Former Student Assistants

Name	Role	BIO
Camron Xomvimane	Student Assistant (2024-2025)	Camron is an undergraduate majoring in Asian & Asian American Studies, with a minor in Japanese studies. He takes great interest in learning about other cultures different from his own, in order to create deeper connections with the world and the best way to communicate effectively with the diverse spread of cultures all across the world, though he is mostly intrigued with Japan and its culture. He loves all types of food from different Asian countries and is open to trying anything he may not be familiar with. In his free time, he spends time talking to his family and friends, including his international friends, weight training, and continuing to learn more about Japanese culture through various types of media like music and literature. After graduating, he is hoping to work in Japan to teach English or find work in the U.S. to be a diplomat representing his home country of Laos or Japan.
Isabella Birbiglia	Student Assistant (2024-2025)	Isabella is an undergraduate at Stony Brook University majoring in Linguistics. She is interested in language acquisition, the relationship between language and personal psychology, and intercultural communication. In her free time, she enjoys learning about other cultures, customizing clothes, curating playlists, and dancing. After graduating, Isabella plans to travel abroad and teach English as a second language.
Maya Syed	Student Assistant (2024)	Maya is an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University majoring in Health Science. She is interested in learning other cultures' history, literature, and languages. Her hobbies include traditional and digital art, reading manga and novels, and studying paleontology.
Kayo Takahashi	Student Assistant (2024)	Kayo is an international exchange student from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies majoring in Linguistics. She is interested in how language relates with the way we see the world, as well as language and gender.
Melis Tozoğlu	Student Assistant (2022-2024)	Melis graduated from Stony Brook University with a major in Linguistics. She is greatly interested in the way language is used across Asia today. Her pursuits have led her to grow closer to her own culture while discovering new ones. She likes Sociolinguistics and Japanese Literature, as well as translation and migration studies. She is currently living in Japan.
Sarah Johnson	Student Assistant (2021-2023)	Sarah is a Junior majoring in Asian and Asian American Studies with a minor in Korean Studies. Sarah enjoys learning about a variety of cultures through pop culture, and interpersonal communication. As a Korean Language student Sarah has an interest in second language acquisition, sociolinguistics, and intercultural communication topics. She hopes to learn more about the relationships between intercultural connection and societal issues, as well as the nuances of language learning and teaching.
Gabrielle Modeste	Student Assistant (2021-2023)	Gabrielle Modeste is an international student from France and an undergraduate at Stony Brook University. Currently majoring in Modern Applied Languages, she is interested in international relations and how the intersection of different cultures shapes the world of today. After graduating, she plans to continue her education in either international law or political science.
Andrew Liu	Student/Technical Assistant (2021-2022)	Andrew is a senior majoring in Asian and Asian American with a minor in Computer Science. He is interested in Asian cultures as he enjoys Asian pop cultures through various media and platforms at a young age. As a multilinguist, he's also interested in the relationship between languages and cultures of different backgrounds. He hopes to learn more about multilingual and intercultural topics.
Braeden Bierwiler	Student Assistant (2021)	Braeden is a senior with a double major in Anthropology and Astronomy. After focusing on Asian and Asian American studies as interdisciplinary work for her anthropology degree, she developed an interest in Asian religious studies. She is especially interested in the intersection between religion and ethnoastronomy, the study of a culture’s use of astronomy. She hopes to pursue a master's in Anthropology before moving on to a PhD in astronomy and higher degrees of anthropological pursuit.
Liliana Conte	Student Assistant (2021)	Liliana is a fourth-year student majoring in Asian and Asian American studies. She is an adoptee from China and has thus spent the majority of her childhood questioning her ethnic background. Liliana was the moderator for the Spring 2021 Korean culture week conference on K-Pop. Her interests reside in understanding various Asian countries through their pop culture.
Stephanie Yam	Student Assistant (2021)	Stephanie is a sophomore double majoring in Psychology (B.A.) & Asian and Asian American Studies, with a minor in Creative Writing. She is the co-event coordinator for Tzu Chi Stony Brook Collegiate Association. Her interest in multilingualism stems from her family environment where her parents spoke a mix of Mandarin, Cantonese, and Fuzhounese, while having to help translate and interpret for them since she was young. Stephanie hopes to become a therapist for the Asian/Chinese-American community and bridge the cultural, language, and generational gap between immigrant children and their parents in regards to mental health and illnesses. She also has plans to write stories involving such topics and bring more representation for Asian/Chinese-Americans. During her free time, she enjoys discovering new music, taking pictures, playing mobile games, and reading webtoons.
Judy Le	Student Assistant	Judy is a Senior majoring in Asian and Asian American Studies, and minoring in South Korean Studies and South Asian Studies. Over the years, she has held several student leadership positions on and off campus, in SBU VSA, SBU PUSO, and FIND, Inc. District III. Being multi-racial, Judy plans to continue learning about other cultures, and plans to continue working on spreading cultural awareness wherever she goes.
Claudia Motley	Student Assistant	Claudia is a senior double majoring in Journalism and Asian and Asian American Studies. After living in China during her childhood, she has dedicated much of her life to learning about East Asia. In 2016, she was selected for the Japan Society Junior Fellows program, which introduced her to her passion for international reporting and videography. She has spent three years as a contributor to the platform Kulture Hub, and is currently Assistant News Editor for the Stony Brook Statesman.
Maha Alam	Student Assistant	Maha is an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University and is majoring in Biochemistry. She is interested in learning about different languages and their associated cultures, as well as spreading awareness of the diversity that exists on campus. Currently in her Sophomore year, Maha plans to continue learning even after her undergraduate experience by attending a Masters and Ph.D. program.
Brian Tavares	Student Assistant	Brian is a Political Science major with minors in Asian and Asian-American Studies and International Studies. Brian’s professional interests concern foreign policy and international relations. Growing up in a very diverse community, Brian has experienced multilingual and intercultural communication on a regular basis throughout his life. Now a senior, Brian is keen to delve into the realm of multilingual and intercultural communication within Stony Brook’s own community.
Joshua Sandground	Technical Assistant	Joshua is an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University and is currently pursuing a double major in Psychology and Biology. His passion for cinematography and film was spurred from a young age, and developed into more serious projects such as interviews and music videos. He is especially interested in the psychological factors that contribute to the components of film making. He intends on working in the mental health field and plans to pursue a higher degree in the field of Psychology after his undergraduate.
Jasmeet Kaur	Graduate Assistant	Jasmeet is a graduate student majoring in Public Policy and Contemporary Asian American Studies. She recently graduate from Stony Brook University with bachelors degree in Political Science and Asian and Asian American Studies with minors in South Asian Studies and International Studies. She is interested in doing research on gender roles & diversity in South Asia, and immigration policy and law. She loves to travel and learn new languages. In future, she wants to work as a foreign policy analyst and is preparing for a career in U.S Foreign Service.
Honaidah Ahyad	Graduate Assistant (2013- 2018)	Honaidah is a PhD candidate at Stony Brook. She is majoring in Linguistics. She is interested in Phonology, Phonetics, and Second Language Acquisition. Her research is focused on loanword adaptation and modeling native speakers intuitions with the Minimal Generalization Learner (MGL). Honaidah has been a member of the MIC since 2013. She joined the center as soon as she met with Professor He, whose enthusiasm and passion for the center were contagious. Honaidah helps planning for the MIC Distinguished Lecture Series and coordinating other events.
Brianna Young	Student Assistant	Brianna Young is an Asian and Asian American Studies major with minors in Korean Studies, South Asian Studies, and Linguistics. She will be an English teacher in Korea after graduation. She also plans to work as a volunteer assisting the hearing-impaired community in Korea in her spare time in addition to co-writing a mental health digital magazine.
Rohit Luthra	Technical Assistant	Rohit is an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University and is majoring in computer science. He is interested in video editing, learning new computer languages and UI designing. After graduating he aims to work on blockchain applications.
Yilin Zhao	Student Assistant	Yilin Zhao is an international student from China double-majoring in Psychology and Linguistics. She is interested in studying language acquisition, cultural readjustments for international college students, and student advocacy. She is currently on her third year with Stony Brook University. After graduation, Yilin plans to further her studies in intercultural affairs and pursue a degree in Higher Education.
Hanyu Zhang	Student Assistant (2019)	Hanyu Zhang is an international student from China, majoring in Psychology. He is interested in studying the relationship between linguistics and psychology. He is currently a senior student, graduating in May 2019. After graduation, Hanyu plans to study business psychology in the UK.
Annie Manley	Student Assistant (2017)	Annie Manley is an undergraduate student studying Linguistics. She is very interested in studying cultural interaction, intercultural communication, and the acquisition of language. After graduating from Stony Brook University, she plans to further her study of language and go into law enforcement.
Jiyeon Lee	Technical Assistant (2017)	Jiyeon Lee is an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University and is majoring in Computer Science. She is very interested in various languages in the world, automobiles, 3d modelings and video editing. After graduating from Stony Brook University, she hopes to go to graduate school to explore further studies in the field.
Diamond Bridges	Student Assistant (2016)	Diamond Bridges is an undergraduate student studying Journalism on the broadcasting track. She is also minoring in Digital Arts. She is currently a second year student at Stony Brook University. After graduating, she hopes to able to work for a news media, such as Buzzfeed or Vox Media. Enjoys photography, editing videos, and drawing.
Ji Young Park	Student Assistant (2016)	Ji Young Park is an undergraduate student studying Linguistics on the path to Speech Language Pathology. She is interested in Psycholinguistics, Anatomy and Physiology of Speech and Hearing, and Language Acquisition. After graduating from Stony Brook University, she plans on going to graduate school to explore further studies in the field.
Jenny Jeng	Student Assistant (2016)	Jenny Jeng is an International student from Taiwan, she came to the United States in 2010, currently is a third year student studying journalism at Stony Brook University. She is energetic and creative, proven to be capable of supporting news operations, including broadcast and radio. She also has a strong ability in producing multimedia elements. Fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese.
Yifang Cao	Technical Assistant (2015 - 2016)	Yifang is an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University and will graduate with a BS in Computer Science with a specialization in systems and software development. He speaks English fluently, as well as Mandarin natively. After graduation he will be pursuing a career in information assurance.
Patrick Gaston	Student Assistant (2015 - 2016)	Patrick is an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University and will graduate in May with a BA in Linguistics. He is interested in Second Language Acquisition, Psycholinguistics, and bilingualism. He is a U.S. Army Veteran with experience in the Middle East. Patrick speaks fluent English, is proficient in French, and has intermediate level experience in Arabic. After graduation, he will be pursuing a masters degree in Linguistics overseas.
Morgan Macklin	Student Assistant (2015 - 2016)	Morgan is a rising senior at Stony Brook University double majoring in Applied Mathematics & Statistics and Asian American Studies. She speaks English fluently, as well as Spanish and Mandarin proficiently. She will be pursing a career in finance after graduation, with the eventual aim of attending an overseas MBA program.
Philippe Kimura-Thollander	Student Assistant (2015 - 2016)	Philippe is an undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science with a minor in History and Digital Art. He is fluent in Japanese and is president of the Japanese Student Organization and the Stony Brook Game Developers. After graduation he seeks to begin a career in UI/UX design.
Yuli Ma	Student Assistant (2015 - 2016)	Yuli Ma is an undergraduate student at stony brook university and is majoring in mathematics as well as business. She enjoys communicating with different kinds of people to learn other cultures and languages. It is also Yuli's interest to organize activities for people to share various experiences and learning from each other. Yuli is especially interested in helping the Chinese students as she is the president of CSSA. After graduation, she will be perusing a master degree in mathematics and keep in diversifying the campus' culture.
Minesh Javiya	Student Assistant (2014 - 2015)	N/A
Adrienne Blaser	Student Assistant (2014 - 2015)	Adrienne Blaser was an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University graduating in May with a Bachelor's in Asian and Asian American Studies and dual minors in International Studies and China Studies. Adrienne speaks German fluently and has intermediate level experience in Mandarin. She is pursing her interest in public service and international affairs in the fall at George Washington University's Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration in D.C.
Naomi Vingron	Student Assistant (2014 - 2015)	Naomi graduated from Stony Brook University with a double major in Psychology and Sociology and a minor in China Studies. She is interested in Psycholinguistics, bilingualism as well as Asian history and culture. Naomi speaks German and French fluently. She is attending McGill University in Montreal to pursue a PhD in experimental Psychology with a focus on multilingualism.