is an avid member of her school’s news express head team, and has written various articles for the platform Medium. She is fascinated by both Science and Mathematics, as she believes that it allows her to discover and inquire, to be stumped by questions, and to be galvanised by proofs. Being pro-equality, Chloe has actively engaged in educational volunteering at volunteer tutorial centres, teaching children who would otherwise be unable to gain sufficient educational aid. A recent personal project she has been working on is the organising of a charity concert to fundraise for a special educational needs school in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Maro Okiti
Maro was born in Dublin, Ireland but lived in Lagos for many years before moving to the UK for A-levels. She is interested in topical issues such as, African development and the effects of neo-colonialism, black feminism and the role of popular culture in the 21stcentury. She is the co-founder of Patterns of Africa, a politics society that introduces high-school students to African history and politics that is amiss from the national curriculum. Additionally, she is the co-founder of Writer’s Block, a creative writing society for pre-teens. When Maro is not running student societies, she curates online content on feminism in Nigeria and race relations. She hopes to study Politics and International relations at university.
Sierra Brangman
Sierra was born in Bermuda but currently lives in Hong Kong. She is undertaking the IB programme, studying History, Global Politics, English, Math, Mandarin Ab. and Environmental Social Studies. Sierra loves to read when time permits, and enjoys debating as well. She is interested in women's rights, socio-economic disparity, racial issues and mental health rights. In the future, she hopes to study law in the UK.
Tshepo Segolodi
Tshepo is from Gaborone, Botswana where he lived for 17 years. He is currently an IB Diploma Student in Hong Kong. Tshepo is passionate about international relations, current affairs, and global politics, and hopes to study International Relations or Political Science at university in order to help improve his country's current political system, and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. In his free time he enjoys reading novels, writing, playing the violin and listening to music.
Daiana Ashlyayeva
Daiana was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan but she has travelled a lot independently. She has lived in Dubai and now studies in Bristol, UK. Daiana is currently a sixth form student, studying English Literature, Politics and Maths at A-level. She is interested in cultural diplomacy and analysing current affairs from a more introspective point of view, and hopes to contribute to meaningful change in vital issues around the world. As a result, Daiana hopes to pursue a career in International Relations.
Kina Takahashi
Kina is Japanese, Taiwanese and American, and has lived in Singapore for 7 years, but currently studies in the UK. She is extremely passionate about equal education rights for all genders and economic classes. She is the editor of Horizons (her school's newspaper) and head of D4C club. She is also writer for Root Policy, a student-led newspaper company. Kina hopes to become a journalist and give a voice to people who are being silenced in some countries, helping them claim power through pen and paper.
Maryam Tuggar
Maryam is from Nigeria and currently goes to boarding school in the UK, but lives in Berlin. She is interested in law, musical theatre and everything in between. She has a specific interest in women's evolving role in society, feminism and US politics. She is also interested in race relations, and frequently discusses these topics with friends and family. Maryam currently studies Economics, English Literature and Theatre Studies at A-level, participates in MUN, Creative Writing and is House Captain to the her house at school. She loves movies (especially the ones that make her feel nostalgic - Disney) and would like to start a podcast with guests to discuss a wide variety of topics. Maryam hopes to study law at university, to help her explore and develop her views on her interests further.
Dasha Korznikova
Dasha was born in Moscow but has grown up in Bristol, UK. She currently studies History, English Literature and Economics at A-Level and hopes to carry on with History at university next year. Dasha is a part of her school’s Model of United Nations club, as well as a founder of the Entertainment Committee at school. She is passionate about striving towards gender equality, raising awareness about sexual health issues, as well as climate change, and worldwide education. She is also a keen traveller, and loves experiencing and exploring what other cultures have to offer and learning more about them.
Lauren Paver Thompson
Lauren was born in Seattle, USA but has lived for many years in the UK, where she currently attends school. She hopes to study either Law or Medicine at university. She is interested in human rights, particularly those of minority groups, and the repercussions of stereotypes surrounding such people. This interest stems from Lauren’s volunteering experience with the Riding for the Disabled Association, when she worked with disabled children who were learning how to ride horses and become more independent.
Larissa Chan
Larissa was born in Shanghai, and lived there for five years before moving to Hong Kong for primary school, and eventually, to the UK for secondary school. She is currently studying for her GCSEs, and as an aspiring doctor, attends Medical Ethics Club at her school. She is interested in medical issues, such as neglected tropical diseases - a global issue that is often overlooked. Larissa hopes to raise awareness for this issue, and explore the relation between a politics and healthcare. She also enjoys art and literature, especially the works of Tolkien. With a group of her friends, she is planning to start a video series discussing history, STEM, and culture.
Our Alumni Ambassadors

Alexis (Naeun) Lee
South Korea
Alexis is from South Korea and attends the Songdo Chadwick International in South Korea. She is passionate about passionate about tackling cultural values that inhibit women from accessing their basic rights around the world and she writes about gender and sexuality-related inequality for CI Coligo, her school's journalism club.

Khushi Shelat
Australia
Khushi is a 16 year old innovator and entrepreneur from Australia, who's crazy enough to believe that the world can be a better place - and that the youth of today are the ones that will make it happen. She runs the social enterprise ChangeMakeHer Australia, and is passionate about making the global workforce more diverse and collective.

Tabby Boyton
Hong Kong/ U.K.
Tabby was born in Cheltenham, U.K., but grew up in Hong Kong. She is currently a sixth form student, studying History, Politics and Philosopher. Tabby is President of the Law Society and Head of the Politics Society at her school. She hopes to read Law at university, and as a result has developed an interest in the legal aspects of current affairs.

Nicole Fong
Hong Kong
Nicole was born in Australia but resides in both London and Hong Kong. She attends boarding school in the UK and is currently thinking of applying for Economics at university, with an emphasis on corporate law. Nicole is passionate about looking at geopolitical issues from different perspectives and trying to gauge future repercussions of current affairs, and is particularly interested in issues related to China and the Middle East.

Beatrice Cardone
Italy
Beatrice is Italian but was born in Mexico, and has been brought up in China and Malaysia. She currently attend school in the UK and intends to study either economics, geography or international relations at university. Having travelled and seen so much of the world, especially Asia, Beatrice is eager to try and remove some of the false stereotypes that are set upon Asia and believes that the rest of the world has much to learn from its cultures and mindsets. She is fascinated by global affairs, geopolitical issues and the problems associated with climate change.

Cindy Jiang
Hong Kong
Cindy was raised in Hong Kong, but currently attends school in the UK. She is concerned about global disparity and its effects on children in developing countries, and is also interested in behavioural economics and how it can bring about positive impacts on the world. Cindy has worked closely with UNICEF HK to advocate for children's rights and global citizenship among youngsters. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies and also produces her own short films.

Ying Ong
Hong Kong
Ying was raised in Hong Kong and spends her summers in Malaysia with her grandparents. As the sales director for the company Know No Better, she aims to use their merchandise as an outlet to increase social conscience. She is fascinated by the impacts of technological and scientific innovation, and believes future industries will be heavily centred around it. She is also very passionate about women's rights, particularly on the topic of forced labour, reproductive rights and women's education (or rather, the lack of it in some areas). She is interested in studying statistics or business at university; however, she wants to maintain her passion for human geography and music. Inspired by Sheryl WuDunn, she would like to have a flourishing career whilst fighting for a greater cause.

Ekaterina Nikolaeva
Russia
Ekaterina has studied in the UK since 2012, but she lives in Moscow. She is passionate about her country’s past, present, and the future prospects that it may hold. Ekaterina strongly believes that Russia has the potential to become a democratic and more economically successful country, due to its rich culture, resources and skilled population. Fascinated by economics, she is interested in the Russian economy and its issues, such as income inequality, dependency on oil and gas, and the impact of sanctions, and its financial sector.

Alastair Bolton
Indonesia
Alastair is half English and half Indonesian, and while he is at school in England, he has lived most of his life in Jakarta after being born in Australia. While he aspires to pursue a career in the Sciences or in Engineering, he loves organised debating, and is passionate about environmental and social issues, such as those concerning religion, ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ community, particularly in Asia. Alastair is also working towards a qualification in Mandarin, as he strives to better understand different cultures.

Ianis Tamoud
France/ China
Ianis was born in France but was raised in Czech Republic, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and is now studying at Sciences Po. He is passionate about international relations and public affairs. It is Ianis's aim to offer a different perspective to the news, so as to better inform the public and contribute to the involvement of citizens in their respective societies.

Ella Tsang
Hong Kong
Ella is from Hong Kong but currently studies at a boarding school in the UK. She is passionate about global politics, especially the study of post-colonial theories and human rights violations. She hopes to start constructive discussions that allow for the exchange of all kinds of opinions and to encourage tolerance of new ideas.

Maia Harrison
Singapore/ London, UK
Maia was born in Singapore and lived there for 14 years before moving to London, and has been attending boarding school in Gloucestershire, UK. She is passionate about global issues such as women’s empowerment and education, as well as international law. Her aim is to facilitate productive discussions as a means to effect positive change, both in schools and in the wider community.

Tireni Odubiyi
Nigeria
Tireni was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria but currently attends high school in the UK. In her free time, she enjoys reading and listening to music. Her favourite genre to read at the moment is contemporary African literature, with authors such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie situated at the top of her reading list. Tireni is concerned about issues such as racism, immigration and gender equality, and hopes to shed light on the aforementioned issues, especially in the context of Nigeria and Africa in general.

Saskia Silewicz
Newbury, U.K.
Saskia was born in England and lives in Newbury. She is hoping to study Geography at university, and is passionate about heritage and wildlife conservation. Saskia volunteered at Bristol Aquarium in 2016, and is involved with the Environmental Society at her school. It is her aim to address the threats of climate change, and to encourage young people to take action and find solutions to reduce the impacts of mass urbanisation.

Hayne Park
South Korea
Hayne was born in Seoul, South Korea, lived in New Jersey, Vancouver, and is now studying abroad in Boston, MA. As the only Korean student at her school, Hayne decided to create a Korean Club in which students could talk about anything Korean. She feels that this has allowed her to contribute to the school community by sharing her national heritage with people who perhaps knew very little about it before. Hayne is also interested in human rights, international relations and international law; and many of her articles will focus on North Korean issues, especially human rights violations within the country.

Shannon Yuen
Hong Kong
Born in Hong Kong, Shannon was raised in Shanghai then later in Hong Kong. She recently graduated from Li Po Chun United World College, and will enroll as a fellow at Global Citizen Year where she will be working with TechforIndia. Shannon was a leader of her school's gender equality club and United World Schools (an NGO working to end intergenerational poverty in the Southeast Asian region), as she is invested in alleviating gender inequality and learning about international development. This summer, she is working as a content developer for PathFinders Hong Kong to educate migrant women and domestic workers on their rights. Shannon is always up for a cool project to work on, and would love any feedback on her articles!

Elysia Li
Hong Kong/ China/ Canada/ North America
Elysia has resided in Hong Kong for most of her life but also identifies as an American and a Canadian national. She currently attends The Hotchkiss School, where she has written for as well as edited Brainstorm, the Hotchkiss Philosophy Club's publication, in addition to contributing artwork to and editing The Hotchkiss Spectrum, which promotes diversity and inclusion. Elysia welcomes feedback on her articles and looks forward to engaging in thoughtful discussions!

Snehaa Senthamilselvan Easwari
Hong Kong/ India
Snehaa was born in India and raised in Hong Kong, which is where she currently lives. She is an avid debater and public speaker, and has been involved in the Model UN circuit for five years now. She is the Vice-President of the Advocate Leadership Team of a Hong Kong based NGO called Kids4Kids that aims to empower kids to harness their creativity and take action in order to improve the lives of children from low-income families. Having attended and organised several MUN conferences, she strives to eradicate stigmatisation against minority groups and to empower women in countries where they are oppressed. In her free time, Snehaa either dances or works on a new fundraising event.

Chloe Woodard
Ruston, U.S.
Chloe was born in Ruston, Louisianna and has lived there her entire life. Being from a small, southern American town, she sees the underlying effects of racism on a daily basis. She is passionate about creating change in the South, as she believes this can inspire change in the rest of the world. Chloe is also very passionate about travel in general, which stems from her love for varying cultures, and her interest in their uniqueness; therefore, she is keen to pursue a career in art history.

Mint Habanananda
Bangkok, Thailand
Mint is from Bangkok but currently attends high school in the UK. She is interested in medicine and global health, and aspires to become a doctor. Over the summer, Mint visited both public and private hospitals, which led her to do some research on the corruption within the healthcare system in Thailand as well as the UK. She also started an HIV Awareness Project in conjunction with local hospitals and health centres, which aims to educate the youth about HIV, as it remains a taboo subject in many countries. In her free time, Mint also enjoys playing golf and tennis.

Avery Pusey
New York City, U.S.
Avery was born in New York City and has lived there her entire life. She is the head of her school’s Model United Nations club and an active member of FLAG, a gender equality club, the Student Improvement Team, and Save the Children. In her free time, she enjoys painting, playing classical guitar, and listening to music. Within her community, she works on educating her peers on vital issues that society faces today. Her main goals are to promote female empowerment, to reach gender equality and childhood education on an international scale. It is Avery’s hope that her efforts will stimulate awareness and action among her contemporaries to achieve these goals.

Clara Portwood
Oxford, UK
Clara has spent a large part of her childhood travelling between the US and UK, and other international destinations. Her travel has instilled a sense of international-mindedness, which she wishes to instil in others. Her passions include health issues on a global perspective, innovation in science and a love of literature and reading. In 2014, she and Bella McLaughlan set up the charitable initiative, Liberation Libraries, that believes 'reading is a right, not a privilege'. Previous projects include creating small libraries within village schools to promote learning. Currently, they are working towards building and supplying a community centre for a village in the KwaZuluNatal province.

Trisha Lauryn Kibugi
Kenya
Trisha was born and raised in Kenya and currently lives in Hong Kong. She works as a Director of the non-profit organisation Stand Up Shout Out, promoting youth empowerment in Kenya and Hong Kong. Having organised various MUN conferences, she aspires to see more youth engage in the discussion of global issues especially through D4C. She also strives to see more organisations work towards increasing the access Kenyan girls have to education.

Luiza Chagas Brandão Campos
Brazil
Luiza has lived in Belo Horizonte, Brazil her whole life but has moved cities (and states) 3 times. She is passionate about global affairs and film. Her aim is to highlight important issues in Brazil that don't always reach mainstream media. She is also working on other projects such as Pen In a Box and Limpajuda.

Ariel Cheung
Hong Kong
Ariel is born and raised in Hong Kong. She is an active debater and public speaker in the Hong Kong circuit and has competed overseas in Canada and Singapore. She is also an ex-member of the World Individuals Public Speaking and Debating Championships Team Hong Kong 2015. It is her aim to share her passion for global affairs with people from all corners of the world. Ariel is particularly interested in gender and LGBTQ issues as well as Chinese affairs, having had the opportunity to speak about them at high-stake tournaments. She is also greatly fascinated by psychology and is a dancer.

Antonina Kudryashova
Russia
Antonina is a Russian student who has been living in the UK for the past 11 years. She frequently visits her hometown Moscow where her extended family lives. She is passionate about discussing legal systems and legislation of foreign countries and aspires to pursue a career in law. She attends Model United Nations and is part of the Law Society at her school. She is especially concerned with violence against women, human rights violations and unjust laws. Her goal is to give people the most factual version of the news possible, undistorted by bias or an agenda.

Daniel Koo
Seoul, South Korea
Daniel is a student at The King’s School Canterbury. He is the founder and the head of KSCMUN (King’s School Canterbury Model United Nations) and regularly attends conferences all over the UK. He is passionate about discussing and creating resolutions for global crises, including capacity building in failing states, the refugee crisis in countries such as Syria and the spread of the Zika virus. Daniel also spends his time working as the head of marketing and public relations for Khonaa, a registered social enterprise in Hong Kong funding the education of minority groups all over Asia. He is also part of the first swimming team at King’s Canterbury and is the swimming team captain of his house.

India de Waal
Istanbul, Turkey
India is half South-African and half English, and currently lives in Istanbul. She has previously lived in London, Houston, Pretoria and Singapore. She is passionate about global issues, and is also very interested in domestic and foreign Turkish affairs. She aims to show people what life is really like in Turkey and to highlight the positive aspects of Turkey that the mainstream media do not tend to focus on.