Meet our Board
Angel Garcia
Executive Director
Sasha Klebnikov
Business Director
Angel Garcia de la Garza is a junior in the College majoring in Mathematics. Half Mexican and half Spanish, he was born and raised in Mexico City but currently resides in the sunny city of Culiacán, Mexico. During his free time, you can find Angel eating sushi, watching Scandal or always trying to find a new song to obsess over. Prior to becoming Executive Director of PIRC 2014, he has served as an Assistant Secretary General for UPMUNC, a Deputy Director of Academic Affairs and the Outreach Director for the PIRC 2013. He can’t wait until next year’s conference and he is especially looking forward to start working with schools through the year. Please feel free to contact him if you have any questions or concerns!
Sasha is a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering. He is an active member of the International Affairs Association, and he served as an assistant director for Academic Affairs and PIRC last year. Due to the dynamic evolution and growth of PIRC, he is really excited to be a Business Director for PIRC 2014. While originally from New York City, Sasha has spent time in England, Italy and Russia, and usually spends his summers sailing historic tall ships. Besides making PIRC 2014 the best conference ever, you can find him ballroom dancing, cycling and making jet engines in the machine shops.
Zech Tan
Conference Operations Chair
Zech hails from sunny Singapore and is a Junior/Senior (he is quite undecided on this) majoring in Economics and Political Science. Having had so much fun creating simulations and helping run the last two PIRCs, he cannot wait to play a part in a successful PIRC 2014. Outside of IAA, Zech loves running and rockclimbing, as well as the occasional round of paintball. He is also an ardent Manchester United fan in front of whom you should never mention Manchester City.
Elaine Song is a junior at the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently double majoring in Political Science and East Asian Studies with an Economic Policy minor. She has been involved in Model United Nations since freshman year of high school and truly loves it. As part of COE, she is responsible for outreach and engagement throughout the year. In her free time, she enjoys eating, traveling, and spending time with her friends and sisters in Zeta Tau Alpha. Her goal is to be a resource for all of you so please feel free to reach out to her.
Business Director
Sebastián Negrón Reichard
Content Director
Fabian Sommer
Sebastián is a sophomore in the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sebastián brings an array of interests to the organization and to the International Affairs Association by stressing the importance of how international relations and business intersect. Before coming to Penn, Sebastián was actively involved in Model United Nations, the National Honor Society, and many academic committees. Additionally, he has interned at the Office of the Governor of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Senate. Currently, he serves as a Wharton Representative to the Undergraduate Assembly at the Univeristy of Pennsylvania, as the business director for the Wharton Latino Magazine, and as a reporter for the Daily Pennsylvanian. During his spare time, Sebastián enjoys traveling, playing tennis, and engaging in political talks and rallies.
Fabian Sommer is currently a sophomore in the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business. He was born in Vienna, Austria, but moved to Turlock, California in 2000 and spent a large part of his childhood there. When he was 14, he moved back to Vienna with his parents and attended the Akademisches Gymnasium, where he graduated in 2011. Fabian loves traveling and has been to many countries in Europe, Africa, and around the United States. He speaks German and English fluently and is learning French and Spanish. On campus, he is also involved with the Huntsman Student Advisory Board, on the design team of the International Business Review, and on the board of the Penn German Club. When he’s not involved with the International Affairs Association or other matters related to his studies, he enjoys photography, good films, and swimming.
Content Director
Iris Zhang
A devoted member of the Hong Kong National Team as an ex-debater, assistant coach and manager, Iris has experienced first hand how invaluable global knowledge is towards expanding perspective and gaining a full appreciation of the world around us. Iris has traveled to many places and is an avid “walker”, opting to leave her footprint on every inch of such cities as Rome, Istanbul, Kyoto and more. She is passionate about spreading her love of learning and hopes that the program PIRC has prepared will inspire delegates to explore endless possibilities.
Astha Shukla
Director of Operations
Kavya Bodapati
Director of Outreach
Astha is a sophomore in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. She’s currently studying Bioengineering and is extremely fond of Economics. Phildelphia has promptly become her favourite city in the world, after her hometown, New Delhi, India. Besides being extremely invested in her role as the Chargé d'Affaires of ILMUNC India, she is also the Event Manager for Save a Sex Slave, a Research Assistant at a neuroscience lab and a member of an a cappella group at Penn. When she’s not sipping on Starbucks, Astha fosters a love for good food, Dan Brown, and singing. Astha was an Assistant Director for PIRC last year and is extremely thrilled to be a part of PIRC for another amazing year!
Kavya Bodapati is a rising sophomore pre-med in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Biology, with a minor in Psychology. Originally from New Jersey, she spent part of her childhood living in France, where she developed an awareness of foreign cultures. Her interest in international affairs grew as a result of this experience. Last year, she joined the IAA as an Assistant Director of Academic Affairs and this year she also works as a Deputy Director of Academic Affairs. She is really excited about joining the PIRC family this year as the Director of Outreach. Outside of the IAA, she spends her time tutoring students through the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project. Additionally, she enjoys working as a genetics student researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Constanza Figuerola
Director of Technology
Constanza is a sophomore in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, majoring in computer science with a minor in economics. Constanza comes from Potomac, Maryland, but lived in Argentina for 7 years. She has traveled extensively around the world, mainly in Latin America and Europe. Her favorite city in the world is Tokyo because of its futuristic aspects. She is passionate about technology and its impact on global development and communications. As a member of Penntoring and Penn’s service fraternity Penn, Alpha Phi Omega, she loves helping the Philadelphia community. She is really excited to be a part of PIRC, and looks forward to making it a great conference for everyone involved in 2014.
