Get to Know EUA Board Members Past and Present!

2023-2024 Board

President

Megna Raghuraman is a third-year English and Sociology major from Scottsdale, Arizona. Ever since reading To Kill a Mockingbird in eighth grade, she has been passionately trying to become a lawyer, with an emphasis on reproductive rights. As an English major, she has always been fascinated by the Victorian era and is a major Dickens fan. Besides being a part of the EUA, Megna is also President of the Literary Society of Berkeley, a writing tutor at the Student Learning Center, a member of the Student Advocate’s Office, and the creator of the Percy Jackson Decal at Cal. In her free time, she loves to crochet, get immersed deeper into Brandon Sanderson’s books, and spend time watching anything with music and/or romance.

Secretary

Maya Jimenez is a third-year from San Diego CA and is majoring in English. She is an aspiring investigative reporter and creative fiction author with an interest in storytelling strategies to combat misinformation. Apart from the EUA, she is a part of The Daily Californian and KALX. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys listening to The Daily by The NYT, playing guitar and listening to 80s subculture music.

Treasurer

Melissa Mora-Gonzalez is a third-year student from a small town in the Sacramento Valley studying English with minors in Journalism and Conservation and Resource Studies. With a diverse background in writing and communication, she has explored various facets of these fields, ranging from blog writing to managing social media platforms. In addition to being part of the EUA, Melissa works in the office of Student Affairs Communications and is a member of the ASUC EAVP Communications team. In her free time, she likes to explore thrift shops and reread her favorite books.

Publications Manager

Mina Choi is a fourth-year student from Los Angeles majoring in English and minoring in Public Policy and Creative Writing. She enjoys reading and writing poetry, especially poems about the sea. Her decision to major in English stems from her love for close reading and horror fiction novels. Aside from her role as Publishing Manager in the EUA, Mina is also a writing tutor at the Student Learning Center. In her free time, she likes to bake, rewatch movies, and take photos of birds. 

Publications Manager

 

Alexis Giltner is a fourth-year English major with a minor in Creative Writing. Her favorite authors include Sally Rooney, Elene Ferrante, and Donna Tartt. She is also an editor of the Berkeley Fiction Review and hopes to pursue a career in publishing or something creative. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, watching movies, and spending time with her dogs.

 

Social Media Manager

 

Arya Vishin is a third-year English and South Asian Studies major and Theater & Performance Studies minor from San Jose. His academic interests include poetry and poetics, drama, and particularly Shakespeare; he is also interested in interdisciplinary possibilities and Indian poetic traditions. Outside of the EUA, Arya can often be found in the theater—acting, directing, or writing with Berkeley’s BareStage Productions—or writing weird, experimental poetry.

 

2022-2023 Board

PresidentSamantha Kotta is a fourth-year, transfer student majoring in English. Growing up she was surrounded by Irish and Peruvian literature thanks to her grandparents who were passionate about poetry and music. She is currently researching the intersectionality of Irish and Peruvian narratives and their efforts of preserving their identities despite colonial rule. As a published McNair Scholar, she explored the intersectionality of Irish and Peruvian Writers; James Joyce and José Carlos Mariátegui’s repeal of colonialist censorship through modernist magazines. She intends on obtaining her Ph.D. in English. Sponsored by the U.C. Berkeley English Department, she will be heading to Sligo, Ireland during the summer as part of the 64th Yeats International Summer School. In addition to being an editor at the Birdseye Publication, Samantha is also a classroom assistant for ESL and introductory English Literature courses at her community college.

  Vice PresidentMegna Raghuraman is a third-year English and Sociology major from Scottsdale, Arizona. Ever since reading To Kill a Mockingbird in eighth grade, she has been passionately trying to become a lawyer, with an emphasis on reproductive rights. As an English major, she has always been fascinated by the Victorian era and is a major Dickens fan. Besides being a part of the EUA, Megna is also President of the Literary Society of Berkeley, a writing tutor at the Student Learning Center, a member of the Student Advocate’s Office, and the creator of the Percy Jackson Decal at Cal. In her free time, she loves to crochet, get immersed deeper into Brandon Sanderson’s books, and spend time watching anything with music and/or romance.

PublicationsVictor Corona is a fourth-year transfer student from South Central Los Angeles and Pasadena City College. He is majoring in English Literature and plans to go to law school. He enjoys engaging in contemporary political philosophy and literary theory. In addition to tutoring at the Art of Writing program, he also enjoys photography, playing tennis, and writing news articles for The Daily Californian.

TreasurerBryce Wallace is a fourth-year transfer student from southern California. He is studying English and Linguistics with a minor in Philosophy and is also pursuing a Ph.D. in English. He has been doing research in the linguistics department where he is exploring the rhetoric of anti-vax websites. Bryce is also working on a thesis that assesses metacritical approaches to meaning-making in literary texts. As a Haas Scholar, he is researching the ethics of literary criticism and literary representations of Otherness. He gained national recognition when he was named a 2023 Beinecke Scholar, which made him the first U.C. Berkeley student to be honored since 2014. He also works at the campus library, volunteers at McClymonds High School as a College Corps fellow, and also loves cooking, camping, and snowboarding. 

Transfer AdvocateSofía Zaragoza (she/they/ella) is a third year transfer from Los Angeles majoring in English and Gender & Womens Studies. Their research focuses on the intersections between gender, race and literature through the lens of feminist philosophers. In their free time they like to explore local architecture, check out the newest gastro pub or tapas bar, and go thrifting. She plans on applying to PhD programs for English and currently works in the office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. She plans to work as a writing tutor and study abroad her senior year.

Publications: Blake Morrison

Secretary: Angelina Wilson 

Vice President: Megna Raghuraman

Board Members: Edith Noyes, Samvel Grigoryan


2021-2022 Board

President:Amanda Styles is a fourth year English major and Medieval Studies Minor. From a young age she had a passion for writing, but it was not until her sophomore year of high school that she decided she wanted to make a future in English. Additionally, it was not until her first year of undergrad that she realized she wanted to specialize in medieval and early modern texts. Amanda has spent the majority of her life in suburban Murrieta within southern California’s Riverside county. However, she also strongly identifies with her British side-as her father is from England and many of her family members currently live there. This generational connection to the British Isles has deeply influenced her to focus on older anglophone works. In Amanda‘s free time she often enjoys watching British Comedies like Blackadder, Upstart Crow, and The Young Ones, while knitting or cross-stitching. After graduating in Spring 2022, Amanda aspires to earn a PhD with an emphasis in Medieval Literature with the intention of studying and/or curating medieval manuscripts in a museum or academic context.  As her time frame does not possess the conventional novel, Amanda would have to say her favorite “book” is Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, the first piece that inspired her to study English.

Vice President:Olivia Smith is a fourth year from San Francisco studying English and French. She’s been an avid reader ever since elementary school, and she knew she wanted to pursue an English degree after reading William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying in high school. Olivia’s interests in English include narrative theory, popular culture, and all things Emily Dickinson. Half of her family is French and she grew up speaking the language, hence her decision to minor in French at Cal. She is especially fascinated with French linguistics. After college, Olivia hopes to attend law school or teach English at the high school level. She currently works as a writing tutor in the Comparative Literature department and spends her summers working as a camp counselor. Olivia enjoys studying at FSM, overanalyzing sitcoms, and reading non-fiction books about niche topics. One of her favorite books is Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, which she rereads every winter break.

Editor & Tech Associate:Victor Corona is a third-year transfer student from South LA and Pasadena City College. He is majoring in English Literature and plans to go to law school. Victor likes to go to the RSF, play tennis, and write news articles for the Daily Cal.

Secretary:Andrea Aquino is from a little town sandwiched between Napa and Vallejo called American Canyon. She is a fourth year English major and hopes to also obtain a minor in Creative Writing. Her avid affinity for books began in her youth and her interest in writing began in middle school, thanks to a couple of roughly-written NaNoWriMo stories. Since then, she has pursued reading and writing and is happy to be able to continue exploring her passion for English in Berkeley! Her future aspirations include becoming a published author and poet, and she is deeply inspired by the author/poet Sylvia Plath and her works. Plath’s The Bell Jar is by far her favorite novel, but beyond of the realm of literary merit, Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series holds a special place in her heart! She loves to talk about books in general and she knows the Percy Jackson pentology through and through — just don’t bring up the movies.

Treasurer:Yvonne Gonzales is a fourth year from Southern California studying English with minors in History and Digital Humanities. She first decided to pursue a career as a novelist when she was six years old and completed her first full-length “novel” at 12. After that failed to make her immediately famous, she spent some time trying to be an Actor, Computer Scientist, Designer, and a few other brief career flirtations before coming back to English. After graduation, Yvonne intends to pursue a PhD in English, New Media, and Communications. Her research focuses on fanfiction, fan culture, and the affective powers of genre and popular literature. She is passionate about the power of the internet and new forms of media, literature, and communication. Find her on TikTok yelling about fandom statistics @oldmythos or in Doe Library writing fanfiction studying hard!

Transfer Advocate:Samantha Kotta is a third-year, transfer student majoring in English. Growing up she was surrounded by Irish and Peruvian literature thanks to her grandparents who were passionate about poetry and music. She is currently researching the intersectionality of Irish and Peruvian narratives and their efforts of  preserving their identities  despite colonial rule. She intends on obtaining her Ph.D. in English and traveling abroad. She is currently a classroom assistant for ESL and other introductory courses of the English language at her former community college.

Editor:Edith Noyes is a third year from Orange County studying English with a minor in Global Studies. She didn’t always know she wanted to study English; originally, she intended to study Neurobiology. Once she got to Berkeley, she realized that she loved arguing too much to deprive herself of exploring her interest for writing. Edith is a huge fan of short fiction and contributed to the Berkeley Fiction Review as an editor. Some of her favorite writers include N.K. Jemisin, Shakespeare, and Liu Cixin. From pursuing the English major, Edith discovered that her love of writing and textual analysis translated well into Global Studies as well. Her areas of interest are quite a mixed bag, everything from cyber-security to tracking small scale corruption. She is also a DJ for KALX radio under the name “Yesnoyes”!

Board Members:

Natalie Naylor is a first-year intended English major from Northern Virginia. From a young age, she has always had a passion for reading and writing thanks to her mother who is an elementary school Reading Recovery specialist. Pursuing English at the collegiate level was always a dream of hers, but never one that she thought she would actually follow through on. When moving across the country to attend Berkeley, she decided to lean into her passion and pursue this field. She is especially interested in contemporary literature and enjoys writing poetry in her free time.

Bryce Wallace is a third-year transfer student from Southern California. He is studying English and Linguistics with a minor in Philosophy. He loves cooking, camping, and snowboarding. Outside of school, he studies viticulture and would like to one day own a vineyard. Bryce plans on pursuing a PhD in English with an emphasis on the intersection of philosophy and literature.

Sofía Zaragoza (she/they/ella) is a third year transfer from Los Angeles majoring in English and Gender & Women’s Studies. Their research focuses on the intersections between gender, race and literature through the lens of feminist philosophers. In their free time they like to explore local architecture, check out the newest gastro pub or tapas bar, and go thrifting. She plans on applying to PhD programs for English and currently works in the office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. She plans to work as a writing tutor and study abroad her senior year.

Megna Raghuraman


2020 – 2021 Board

President

Amanda Styles is a fourth year English major and Medieval Studies Minor. From a young age she had a passion for writing, but it was not until her Sophomore year of high school that she decided she wanted to make a future in English, and it was not until last year she realized she wanted to specialize in Medieval and Early Modern texts. Amanda has spent the majority of her life in suburban Murrieta in Southern California. However, she also strongly identifies with her British side-as her father is from England and many of her family members currently live there. This generational connection to the British Isles has deeply influenced her to focus on older Anglophone works. In Amanda‘s free time she often enjoys watching British Comedies like BlackadderUpstart Crow, and The Young Ones, while knitting or cross-stitching. She aspires to one day attend Graduate School in the UK and become an Academic. As her time frame does not possess the conventional novel, Amanda would have to say her favorite book is Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, the first piece that inspired her to study English. 

Vice President

Olivia Smith is a fourth year from San Francisco studying English and French. She’s been an avid reader ever since elementary school, and she knew she wanted to pursue an English degree after reading William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying in high school. Olivia’s interests in English include narrative theory, popular culture, and all things Emily Dickinson. Half of her family is French and she grew up speaking the language, hence her decision to minor in French at Cal. She is especially fascinated with French linguistics. After college, Olivia hopes to attend law school or teach English at the high school level. She currently works as a writing tutor in the Comparative Literature department and spends her summers working as a camp counselor. Olivia enjoys studying at FSM, overanalyzing sitcoms, and reading non-fiction books about niche topics. One of her favorite books is Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, which she rereads every winter break.

Secretary

Andrea Aquino is from a little town sandwiched between Napa and Vallejo called American Canyon. She is a fourth year English major and hopes to also obtain a minor in Creative Writing. Her avid affinity for books began in her youth and her interest in writing began in middle school, thanks to a couple of roughly-written NaNoWriMo stories. Since then, she has pursued reading and writing and is happy to be able to continue exploring her passion for English in Berkeley! Her future aspirations include becoming a published author and poet, and she is deeply inspired by the author/poet Sylvia Plath and her works. Plath’s The Bell Jar is by far her favorite novel, but beyond of the realm of literary merit, Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series holds a special place in her heart! She loves to talk about books in general and she knows the Percy Jackson pentology through and through — just don’t bring up the movies.

Social Media Chair

Ella Chakarian is a third year from Los Angeles studying English, Creative Writing and Journalism. She likes to think her fate as an English major was solidified at her agrahadig— or the Armenian ceremony where a baby is set before several symbolic items relating to different professional vocations—when she crawled towards a book. That being said, she can speak for hours about her Armenian identity, among other things like the validity of the Oxford comma, every Gilmore Girls episode and the philosophies and written works of her favored journalist, Hrant Dink. Her favorite book changes weekly, but Bluets by Maggie Nelson has a special place in her heart ever since she read it in her first Humanities course at Cal. As an avid poet herself, she feels constantly inspired by the works of Audre Lorde, Peter Balakian and Gregory Djanikian. She loves scouring through magazine newsstands, watching investigation and fashion documentaries, painting outdoors and taking photos on her miniature digital camera. In the future, she sees herself as a journalist and/or editor for a publication in a bustling city, while writing poetry on the side.


EUA Board Alumni

President (2019-2020)

Giovanna Lomanto is a third year English major. She has been passionate about reading and writing since she was a kid, and her first ever book appeared in the form of 4 sheets of construction paper stapled together. Originally hailing from a small suburb on the outskirts of Sacramento, she loves the small city vibe of Berkeley, and feels incredibly humbled to be surrounded by so many wonderfully radiant and endlessly interesting people. She’s passionate about storytelling in all different forms, and she can’t wait to further explore what that will look like at Cal. When she’s not helping out with the EUA, you can find her writing poetry, working part-time at the U.C. Press, cheering with Rally Committee, getting ready for the Bay Area Book Festival, or managing health events for her co-op. Ask her about any of these at any time, and she’d be happy to answer all questions to the best of her ability! Her favorite book is actually a translation–the English version of The Little Prince. She read it as a teenager, and now is a proud owner of two Little Prince mugs and a Little Prince bookmark.

Vice President (2019-2020)

Stephanie Reyna is a fourth year double major in English and Anthropology from Monterey county. She enjoys reading, writing, and watching film adaptations of novels. She has been passionate about literature since she was a child always getting lost in a book. She enjoys listening to music, eating thai food, and cheesecake. She hopes to pursue a career in forensic anthropology or work for a publishing firm. One of her all time favorite books is A Separate Peace by John Knowles. When not studying, she enjoys watching The Office, Shadowhunters, and Bones as well as exploring new things to do in Berkeley and SF.

Secretary (2019-2020)

Kaitlin Weinstein is a third year English and Theater & Performance Studies double major. When she was in elementary school, she had a diary where she wrote about her immense hatred of writing. Fast forward a few years, and she had taken several creative writing workshops, written a couple of novellas during NaNoWriMo, and actually started enjoying writing essays a little bit too. Fast forward once again, and she is hoping to pursue a career that involves writing and sharing her passion for the craft with others. Kaitlin loves stories — listening to them, telling them, reading them, writing them. Perhaps that’s why she also has a passion for theater and the way it incorporates visual elements into the telling of a story. Outside of EUA, Kaitlin can be found working on the production teams of BareStage and The Golden’s shows and designing layouts for Cal Literature & Arts Magazine. One of her favorite books is The Princess Bride, in part because of the fake introductions that continue adding to the narrative of fake William Goldman’s life in each new edition of the novel.

Secretary (2018 – 2019)

Cindy Lim is a senior English major and Creative Writing minor. This probably means you’ll find her furiously annotating a novel, writing her essay, or drinking iced coffee at practically any time of the day. Born and raised in Orange County, California, Cindy loves writing and finding inspiration both within literature and outside of her tiny apartment. Since freshman year, the EUA has been a wonderful community for her, and she enjoys the EUA and English department for all of the interesting people she can meet and stories she can hear. She hopes to have a career in publishing one day, or write the next New York Times bestseller (whatever comes first, really). In her free time, she loves writing poetry, visiting art museums, singing at karaokes, playing Tetris, taking way too many Buzzfeed quizzes, and, inevitably, napping. Her favorite books are Rudy Francisco’s Helium, Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, and Harry Potter.

Treasurer (2018 – 2019)

Madeline Fahselt is a third year English and Economics double major. Raised in Salinas, California – a city rich with the literary history of John Steinbeck and the socio-political history of agricultural labor movements, she is most interested in literature and systems of oppression. One of her favorite classes within the English department here at UC Berkeley has been Contemporary Poetry with Professor Falci. She is excited to be working with the English Undergraduate Association and hopes to grow the undergraduate community as well as to diversify the curriculum of the English department. She hopes to become a community organizer after she graduates and plans to go to law school sometime in the future. When not writing essays or scrambling to finish a problem set, you can find her hiking or running in Berkeley. Her favorite book that she has read so far is Swing Time by Zadie Smith!

EUA Reads Director (2018 – 2019)

Nora Ornstein is a senior English major. Last year, Nora transferred to Berkeley from a community college not far from her hometown, which she describes as, “aggressively normal.” Nora enjoys Berkeley’s quirky vibe, old horror movies, and dogs. Nora is afraid of clowns, praying mantises, and Oski. Nora loves reading and writing; which is good, because otherwise she’d have to pick a new major and it’s a little late for that. Nora would like to pursue a career in publishing but in case that doesn’t work out she’s also considering opening a Goth Bed and Breakfast or becoming a private detective. Everything in this bio is completely true. Nora doesn’t really have a favorite book, but she really enjoys Great Expectations because it has a little bit of everything.

President (2017 – 2018)

Barbara Montano does not quite believe that she is a senior English and Legal Studies double major. Ever since taking 45A her first semester at Berkeley, she has found English a delightful and engaging challenge and has enjoyed every English class she has taken. Beyond English, Barbara takes in interest in all kinds of subjects, from science to philosophy, and decided to tack on another major in order to explore the field of Legal Studies. The EUA has been a home to Barbara throughout her four years on campus, and, as president of the club, she hopes to make EUA a home and a welcoming community for all those who join. Barbara is also part of Colleges Against Cancer and Cal ACLU, and does her best to progress beyond the basic step at Salsa at Cal events. If she ever has any free time, Barbara loves to run through the Berkeley hills, cheer on the Giants and Warriors, and read the paper.

Vice President (2017 – 2018)

Taylor Follett is a third year English major and History minor. She’s very excited for her second year as Vice President of the EUA, and can’t wait for another year of literary fun and friendship with her fellow lit geeks. Taylor hopes to pursue a PhD in English in her future, with a possible focus on gender and sexuality within 20th century literature. However, no literary focus will ever top her absolute favorite novel, Harry Potter. She spent the past summer pouring over Oscar Wilde texts in a research apprenticeship, and would be perfectly happy to never hear the words “Dorian Gray” again. Besides the EUA, Taylor also works at Yali’s Café in Stanley Hall and is this year’s managing editor for the The Folio. On the rare occasion she’s not on campus, you can find Taylor hanging out with her cat, Midnight.

Director of Communications (2017 – 2018)

Shweta Belur is a senior English, MCB and MEB triple major. Born in Austin, Texas, raised in Bangalore, India, and as a student in Berkeley, Shweta is an eclectic mix of cultures and identity. A voracious reader, she has always loved literature and enjoys reading absolutely everything, from The Origin of Species to Lolita. Shweta enjoys the EUA for its relaxed, quirky vibe and loves listening to the fascinating stories that every member has to share. In her second year on the EUA board, she is excited to meet lots of new people and explore the cultural and academic diversity that our members have to offer! When not in class, you can find her at the gym, exploring various study spots around campus or cuddled up at home with tea and a good book. She loves listening to people and helping them make it through the struggle that is college. Feel free to talk to her declaring major(s), the newest workout/diet craze, or even just drop by to tell her about your day!

Director of Finance and Administration (2017 – 2018)

Olivia Lewke is a second year English and Cognitive Science double major. As she is fond of telling people, she loves learning about “books and brains.” This last summer, she was part of an archaeological excavation of Mycenaean tombs in Greece. Olivia has always had a deep love for literature, and she dreamed of the day she could take advantage of an English department’s course offerings. She almost wishes that her undergraduate career could be eight years long rather than four, just so she could have the opportunity to take nearly all of the courses that the English department regularly offers. Olivia spends her time editing for both Cal Literature and Arts Magazine and the Berkeley Undergraduate Journal, and one can usually find her writing a paper, editing a paper, or drinking absurd quantities of tea. Of all the organizations Olivia is a member of, she maintains a special love for the EUA because she believes that it provides a unique low-stress environment for students to meet engage with both literature and one another. When Olivia isn’t in class, she’s either reading, going on runs, or simply enjoying living in Berkeley.

Community Outreach Director (2017 – 2018)

Madeleine Calvi is currently a senior working toward an English major, Gender and Women’s Studies minor, and a career in publishing. Madeleine’s interests include reading, writing, cats, road trips, and flannel.  Esoteric and English-related hobbies include evangelizing about proper semi-colon use, calligraphing quotes from Max Ehrmann’s poem “Desiderata,” and laughing about how terrible Medieval translations of the Iliad are.

Public Relations Director (2017 – 2018)

Erica Dion is a senior English major here at UC Berkeley who first visited an EUA meeting last year and never looked back. She loves that this club brings Cal book lovers together to create a sense of community on campus and is extremely thankful for how the EUA has introduced her to so many wonderful new people!  She is originally from Southern California but in her time here at Cal, the Bay Area has become a home away from home. She enjoys browsing through Berkeley’s many book stores and frequenting coffee shops near campus. Café Strada is a favorite of hers and she’s always down for a slice of their apple pie. One of her other favorite places on campus is the Berkeley Botanical Garden where she spends many afternoons with a novel or sketchbook in hand. She’s always happy to talk about great books, interesting places, and exciting things to do on campus. She’s looking forward to helping create an excellent year for the EUA!

 Social Media Director (2017 – 2018)

Katie Elconin-Donoho is Los Angeles native going into her junior year.  Although she is majoring in English and harbors a definite predilection for Modernism, she is also pursuing a minor in the Scandinavian Department, where she is delighted to focus on ancient mythology and literature relevant to the Nordic regions.  Katie initially joined the EUA in the hopes of finding a community of like-minded literature enthusiasts at Cal. As this year’s Social Media Director she cannot wait to strengthen that sense of community through social media connection and outreach.  When she’s not thoroughly absorbed in lecture or caught in a library drafting essays, Katie divides her time between writing poetry, meditating, talking about social justice with friends, or playing (and generally losing) games of ice hockey. She would love to talk to you about anything even tenuously related to literature, but you can also ask her about adjusting to the Bay Area and navigating the English major!

EUA Reads Director (2017 – 2018)

Summer Farah is a third year English major who can’t make up her mind about a minor because she just loves reading books so dang much. She likes to organize her brain into several categories: the part that cares about social justice, the part that cares about all types of media, and the part that cares about desserts. Those wonderfully crossover in late-night discussions of politics of representation and food colonization on the Food Network. Summer is also very into planning schedules and studying syllabus; if you ever need a buddy to figure out your life, imagining every scenario is a favorite past-time. For fun and friendship, talk to her about poetry, Pokemon, or Palestine.

President (2015-2016)

Emma Schiffer

Emma Schiffer is a soon-to-be-graduated senior who is very scared of the real world. She knew she wanted to be an English major ever since she was little; she spent her spare time in elementary school writing trenchant exposés of society’s wrongs for her fake newspaper, The Informer. Although her alter-ego, Liz Panama, is no longer a journalistic sensation, Emma carries on her love for the newspaper industry by working as assistant blog editor for the Daily Californian. When she’s not writing bitingly funny posts or editing the work of others, she enjoys playing guitar, re-watching Flight of the Conchords, and defending the Oxford comma. She has worked at a wide range of organizations, from UC Berkeley’s Admissions Office to San Francisco Playhouse. Although she still doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up, she loves giving sage advice, so ask her about anything from finding a job to surviving the English major to finding the best boba place in town.

Vice President (2015-2016)

Kevin FigueroaKevin Figueroa was born in Guatemala and grew up in Los Angeles. English is his second language and he fell in love with the way it empowers and influences others. Kevin is a transfer student from East Los Angeles Community College. He’s also a senior graduating this upcoming spring and a part of Learning Enterprises at Berkeley, which involves sending students to teach abroad in various countries. This past summer, he taught English in China. He is currently working as a legal assistant for Katzoff and Riggs Law Firm and doing an internship with the Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization Board. His main goal is to go to Law school and eventually practice civil law, but his life goal is to make a positive difference during his time on this world.

Communications Manager (2015-2016)

Emily Kuo

Emily Kuo is a senior English and Gender & Women’s Studies double major who loves talking about both herself and her second major (GWS) — preferably at the same time! A native of both Taipei and Los Angeles County, Emily has lived her life as staunchly hyphenated and proud. Her main area of focus within the English major is post-WWII Asian, usually Chinese, diaspora literature. Outside of English, she loves talking fantasy and sci-fi and social justice. (Protip: talking about any of these things will guarantee Emily word vomit!) She has also made it her life’s policy to visit every bookstore she comes across. Needless to say, her list of favorite things about Berkeley has bookstores near the very top. She can usually be found at said bookstores, wandering around with an armload of books, or in the English Department Lounge, catching up on much-needed sleep.

Publicity Manager (2016-2017)

Megan's Board Picture Megan Breazeale is a senior graduating in Spring 2017 with absolutely no clue how she’s going to use her coveted English degree. HR? PR? Law? Teaching? She really doesn’t know, but the plan is to try them all! She transferred to Cal in 2015 after traveling all over California, but finding the Berkeley vibe to be something she couldn’t live without. This past summer, Megan worked for a publishing house in Ireland as part of a study abroad program. After all this, she claims to be an expert at revamping her whole life just to keep things interesting. Her childhood was spent in lazy afternoons writing novels and giving faux-interviews with faux-talk shows in the shower. When she’s not having an existential crisis about the void that is her future, Megan spends her time hiking, writing, going to the City, or subtly critiquing others’ grammar. Her favorite thing, however, is to play the Mom and give out advice over a glass of wine; please talk to her, so she can spew all her favorite life-advice quotes, like Zelda Fitzgerald’s, “She quietly expected great things to happen to her, and no doubt that’s one of the reasons why they did.”

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