Tyler Abernethy
“My name is Tyler Abernethy, and I am a junior majoring in Symbolic Systems with a focus on natural language and minoring in East Asian studies. Through studying the spoken and written components of Mandarin Chinese, I have gained exposure to the idiosyncrasies of communicating in a character-based script through digital systems. I am looking forward to learning more about the challenges faced by users and working towards digital accessibility on this project!”
Daniel Argento
“I’m Daniel Argento, a freshman studying Computer Science and Linguistics. Throughout my education, I’ve had the opportunity to take classes in Spanish, Arabic, Ojibwe, French, and Italian. These experiences sparked my interest in the mechanics of language and how it can be preserved through digital tools. My work is driven by the fact that language is central to the human experience, and I’m excited to contribute to ongoing efforts that expand how language is represented and used in the digital space.”
Mathias Becerra-Sanchez
“My name is Mathias Becerra-Sanchez, and I am a sophomore majoring in Symbolic Systems with a concentration in Human-Centered AI. Growing up in rural Peru, I witnessed firsthand the technological and linguistic barriers faced by Quechua-speaking communities. Many indigenous languages, including Quechua, lack adequate digital resources, making access to technology and education more difficult. My experiences organizing STEM workshops in Quechua and working on AI-driven language tools have fueled my passion for digital inclusion. I am excited to contribute to projects that empower marginalized communities by bridging linguistic and technological gaps.”
Diana Bernabe
“My name is Diana Bernabe. I am a first-year student and a prospective electrical engineering and computer science major. My family is a part of the Purépecha Indigenous community, local to the state of Michoacan, Mexico. As I attempted to learn Purépecha, I noticed the lack of representation for this language, as well as many other Indigenous languages, in the digital space. This has inspired me to contribute to the advancement of digital inclusion for disadvantaged languages, ensuring that Indigenous languages have a place in the digital world.”
Alyssa Hoang
“My name is Alyssa Hoang, and I am a sophomore majoring in Computer Science with a focus on computer systems. While studying my parent’s native language of Cantonese, I’ve experienced firsthand the difficulties of using online translation platforms and language models that are often inaccurate. This has sparked my interest in both understanding and improving digital resources for languages. I’m excited to join the team in this opportunity to improve accessibility and inclusivity.”
Samantha Leventis
“My name is Samantha Leventis, and I’m a Senior from the Washington, D.C. area! I’m currently finishing up my B.S. in Symbolic Systems and beginning my Co-term year, pursuing an M.S. in Computer Science. Studying Symbolic Systems, I’m incredibly interested in the intersection of computer science, linguistics, cognitive science, and philosophy. I find joy in the expression and representation of information, whether that be as binary in computers, phonemes in natural language, or neurotransmitters in the brain. Studying this field, I hope to contribute to multi-faceted projects that involve the interaction of computers, people, and language. Given the internet plays a huge role in democratizing education, I’m particularly passionate about increasing its linguistic accessibility!”
Christian Roy
“My name is Christian Roy, and I am a freshman planning to major in Computer Science. Attending a high school for Native Hawaiians gave me the privilege of learning the Hawaiian language. However, it remains unfamiliar to most and is rarely integrated into digital spaces. Therefore, I am eager to contribute to this organization’s mission of promoting and supporting digitally disadvantaged languages.”
Neev Seedani
“My name is Neev Seedani, and I’m a first-year student at Stanford University in the Design program. Born in Pakistan, I grew up speaking five languages, and my interest in linguistics and language endangerment stems from my very own village language, Oadki. I’m excited to work toward better digital inclusion of diverse languages.”