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Navya Gottumukkala (she/her)
Harrisburg, NC
WriterNavya Gottumukkala (she/her) is a Telugu-American poet from the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina. She has found poetry to be a source of meditation, creative challenge, and expression throughout her time at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she is working towards a B.S. in Information Science and a B.A. in English. At UNC, Navya can be found building and serving her community. She is a co-recipient of the 2025-2026 MacDonald Community Fellowship through the Carolina Center for Public Service, for her group’s telehealth mobile app project, “Radiante”. Navya also finds purpose serving as President of the Asian American Creative Writing Collective, where she leads generative exercises and artistic workshops.

Emma Kim(she/her)
New York, NY
WriterEmma Kim is a Korean-American teenage writer born and raised in New York City. She is currently a high school senior. Her work has been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, VOICE Writing, Juniper Zine, Londemere Lit, and the Looking Glass Review, among others. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Dottie and is a graduate of the Ellipsis Summer Writing Studio.

Syeda Safdar(she/her)
Chesapeake, VA
Painter, IllustratorSyeda Safdar is a Pakistani-American artist who grew up in Chesapeake, VA. A recent graduate from the College of William & Mary with a B.A. in Computer Science and Studio Art, she is interested in the intersection of arts and technology. She creates art through both traditional and digital means, practicing illustration through Photoshop or painting with oils on canvas in her tiny studio in the corner of her room. Subject matter ranges from landscapes to portraiture and cultural scenes, always experimenting with color and technique. Her other hobbies include reading, playing and developing video games, learning guitar, cooking and baking.

Jaz Sisouvong (she/they)
Illustrator
Woodbridge, VA
BFA VCU'27, Communication Arts & SociologyJaz Sisouvong is a Vietnamese Chinese (Hoa) and Thai Laotian (Isan) American artist who hails from Woodbridge, VA. A junior in Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts as an illustration and sociology major, Jaz finds communicative design and Asian/American representation as her life's calling. In her free time, she can be found either drawing anime, engaging in creative writing, editing a video, learning too many languages she has no time for, or tampering with DAWs—and when she's not up to one of those things, she can be found with her nose buried in a sociology book or a fantasy romance novel.

Anika Ahammad (she/her)
Fiber/Textile Artist
Falls Church, VA
BA W&M'25, American Studies & APIA StudiesAnika Ahammad is a Muslim and Bangladeshi-American who grew up in what is now known as Virginia and wants to channel art as a creative force for organizing and liberation. She graduated from William and Mary in 2025 double majoring in Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) Studies and American Studies, and served as APIA Studies Chair for the Asian American Student Initiative (AASI). On campus, she also organized with William and Mary’s chapter of Dissenters and crocheted to fundraise for mutual aid in Palestine, Lebanon, and Sudan. In her free time, she likes to weightlift, draw, play video games, crochet, read, and collect things because she’s a hoarder at heart.

Paolo Estrella (he/him)
Photographer, Guitarist
Claremont, CA
BA AU'27, Political Science & GovernmentPaolo Estrella is a Filipino & Mexican Californian from Claremont, CA. As a junior at the American University in Washington D.C., studying Political-Science with an American Government concentration and Economics, he is motivated by how policy, organizing, and interest groups shape conditions for society and desires to move people either through state representation or social movement. On and off campus, he is actively involved in Filipino, Southeast Asian, and Asian-American representation and organization. Further, he enjoys connecting with those in the arts and practicing photography whenever he can. In his free time, he likes to play guitar, collect books & pokemon cards, travel, and learn more about public policy.