DIRECTOR OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
Molecular Environmental Biology

Xin chào các bạn; hello friends; my name is Thanh! I am elated and humbled to be serving as the Internal Director for the '20-'21 term. I am from a concentrated spot of Vietnamese-Americans in SoCal known as Little Saigon. All that I was and all that I am is shaped by my experiences as the daughter of immigrant parents and as the first in my family to soon graduate higher-education. I have learned that effective communication is the bridge between clarity and confusion. It is in language that we can help others and ourselves have our voices, opinions, and stories heard. I am so, so proud to support and serve for VHIO for these reasons.

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONAL AFFAIRS
Public Health

Hi everyone! My name is Tiffany and I am a junior majoring in public health. I joined VHIO my freshman year, and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences at Cal. Seeing the disconnection between providers and patients as an immigrant, I appreciate the opportunity to use my language to voice the concerns for the LEP community. Humbled to serve as the Operational director next year, I am excited to continue to break the language barriers and work with people who share the same passion of serving the community!

DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Molecular & Cell Biology

Hi there! I’m Amy and I am so grateful to be working with an incredible group as this year's External Director. I entered VHIO as a freshman with a love for language, and those beginnings were a starting point for my own evolving growth. I am incredibly lucky to have met lovely friends and so many amazingly open-hearted individuals. VHIO has provided me a space to reflect on and connect with my own heritage, and I am humbled to serve as a linguistic bridge within our community. It has been an honor and privilege to learn patients’ stories, and I look forward to continue using our voices to advocate for theirs! Please feel free to reach out to me about anything 😀

CHINESE DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR
BIOENGINEERING AND BUSINESS

Hello! My name is Shirley Bi, and I am very excited to be one of the Chinese Department Coordinators during the 2020-2021 academic year. I am a 2nd year Bioengineering and Business Administration double major, and am so grateful to have joined VHIO during my first semester at Berkeley. Being able to serve the Low-English proficiency community in the Bay Area with such an amazing group of people has become one of the most valuable experiences I have had so far, and has only increased my passion for overcoming healthcare disparities. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, watching random cooking and baking videos on youtube, and hiking.

CHINESE DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR
Molecular & Cell Biology

Hello! My name is Aileen. I am a 2nd year intending to major in Molecular & Cell Biology. It was an enriching experience as a member of VHIO. I was able to meet and befriend with numerous amazing people through the training program and volunteering events. Growing up as a so-called third-culture kid, I understand the struggle of changing environments and adapting to new cultures and languages. VHIO offered me the opportunity to use my TCK linguistic abilities to interpret for the LEP community and advocate for their right to receive high-quality healthcare services. I feel extremely grateful to continue as one of the Chinese Department Coordinators in the upcoming school year. I am looking forward to having another great year with y'all.

SPANISH DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR
Psychology

Hello everybody! My name is Kattia Suarez, I am a sophomore majoring in Psychology and African American Studies. I will be one of the coordinator for the Spanish department. I joined VHIO on my third semester, and I am really happy to give back to my community the same support that once I got. Two fun facts about me are that I love to row (Dragon Boat) and try all kind of food.

SPANISH DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR
Molecular & Cell Biology and Chinese

Que tal! My name is Sofia. I am currently a fourth year double majoring in MCB and Chinese. I am from the bordering city of Tijuana, Mexico; this which allowed me to grasp on to the incredible fluidity of culture and language around the world from a very young age. As a Spanish speaker, I realized the possibility of how my bilingual skills could support the LED population, and soon after joined VHIO to pursue efforts related to that of language barriers in the healthcare system. In my spare time catch me playing tennis and guitar, drinking Kombucha, or mesmerizing myself with the natural world (love hiking and the chaparral!). If you ever need a running buddy, let me know! and don't forget to eat your fruits and veggies.

VIETNAMESE DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR
Molecular Environmental Biology

Hi everyone! My name is Briana and I am a MEB Major with a minor in Global Public Health. I joined VHIO during my sophomore year because VHIO’s mission statement of overcoming language barriers in healthcare and serving underserved communities really resonated with my beliefs and values. In addition to serving the LEP community, I am also passionate about environmental issues (i.e. climate change), music, and my family. Some of my hobbies include playing the piano, watching movies, reading, and hiking.

VIETNAMESE DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR
Molecular & Cell Biology

Hello, I'm Nhat! I'm a third year majoring in MCB. I joined VHIO my second year and it has been one of my favorite experiences at Cal so far! I come from a family of Vietnamese immigrants and I'm passionate about giving back to the community that has helped me get to where I am today. Outside of VHIO, you can find me hiking, reading, or chatting with the coolest Vietnamese grandparents in the entire world 🙂 Don't hesitate to reach out if you want to talk about anything!

KOREAN DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR COORDINATOR
Molecular and Cell Biology

Hellooo! My. name is Hanna Kim, and I am one of the Korean Department Coordinators this year. I'm a 3rd year majoring in MCB (Immunology and Pathogenesis) from South Korea and LA. I joined VHIO in my second year, and I am looking forward to being an officer for an organization with such an amazing mission! In my spare time, I love obsessing over new shows (I'm currently obsessed with Attack on Titan), listening to other people's Spotify playlists (because mine is never good enough), and exploring San Francisco!

KOREAN DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR
Molecular & Cell Biology
Hello~ My name is EunJee Choi, and I am now a third year MCB major with a minor in Korean. I love meeting new people and learning about new cultures. I’m always down to meet up, chat, and catch up—especially over good food! If you like to bake, cook, go take photos, or fangirl about k-pop/k-dramas, feel free to reach out me! I would love to talk about anything with you 🙂

OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Nutritional Science

Hi! I'm Michelle and I'm the outreach coordinator this year! I'm a 2nd year Nutri-Sci major from SoCal 🙂 I'm super excited to be apart of VHIO, the first club I joined on campus, and I'm 100% you will be as well! I love watching K-dramas and C-dramas and I'm a big foodie. Feel free to reach out of you have questions!

TAGALOG DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR
Integrative Biology
Hello! My name is Vivien Fontanilla and I am a senior majoring in Integrative Biology, with an emphasis on Integrative Human Biology.Becoming a volunteer has been one of the highlights of my college career. I’m grateful to have found an amazing and inspiring community through VHIO, and I’m excited to work as Tagalog Department Coordinator! In my spare time, I enjoy running, walking in nature, or just watching Korean dramas. I also love collecting plants. Feel free to ask me for K-drama recommendations or plant care tips!

JAPANESE DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR
Rhetoric

Hello! My name is Chisato and I am a second-year studying Rhetoric. I am excited to be one of the Japanese Department Coordinators this year. As someone who has had medical translation assistance in the past, being a part of VHIO in striving to mitigate the language barrier has been a rewarding experience. Some things I enjoy doing for leisure are knitting, watching films, and hanging out with my pup back home!

JAPANESE DEPARTMENT COORDINATOR
Public Health

Hello! I'm Sage and I'm excited to be the Japanese department coordinator for VHIO this year. I am a second year majoring in Public Health and I joined VHIO my freshman year. I had a great time in my first year as a VHIO member and I'm looking forward for many more to come. In my free time I like to watch Youtube (mainly cat videos and the like), gorge myself on snacks, and take naps.

EDUCATION COORDINATOR
Molecular & Cell Biology

Hello everyone! My name is Yichen and I am a fourth-year majoring in MCB-Neurobiology, intending to minor in Buddhist Studies. I am really happy to be one of the Education Coordinators this year. Joining VHIO has been one of the greatest things I have done at Cal, as I value the opportunity in serving others and alleviating language barriers in healthcare. In my free time, I love playing volleyball and badminton, watching movies, hanging out with friends, playing the Guzheng (a Chinese zither), and learning new languages. I look forward to another superb year at VHIO!

EDUCATION COORDINATOR
Molecular & Cell Biology

Hello everyone~ My name is Ningxin, and I'm a fourth year majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology from the Bay Area. I'm honored to be able to serve as one of the Education Coordinators for VHIO, and I'll work hard to make training as enjoyable as possible! I've had a wonderful experience being able to interpret for the local LEP community at health fairs and screenings, and there is a definite need for interpreters, as a significant proportion of the population is not fluent in English and does not have access to sufficient information or resources. That's where we come in to help! I love drawing and anything crafts-related, and I'm always down to try new boba places. Excited for another great semester!

LANGUAGE COORDINATOR
Molecular & Cell Biology

Hi y'all! My name is Alex, I'm a 4th year Molecular & Cell Biology major from Hong Kong, and I'm really excited to be the language coordinator for VHIO this year! I joined VHIO in my 2nd year and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had at Berkeley, whether it be volunteering and helping patients or coaching new members as a language coach last year. In my spare time, I love cooking, grocery shopping, window shopping on 4th Street, and exploring new restaurants in the Bay Area - let me know if you have any recommendations!

SOCIALS COORDINATOR
Chemical Biology

Hey everyone! My name is Wilson and I'm a second-year studying chemical biology. I am so excited to be your social coordinator this year. I've got some fun activities planned for y'all and I hope everyone will have a good time. I love to travel, cook, bake, and any food-related activities. Please feel free to message me if y'all have ideas about socials or if you just need a pal to grab boba. I'm so excited to meet everyone and see y'all at socials!

PROGRAMS ANALYST

FINANCE COORDINATOR
Bioengineering

Hi! My name is Nathan Nguyen and I am a fourth year bioengineering student. I joined VHIO during my first semester freshman year and I am now the finance coordinator for the 2020-2021 year. I'm really excited to continue in VHIO and it's awesome being able to serve the community and help people with limited English proficiency better receive access to healthcare. When I'm free I love to cook, binge Netflix, or dance.

PUBLICITY COORDINATOR
Cognitive Science

Hi! I'm Ellen. I am a junior majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Data Science. I am from Hong Kong and I have been volunteering to work with the LEP communities in the Bay Area since moving here. I joined VHIO in my second year and it has been a wonderful experience. I believe our services have been making an impact on the LEP communities. I am excited to be serving as the publicity coordinator and grow with VHIO this year. In my free time, I like to draw, binge Netflix shows, and eat.

SENIOR ADVISOR
Molecular & Cell Biology

Hello! My name is Evelyn, and I'm a senior majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. I joined VHIO in my freshman year, and I'm more than excited to serve as a senior advisor this year. Over the past three years in VHIO, I've always been amazed by my fellow volunteers' dedication to our mission and the impact we can have on our community. In my spare time, I love to bake, watch movies, and work out!

SENIOR ADVISOR/ WEBMASTER 
Molecular & Cell Biology and Chinese, Class of 2018

VHIO ALUMNI

With special thanks to
Dr. Winston Tseng, FACULTY ADVISOR

Read about last year's officers here.