Officers AY25/26

President

Ayako Hiasa

PhD Linguistics and Applied Linguistics 

Before joining ASU in 2021, I was an EFL teacher in Japan. My research interests include Englishes in global and local contexts, transnational language teachers, and pedagogical implications of the global spread of English.

Vice President

Shahzadi Laibah Burq

PhD Linguistics and Applied Linguistics 

Shahzadi Laibah Burq is a Fulbright alum who began at ASU in 2019 (M.A. TESOL) and is now a Ph.D. student in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. She previously taught ESL at a university in Pakistan. Her interests include inclusive L2 pedagogy, translanguaging, higher-ed language policy, and teachers’ emotions/emotional labor. 

Treasurer

KK Sharma

English Literature

Secretary 

Gabby Bunko

PhD, Writing, Rhetorics, and Literacies 

Gabby joined the program in 2023, and is in her second term as GSEA Secretary. Her research interests include Rhetorical Theories, and Cultural, Medical, and Disability Rhetorics 

Peer-mentoring coordinator/Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Rep.

Ruonan Zhao

PhD Linguistics and Applied Linguistics

My research interest lies in the communication between teachers and students in classrooms. 

Literature Rep.

Kimberly Blake

PhD English Literature

Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Rep.

Saki Gejo

PhD Linguistics and Applied Linguistics 

I started the LAL program in FA 2021.

My research interests are syntax and morphosyntax of the Piipaash language, one of the Native American languages spoken in Arizona.

English Education Rep.

Adriana Diaz-Heppler

PhD English Education

Adriana Diaz-Heppler is a doctoral student and graduate teaching assistant at Arizona State University (ASU), where she teaches First-Year Composition and is an Assistant Director of Writing Pedagogy. Her work is grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogy and is committed to creating writing spaces that honor students’ cultural and linguistic identities while supporting their growth as thinkers, storytellers, and change-makers. Her current research explores how multimodal and narrative-based writing practices help students challenge dominant narratives and reimagine their relationship to literacy. She is especially interested in how culturally rooted genres can support identity development and critical literacy in the classroom. 

Writing Rhetorics, and Literacies  Rep.

Xueyi Yuan

PhD Writing, Rhetorics, and Literacies 

Xueyi Yuan started her PhD program in Writing, Rhetorics, and Literacies at Arizona State University in Fall 2022. She is interested in research topics related to the phenomenon of writing in a second language. 

Creating Writing Rep.

Chiara Naomi Kaufman

MFA Creative Writing

Grad Student Rep.

An Sakach

PhD Linguistics and Applied Linguistics 

MA Grad Student Rep. (on-ground)

Hyeon I Sim

MA Linguistics and Applied Linguistics

Hello! I'm a second year MA student in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. I'm currently an MA Graduate Student Representative.