Royal Communications: The People's Princess, 1997
When Princess Diana married into the royal family in 1981, she became an instant hit in the press for her charismatic charm, glamor, and activism. As the influence and clout of the Royal Family was on the decline, Diana was able to humanize and repopularize them. Thanks to the way Diana was captured by the media, the public’s perception of the Royal Family improved and critics were less vocal. They were finally more relatable. Diana was credited with bringing the Royal Family into the modern era.
However, in 1996, when the public found out the “people’s princess” was divorcing and leaving the Royal Family, a media frenzy ensued. As members of communications teams of the Royal Family, Diana, and the Queen, and representatives of the press, delegates must navigate this media storm and the crises in the year to follow. Delegates will accompany Diana and the Royal Family through cheating scandals, relationship rumors, conspiracies, and character assassinations (or real ones?). This committee will require the griminess of the press, the self-interest of then-Prince Charles, and the charisma of Princess Diana. Beware: not everything in the press is real, but the consequences on the lives of those being covered surely are.
Tamar CHavel
Chair
Tamar is a second-year Human Rights major at UChicago. She is originally from Jerusalem, but moved to Chicago as a kid, so if you need any Chicago recs Tamar is your girl (woman).
Previously she was an Assistant Chair for The Sassanian Shenanigans: The Reign of Khosrow I, 531 AD at CHOMUN XXVII. In addition to CHOMUN, Tamar also teaches a beginner's hip-hop class and is a Hebrew TA.
She is also a tour guide, so if you're on Tamar's committee be prepared to hear her tour guide voice. One of Tamar's favorite activities is curating Spotify playlists for very specific moments, like "Looking Out the Window in an Uber to the Airport" or "Songs Country Artists Would Kick To." She is super excited for the committee and delegates to connect their creative and intellectual sides!
If you want playlist links or have any questions about UChicago generally speaking (I can convince you to transfer–change my mind), or specifically about CHOMUN feel free to reach out to tamarchavel@uchicago.edu.
Layla El-Sherif
Crisis Director
Layla is a second-year at the college majoring in Political Science and Economics. She grew up in Frederick, Maryland (a.k.a the farthest you can go to still be considered a suburb of D.C.).
Last year, Layla served as an Assistant Chair for the The Sassanian Shenanigans: The Reign of Khosrow I, 531 AD at ChoMUN XXVll.
Outside of MUN, Layla is Treasurer for the Chicago Journal of Foreign Policy and is on the board of Leaders of Color, a student civic engagement group at the Institute of Politics. She regularly volunteers as a tutor for the Hyde Park Refugee Project and enjoys reading, reality TV, and crafting in her spare time.
Layla is always happy to talk about her favorite TV show, The Bachelor. She is excited to help chair the most dramatic committee of ChoMUN ever! If you have any questions feel free to reach out to lelsherif@uchicago.edu.
Daniela Rivera Solano
CRISIS DIRECTOR
Daniela is a fourth year at the college, double majoring in Political Science and Human Rights.
She has been involved in MUN for four years and served as the Assistant Chair for Clara Barton’s American Red Cross, 1881 at ChoMUN XXV, a Crisis Director for Born This Way: The Fight for Equal Rights, 2010 at ChoMUN XXVI, and has chaired and moderated for various committees of our high school conference.
Outside of MUN, Daniela is involved in various activities. Previously serving as its president, she is actively engaged in MECHA, a Latin American student activist organization on campus. She also loves everything related to art, does photography in her free time, and is currently venturing into pottery.
When Daniela is not on campus, she loves to cook, discover new music, binge-watch shows (like The Crown), and explore the city. Despite being from New Jersey, Daniela has surprisingly never watched Jersey Shore, a culturally important show.
All in all, Daniela is very excited to run a committee on the People’s Princess and is excited to see how delegates will rise above the challenges the weekend presents.
If you want to reach out and ask her about the committee or her thoughts on The Crown, feel free to email her at danielar@uchicago.edu,
Secretariat oversight:
FAWWAZ HAFIZH, Under-secretary-general