Executive Team
President
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Angela Nguyen is a junior pursuing a bachelor’s in computer science. She is passionate about PIT by combining technology, ethics, and diversity because of her background as a woman, Southeast Asian, and first-generation/low-income student. She is the president of Stanford PIT Lab and serves as the student assistant of McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society's Ethics, Society, and Technology Initiatives. This past summer, she worked on responsible AI and emerging technology projects at Avanade as a Digital Ethics & Advisory Intern through the Stanford Tech Ethics & Policy Fellowship. In her spare time, Angela enjoys singing with Stanford Everyday People A Cappella, baking, and going to concerts.
Vice President of
Public Relations
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Joy Kim (‘26) is a senior studying philosophy and minoring in creative writing, with plans to pursue a master’s in applied ethics. She is interested in understanding how we can implement ethical guardrails in military technology affairs, as well as how AI is currently impacting humanities learning. As PIT’s vice president this term, she is super excited to engage the campus community in thinking more about these issues! Outside of PIT, she loves reading, teaching, and hunting for new places to eat.
Vice President of Operations
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Akshay is a junior from Chicago, Illinois, studying Symbolic Systems and Public Policy. He is extremely interested in technology regulation and building technology for the public interest. Akshay is passionate about fostering innovation while maintaining user safety. His experience on the Youth Advisory Board for Inner Peak AI, a wellness AI startup that makes mental health care more accessible, and as the Project Manager for Stanford Healthcare Consulting Group’s AI Clinical Deterioration Project, where he worked to optimize hospital operations and notify doctors of patients who need immediate care using AI, helped him realize the positive impact AI can have. At the same time, he recognizes the harm AI technologies, like deepfakes and AI-generated imagery, can cause by manipulating the truth. Akshay hopes to explore the nature of emerging technologies. He wants to better understand how to increase and utilize their benefits while mitigating risks and ensuring their responsible use. Outside of class, you can find Akshay trying out new recipes and curating Spotify playlists. He is also an avid coffee enthusiast!
Core Team
Communications
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Luiza is an undergraduate (co ‘28) at Stanford University studying Product Design and Computer Science. She is passionate about finding ways where technology can be designed to be more ethical and sustainable. Last year, Luiza worked with the McCoy Center for Family and Ethics to create a digital toolkit to help artists protect their art from GenAI art tools or use them ethically. In her spare time, Luiza enjoys writing, reading, and gardening at Roble.
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Paulina is an undergraduate (co ‘28) at Stanford University with a prospective major in Data Science, concentrating in Math and Computation. Her interdisciplinary interests in quantitative methods, economic analysis, and politics have driven her research in global educational opportunity disparities at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. She plans to continue working with PITLab to discover how technology can be used to benefit marginalized communities.
Paulina comes from the D.C. Metro area. Prior to coming to Stanford, she had competed in Speech and Debate, digitized over 200 primary Civil War documents, and researched international and domestic space policy in light of private sector innovation.
Education & Advocacy
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Wesley is a junior pursuing a bachelor’s in Engineering Design & Business Administration. He is a former foster youth from South Korea, and attended El Camino College before transferring to Stanford. At El Camino, he served as the district Student Trustee, leading many legislative advocacy efforts at the state and federal level and he intends to continue this advocacy through Stanford’s PIT Lab. Wesley is interested in policy and advocacy, ensuring equitable access to technology and regulating technology. Outside of academics, Wesley creates content on transfer admission, helping future transfer students gain admission into top universities.
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Andy is a freshman with a prospective major in Computer Science and minor in Human Rights. As a first-generation/low-income student, he is interested in developing more equitable and ethical technology, especially in the areas of education and sustainability. He has served as an instructor for the nonprofits StreetCode Academy, The Robotics Academy, and Bit by Bit Coding to support underserved communities. During high school, Andy also worked as an intern with Climate Action Pathways for Schools, examining energy usage and reducing plastic use in food packaging across sixteen school district sites. In his spare time, Andy enjoys playing tennis, guitar, and video games.
Research & Policy
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Mahishaa Balraj (’26) is an LL.M. candidate at Stanford Law School, with an LL.B. from the University of London and a B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering. She is interested in how regulation and institutional design can discipline high-impact technologies, particularly AI systems and online platforms, through governance frameworks that are enforceable, rights-protective, and workable in practice. She is the founder-director of Hashtag Generation, where her work spans online safety, platform accountability, and technology-facilitated gender-based harms. Earlier, she served as Sri Lanka’s youth delegates to the 69th United Nations General Assembly. Outside of work, she’s an island girl at heart: surfing when she can, and chasing sunrises and sunsets.
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Haolie is a Knight-Hennessy Scholar and a current Masters in International Policy (MIP) student at Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute. He is interested in the intersections of emerging tech and democratic development. A democracy scholar and practitioner, he has worn multiple hats across civil society, academia, and corporate consultancy. Prior to Stanford, he worked in strategic consultancy at Edelman Global Affairs, supporting MNCs and non-profits in coalition-building, policy advocacy, and government relations across Asia-Pacific. He also co-founded CAPE, a landmark youth-led democracy-building group in Singapore that launched many of the country’s first civic initiatives. He has also spent close to a decade on migrant labor advocacy in grassroots roles, civil society, and academia.
Professional Development
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Haley is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Computer Science expected to graduate in 2027. She was born and raised in Southern California, and has a variety of roles on campus. She currently serves as the Transfer Community Coordinator at the First Generation and/or Low-Income Student Success Center, creating workshops and socials for the current population on campus. Alongside this, she currently serves as a student assistant for the Technology Impact and Policy Center on-campus, where she is reviewing submissions and assisting with Stanford’s annual Trust and Safety Conference. With experience in software engineering and data analysis, she plans to use these skills to pursue a career in Trust and Safety space. Outside of class, you can find her taking trips to the beach, going to the gym and hiking.
Interns
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Istaara Amjad is a sophomore studying Economics. She is interested in using technology to help solve the world’s most urgent problems, as well as exploring the ways in which technology is shaping human society – for better or worse. In her free time, she enjoys music, reading, and playing badminton.
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Carlos Hsieh is a freshman pursuing a B.A. in Data Science & Social Systems and minoring in Human Rights. He is interested in immigration, surveillance, and AI governance. He is conducting research on ICE surveillance systems and freedom of speech. This summer he is researching sustainable transportation at Transportation for America. In his free time he rows for Stanford Dragon Boat, tries new foods, and cooks.
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Naina Mehrotra is a freshman interested in studying Biology and Classics. She is interested in the potential of AI to improve healthcare systems, especially through applications in medical records management and drug discovery. On campus, she is a research assistant for the Stanford Project on Adaptation and Resilience in Kids and a beat reporter for the Stanford Daily. In her free time, she enjoys puzzles, long walks, and spending time with friends and family.
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Grace Liang is a sophomore pursuing a B.A. in English Literature and minoring in Digital Humanities. She is interested in exploring the intersection of technology with law, creative industries, and human rights. She is involved with Stanford Debate Society, Stanford SupplyHer, and several campus publications, including Caesura Journal, where she is currently Editor-in-Chief. This past summer, she worked as a curatorial intern at the Cantor Arts Center and a research assistant in the English department. In her free time, Grace enjoys reading, creating art in many mediums, and karaoke.
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Anya Phan is a sophomore pursuing a bachelor’s Economics and minoring in English. She is interested in the intersection of technological advancement, economic development, and AI governance to study how policies can foster ethical business growth. Previously, she has contributed to on-campus research across Stanford’s MS&E department, GSB, and Hoover, learning about AI agents and stablecoin tracking. In her free time, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, trying new foods, and learning new yoga poses.
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Jyel Hollingsworth is a sophomore pursuing a bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering. She’s interested in the intersection between technology, education, and equity. Her passion for PIT issues comes from her commitment to expanding access to equal opportunity and using technology to help bridge systemic gaps in access and representation. This past summer, she worked at Patreon as a software engineer. In her free time, she enjoys playing board games (especially chess) and watching TV.
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Joelle Cheeseman is a freshman interested in electrical engineering and symbolic systems. She is passionate about expanding the breadth of research related to assistive and educational technology tools to increase accessibility and effectiveness of education for neurodivergent students, women, and other underrepresented groups. Joelle was previously a youth research mentor at NeuroEd, a program partnered with the Stanford Neurodiversity Project, leading high school and community college students conducting research on the effects of AI and technology tools in education for neurodivergent students. She also interned in Carnegie Mellon University’s Software and Societal Systems department assisting doctoral research on social media misinformation interventions. In her free time, Joelle loves teaching kids and learning about rocks and fossils!
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Vaishnavi Kumbala is a freshman majoring in Computer Science. She is interested in societal implications of AI and the intersection of AI and mental health. She is interested in exploring how emerging technologies can be developed responsibly. In her free time, she enjoys visiting coffee shops, talking with friends and family, and travelling.
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Katherine Miao is a freshman pursuing a B.A. in human biology and interested in minoring in human rights. She is particularly interested in the implications of AI on healthcare systems globally, as well as issues of AI and national security. She aligns with PIT’s mission of understanding how technologies can best serve populations who have been historically marginalized by these technologies or lacked access, as well as the challenges of that mission. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis on the club team, spending time outdoors, and traveling.
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Ailene Ni is a freshman pursuing a B.A. in Economics and considering a minor in Psychology. She is interested in the intersection of artificial intelligence, law, and public policy, particularly how emerging technologies can either reinforce or reduce systemic inequities in areas such as criminal justice, healthcare, and access to legal resources. On campus, she is involved with the Stanford Pre-Law Society and the Human Rights Trauma Mental Health Program and has explored public interest law through research and service initiatives. Her background includes experience in mock trial, legal advocacy, and community-centered service work, which continue to shape her interest in restorative justice and ethical technology governance. In her free time, Ailene enjoys reading, listening to music, and spending time with friends.
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Allison Yu is a freshman interested in studying Data Science or Computer Science. She is particularly interested in how technology can possibly save, or ruin, our planet, as well as the applications and accessibility of environmental technologies. At Stanford, Allison enjoys dancing and performing in musicals with Ram’s Head. She also loves going to the beach, trying different cookies, and taking long walks while listening to Daft Punk.
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Kazi Eshrar is a freshman pursuing a bachelors in Computer Science. At PIT Lab, he is interested in the implications of technology and its increasing role in national security and surveillance systems. Having done research into the role of Artificial Intelligence in education for neurodiverse students, he is interested in the question of who technology is designed to serve and how it can be done effectively and ethically. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and photography.
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Jasmine Lo is a sophomore studying engineering. She is interested in the intersection between technology and sustainability. On campus, she’s involved on the teaching team for ENGR 103: Public Speaking and with Sustainable Stanford as a Sustainable Community Intern. In her free time, she enjoys baking banana bread, cafe-hopping, and exploring new places. She’s super excited to get involved with PIT this year!
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Snigtha Mohanraj is a freshman interested in studying economics and symbolic systems. She is particularly passionate about the education system and its technology gaps. She hopes to work on redesigning opportunities to bridge accessibility to quality education through effectively utilizing technology. Snigtha is currently a member of the Stanford Sustainable Investment Group, Stanford Women in Politics, and Asian American Student Association. Her background includes work in sustainable water filtration design, educational mentorship, and grassroots climate activism. Snigtha has been recognized as a Rise Global Scholar, US Senate Youth Program Delegate, and Chegg.org Global Student Prize Finalist. In her free time, she loves to play chess, explore new restaurants, and go on walks with friends.
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Alan Padilla is a Freshman pursuing both a B.S. in Sustainable Architecture & Engineering and a B.A. in International Relations. He aligns with PIT Ideals due to his interest in the intersection of technology, policy, and accessibility, having a firsthand understanding of the challenges through his Latino, Indigenous, and rural upbringings. He is really interested in traveling and learning different languages.
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Alena Zhang is a sophomore pursuing a B.A. in International Relations and a B.S. in Mathematics. She is interested in the intersection of national security and emerging technologies, focusing particularly on the implications of AI innovation for governance and defense. She conducts research on national security-related issues through her internship at PIT. In her spare time, Alena enjoys studying foreign languages, listening to news podcasts, exploring cafes, and traveling.