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.