2026 Undergraduate Advisory Council
Claire Lee, Chair
Claire is a fourth year studying Urban Studies in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the College of Environmental Design. Her multicultural background and childhood experience living abroad led to a love for language-learning, which she has been able to pursue at Berkeley by taking Dutch and Russian courses. Her academic and future career interests include multilingual urban programs and city services for immigrants and urban residents.
Umar Shaukat Ayubi
Umar is a freshman studying Economics with a deep-seated passion for linguistics and polyglotism. He grew up speaking English, Urdu, and Russian and is currently furthering his Russian studies at Berkeley while independently teaching himself French. His fascination with language began through the art of calligraphy, which sparked a broader interest in how languages shape human communication. In his free time, you can find him practicing his penmanship or studying in Ishi Court.
Christina Carasis
Christina Carasis is a third-year majoring in Geography with a minor in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, emphasizing Modern Greek. Her academic interests include the Greek diaspora, endangered languages, and the use of cartography as a tool for cultural preservation. Raised by her immigrant grandfather, she grew up witnessing first hand how language barriers can create both practical challenges and larger social biases. This experience, along with her Greek spirit of philotimo, shaped her commitment to language learning as a form of community solidarity and advocacy.
Zihan Liu
Zihan is a sophomore majoring in cognitive science and a minor in german. She can speak Mandarin and English and started learning German 5 years ago. She is also passionate about second language acquisition, Edutech, sociolinguistics as well as language teaching methods. You can always find her studying/faulenzening in the CalNerds Center or the ethnic studies library.
Owen Norwalk
Owen is a sophomore double majoring in Chinese and applied mathematics. He started learning Mandarin Chinese in 5th grade and wants to build a career in the APAC, focusing on logistics and finance. He has a passion for traveling, learning local languages, and connecting with different cultures around the world. Outside of school, Owen enjoys cycling, playing bass guitar, and exploring new places.
Farah Rasul-zada
Farah Rasul-zada is a first-year student from Baku, Azerbaijan, studying Data Science. She speaks Azerbaijani, Turkish, Russian, and English, with a particular interest in Turkic and Slavic languages. Growing up in a multilingual environment and moving abroad for university have shaped her passion for cross-cultural communication, global communities, and using language as a bridge to connect people from diverse backgrounds.