ASAPA

COUNCIL MEMBERS

PRESIDENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS: AROMA SHARMA

Aroma Sharma is a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in both Business Administration and South & Southeast Asian Studies. Outside of ASAPA, she is involved in Narika at Berkeley, the Prytanean Honors Society and currently co-facilitates the ASAPA DeCal. She is especially interested in issues concerning women's empowerment.

PRESIDENT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS: MARIEL BLOCK

Mariel Block is a fourth year undergraduate majoring in English and South & Southeast Asian Studies. In Fall of 2006, she completed a journalism internship at Delhi-based NGO, Manushi Sangathan, where she researched the 2005 Right to Information Act. She is also a member of Narika at Berkeley.

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS: TAHERA ALI KHAN

Tahera is a fourth year Mass Communications and History double major, concentrating in South Asia and the Islamic world. In Fall of 2006 she also studied in Hyderabad, India. Her interests include religious unity and the empowerment of disadvantaged groups such as women, Dalits and laborers. Tahera is also a member of Narika at Berkeley in which she is also co-director of publicity.

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS: ARPITA SINHA

Arpita is a third year undergraduate majoring in Integrative Biology and minoring in Spanish. Outside of ASAPA, she conducts research in Mar Wang's Public Health Laboratory studying Asian-American mental health and is currently working to develop an interdisciplinary intervention program for students in need. In her free time, she enjoys running and reading.

SECRETARY: BINA PATEL

Bina Patel is a second year rhetoric major from Sunnyvale, California. She first became involved with ASAPA in the 2006-2007 school year with the hope of learning more about political, social, and economic climate of South Asia. She looks forward to coordinating the Environmental Justice Working Group and working with the close-knit, passionate group of people she has met at ASAPA.

TREASURER: RUPALI JAIN

Rupali Jain is a third year undergraduate student majoring in Legal Studies and South Asian Studies. Outside of ASAPA she is involved in mentoring through the Youth Support Program (YSP), as well as participating in other South Asian organizations' events on campus. Beyond aspirations for law school, she is currently interning at Merrill Lynch, fostering an interest in the business world.

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT: FARHANA ALI

Farhana Ali is Director of Development at ASAPA. Her interests in South Asia come from her roots, as she was born in Bangladesh and came to the States when she was 4. She has been a part of ASAPA for two semesters now, and has enjoyed the company she has made from day one. ASAPA has provided the opportunity to get intimately involved in a small organization where one can grow and mature with the club. With that, Go Bears!

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT: PREETI MANN

Preeti is a fourth year PEIS major. She joined ASAPA in order to widen her understanding of contemporary South Asian issues. Her specific interests include inter-religious relations and Western influence on South Asian culture. In addition to academics, she studies Kathak, one of the five major classical dances of India.

TECHNICAL DIRECTORY: MACTARUN "MAC" MALIK

Mac Malik is a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He also works part-time at Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) as an Air Quality Engineer. He participates in a variety of clubs such as CalSERVE, Satrang, ASME and Engineering Joint Council. He believes balancing a variety of interests and passions enables him to better serve his community. His quotation: "Be not afraid of greatness. Some [people] are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." — William Shakespeare