Faith Pfeffer
My name is Faith Pfeffer, and I recently graduated from Stanford University with a Master of Arts in Public Policy (earning my B.A. in International Relations in 2022). In between my two degrees, I taught English in Corsica, France, and fourth-grade humanities at Khan Academy’s in-person school in Palo Alto. I also lived in New York and London. I grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in a multiracial family. My father is Chinese Malaysian, but I was never taught Malay or Mandarin growing up. At Stanford, I began studying Mandarin (where my husband and I became close!). My passion for languages began as a Rotary Youth Exchange student in Laon, France, in highschool where I experienced firsthand how language shapes belonging and opens doors to new ways of seeing the world. Today, I speak French and Spanish fluently and remain fascinated by the role of languages in expanding opportunity and fostering international peace and understanding. This summer, I am excited to contribute to UNESCO’s work on multilingualism and digital inclusion. My current research focus on multilingual content moderation and information integrity during crises and conflicts, with the goal of ensuring that speakers of all languages have equitable access to trustworthy information. After the summer, I will move to New York to continue working at the intersection of international development, education, multilingualism, and public policy.
Merve Ondogan
My name is Merve Ondogan, and I recently graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Symbolic Systems, concentrating in Human-Computer Interaction, and will begin my M.S. in Management Science & Engineering this fall. I grew up in Istanbul, Turkey, where I grew an appreciation for the richness of languages and cultures and how deeply language shapes access to education and technology. I have become passionate about ensuring that technological progress benefits speakers of all languages, through my work in human-centered AI, including at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Previously, I have gained experience in product management for social impact, working in various startups to help increase women’s participation in digital workspaces, helping under-resourced farmers access funding and manage their finances, and many others . I’m excited to work with the SILICON-Unicode program this summer to help advance more inclusive digital infrastructure and support communities whose languages have historically been overlooked in the digital world, specifically with a focus on saving lives through improving access to and including more languages in emergency alert systems.