The HCDE Graduate Student Association (GSA) is a registered student organization founded and operated by HCDE graduate students. The GSA's mission is to support learning, socializing, volunteering, and career-path opportunities for HCDE graduate students, and engage with the student body.
View the 2023-2024 GSA Officers
2022-2023 HCDE GSA Officers
President
Tony Li (he/him)
First-year Master's student
tonywli@uw.edu | LinkedIn
- GSA responsibilities »
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- Point person for communication for students, faculty, and department administrators
- Oversees and facilitates meetings
- Sets vision and priorities for the GSA
- Liaison to the HCDESA (Undergraduate Student Association)
- Free Time & Passions »
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- Playing the violin and erhu
- Movies and video games
- Ultimate Frisbee, tennis, bouldering, dragonboating
- Chat with me about »
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- HCI research
- Data viz/data science
- Web dev/design
- Working in tech
- Your passions!
Vice President
Tomomi Matsuzaki (she/her)
first-year master's student
mathie09@uw.edu | LinkedIn
- GSA responsibilities »
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- Assists and coordinates volunteer, recruitment, and social events
- Responsible for communicating with the department and discussing any concerns or ideas from community members
- Takes proactive steps to increase and develop HCDE representation and awareness on and off campus
- Maintains relationship with RSO
- Free Time & Passions »
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- I do cooking, calligraphy and yoga
- I love plants, cats, and dogs
- Chat with me about »
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- HCDE Student Life
- Design (UX/UI, web design, graphic design)
- Japanese culture & language
- Restaurants and cafes in Seattle
Community Relations Officer
Naomi Johnson (she/her)
First-year Master's student | UX Researcher | Product Designer
naomi789@uw.edu | LinkedIn | Personal Website
- GSA responsibilities »
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- The main point of contact with people outside of GSA and HCDE, and maintain relationships that GSA has already built
- Build new relationships with professionals in the UX field
- Coordinate marketing efforts for GSA events, including maintaining email lists, social media accounts, and print advertising
- Free Time & Passions »
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- Japanese and German
- Hiking! I did Mailbox twice last year and I’m training for the Enchantments this year
- Wedding and portrait photography
- BBQs and beach hangouts
- Chat with me about »
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- Anything!! I’m here to make both friends and professional connections
- Finding a time for us to get boba
- Resumes, job applications, interviews
MS Curriculum Representative
Tabitha Safari (she/her)
First-year Master's student
tsafari@uw.edu | Linkedin
- GSA responsibilities »
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Representing HCDE Master's students on the HCDE MS Curriculum Committee.
- Free Time & Passions »
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- Yoga
- Vegan Baking/Cooking
- Nature walks, hiking, & exploring Seattle
- Chat with me about »
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- HCDE courses and career-related resources you’re finding helpful/unhelpful
- What kinds of support, guidance, and resources you would like to receive from the HCDE program
- How we can help improve your experience within the HCDE program
- Vegan recipes
- How to Figma :P
International Student Representative
Vanessa Chien Lai (she/her)
First-year master's student | UX Designer
vchien@uw.edu | LinkedIn
- GSA responsibilities »
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- Representing and advocating for the international student body for GSA
- Talking to people from different cultures and see how GSA can better serve our international students
- Getting more international students involved in GSA and help them get connected to the broader UX community in Seattle
- Free Time & Passions »
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- Lettering & Calligraphy
- Home gardening
- Making polymer clay jewelry
- Exploring new foods & coffee shops
- Chat with me about »
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- Anything DIY related
- Mental health & wellness
- Plant parenting
- My dog Coco…or your dog…or any dog
- Your struggles and successes as an international student in the US!
International Student Representative
Hsinyi Hsieh (she/her)
First-year Master's student | UX Designer
hsinyih@uw.edu | Linkedin
- GSA responsibilities »
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- Representing and advocating for the international student body for GSA
- Talking to people from different cultures and see how GSA can better serve our international students
- Getting more international students involved in GSA and help them get connected to the broader UX community in Seattle
- Free Time & Passions »
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- Hiking & wandering in nature
- Exploring music, making playlists, enjoying music gigs
- Chat with me about »
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- Pivoting careers
- Finding mentors
- Settling in a new country/city
- Finding great boba & Taiwanese dishes
- Dealing with imposter syndrome
- How can we support you for a smoother HCDE student life
Affinity Group Lead
Fumi Tsukiyama (she/her)
First-year master's student | UX Designer
ftsuki@uw.edu | LinkedIn
- Free Time & Passions »
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- Drawing digital illustrations/Playing video games
- Paddleboarding/kayaking
- Exploring boba/coffee shop/brewery
- Chat with me about »
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- Settling in a new country/city
- Finding great boba & Japanese dishes
- Dealing with burnout
- Surviving grad school as a first-gen college student
- And you!
Treasurer
Parag Nandi (he/him)
First-year Master's student | UX Designer
paragn@uw.edu | LinkedIn
- GSA responsibilities »
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- Responsible for keeping records of financial transactions, coordinating with the department regarding funding, and ensuring that HCDE GSA events can be funded
- Tracks RSO resources and submits funding requests
- anages the bank account and takes lead of fundraising and funding
- Help maintain GSA online accounts
- Free Time & Passions »
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- Strategy-based board games
- Cooking and experimenting with new recipes
- Exploring parks and hiking trails
- Finding the next challenge to hustle on
- Chat with me about »
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- Anything design
- Pivoting career in UX
- Hiking around Seattle
- Life as an international student in HCDE
- Effective networking with industry professionals
Historian
Akshay Rawat (he/him)
First-year Master's student | UX Researcher
hiakshay@uw.edu | LinkedIn | Personal website
- GSA responsibilities »
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- Connects HCDE Master's students with HCDE PhD students
- Identifies relevant areas of collaboration between the entire HCDE graduate student body
- Free Time & Passions »
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- Listening to Coldplay or making plans to see Coldplay
- I can play 1.25 Coldplay songs on the guitar
- Sunrise drives and sunset runs
- Cafe & bakery hunter
- Chat with me about »
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- Anything, really! Can’t think of something? No worries, let’s start here:
- Music – What’s your favorite Coldplay song?!
- Travel – Where are you headed to next?
- Design – What’s a product/service/experience you’re passionate about?
PhD Student Representative
Sourojit Ghosh (G) (he/him)
Second-year PhD Student | Human-Centered Data Science | Natural Language Processing | Machine Learning
Website | ghosh100@uw.edu
- GSA responsibilities »
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- Connects HCDE Master's students with HCDE PhD students
- Identifies relevant areas of collaboration between the entire HCDE graduate student body
- Free Time & Passions »
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- Playing soccer
- Writing fanfictions and poetry
- Watching horror/suspense TV shows or movies
- Model UN conferences
- Chat with me about »
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- Anything about soccer
- International student life
- Politics (US, Indian, or international!)