Members

Zarar Haider (CC’27), studying computer science and creative writing, used to serve as the Music Rep. Zarar is involved with WKCR, the PostCrypt Coffeehouse, and CU Records as a member and programmer. Zarar has experience interacting with music groups through his involvement with CUPAL, and is intimately aware of the needs of these student groups. As the Music Representative for ABC, Zarar intends to heighten collaboration across music groups on campus, encourage cross-group events, and advocate for the interests of music groups to the Activities Board.

Theodore Nelson (CC ‘24) used to serve as the President of the Activities Board for the 2023-2024 academic year, having previously been Treasurer (2022-2023) and Academic Representative (2021-2023). His engagement within undergraduate student life is multifaceted, bridging the humanities and natural sciences. He is the President of Systems Biology Initiative, the Space Microbiology Co-Lead in Columbia Space Initiative, the Treasurer for the Terence Cardinal Cooke At Your Service Volunteer Program and a Crisis Director for Columbia’s High School Model United Nations Conferences, hosted by the Columbia International Relations Council and Association. As a member of ABC, he is excited by the large influx of new groups within the Academic category, and the subsequent expansion in academic-based debate and programming within the post-COVID campus environment. 

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Nelson, T.M.; Ghosh, S.; Postler, T.S. L-RAPiT: A Cloud-Based Computing Pipeline for the Analysis of Long-Read RNA Sequencing Data. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 15851. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232415851.

Jones, C.; et al. The SpaceX Inspiration4 Mission: biomedical research, multi-omics, cognitive, and physiological metrics from the first civilian orbital spaceflight. Nature. 2023, [accepted]

Grigorev, K.; Nelson, T.M.; Overbey, E.; et al. Direct RNA sequencing of astronauts reveals spaceflight-associated epitranscriptome changes and stress-related transcriptional responses. Nature Communications. 2023, [accepted]

Overbey, E.; et al. The Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA): A comprehensive data resource and biobank for astronauts. Nature. 2023, [in revision]

Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications

Nelson, T.M.; From Research to Researcher: How Collaboration Forms a Scientific Mind. Columbia Undergraduate Research Blog. 2022, [link] 

Nelson, T.M.; Glass Half Full or Empty: Illuminating the Human Transcriptome. RCSS Journal of Undergraduate Research, Vol. 5, Pg. 10, 2023, [link]

Nelson, T.M.; From Research to Researcher: Producing Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable Data. Columbia Undergraduate Research Blog. 2023, [link]

Tay (she/her) used to serve as the pre-professional representative of the Activity Board during the 2023-2024 academic year. She enjoys being an advocate for the community and promoting professional development through this role. On campus she is also in CORE, serves as an RA and works at the radio station.

Matthew Eng (CC’27) serves as the East Asian Representative of the Activities Board at Columbia. Growing up in Hong Kong, Asia’s financial center bridging the East and West, he has first-hand exposure to and love for a diverse range of cultures. In addition to his role with ABC, Matthew is involved with the swim team, Columbia Data Science Society, Columbia Consulting Group, and Columbia Residential Life. He understands the importance of community and hopes to foster a sense of belonging among the cultural clubs and other student groups on campus. Passionate about creating opportunities for cross-cultural exchange and collaboration, he aims to cultivate a vibrant and inclusive campus environment where every student feels empowered to embrace their identity and connect with others from different backgrounds.

Madison Garrett (CC’26) is the current Black Clubs Representative of the Activities Board at Columbia. Studying political science, Madison serves to amplify the voices of Columbia’s Black student leaders to the governing body. In her free time, Madison may be found leading a Columbia Black Pre-Law Society general body meeting, Columbia Black Pre-Law Journal staff meeting, or simply watching an episode of Law and Order.

Kehbuma Nukuna (SEAS ‘26) is the current Publications representative for Activites Board of Columbia. Growing up around Wilmington, Delaware, constantly engaging in various forms of music, art, and cultural facets of all sectors in the African and Afro-Caribbean diasporas, he garnered a strong appreciation for expression through different mediums. Aside from his work with ABC, Kehbuma involvement stretches throughout several clubs including Community Impact’s Project Tutors, Columbia’s African Students Association (ASA), and Engineers Without Borders. Aiming to eventually go into equitable development in the Global South, during both his tenure as an undergraduate student, Kehbuma seeks to help empower all students of various backgrounds to make their voices and messages spread through the masses.

Julian Infante (CC ’25) serves as the current President of the Activities Board, having previously been Dance and Performance Representative. He has been engaged with student life since he got to Columbia, holding various leadership positions in different student groups. Julian’s aim would be to reform existing policies and processes to make life easier for groups to program events.

Jessica Lee (CC’25) is a rising senior studying Cognitive Science and Dance and is the ABC Dance Representative. Jessica has been deeply involved with the dance community and is currently an active member of Sabor Latinx Dance Troupe, CU Generation, Raw Elementz, and Columbia Repertory Ballet, with several leadership positions throughout the teams. Outside of dance, Jessica is the Director of Programming for InterGreek Council, Resident Advisor of the Sigma Delta Tau Brownstone, and a DoorDash and HBO Max Ambassador. She is passionate about social justice and aims to use her dance to create effective societal change and is excited to be a part of this leadership committee to further assist student dance groups on campus.

Jack Walker (he/him) (CC’24) served as the Publications Representative from 2021 to 2024. Jack is studying political science and art history on the pre-law track. He has been actively engaged with the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review since 2020, having served in myriad positions including executive editor of the summer publishing program. Jack has also been involved in several similarly oriented research projects in the political science department and at the School of International and Public Affairs, most recently as a CC Summer Research Fellow. These experiences have informed his commitment to the publication of undergraduate scholarship and he looks forward to continuing to expand its accessibility and reach on campus.

Ijeoma Obi (she/her) (SEAS’24) used to serve as the engineering Representative for the 2023 - 2024 academic year. Ijeoma majors in Biomedical Engineering and minors in political science. She has served as the VP of Public Affairs for the Columbia Debate Society (2021-2023) and serves on the board of the Biomedical Engineering Society. Additionally, Ijeoma has conducted research focused on synthetic biology (2021-2023) and in her freetime enjoys giving back by tutoring students in STEM and volunteering in the community. She hopes to provide guidance to Engineering groups and help shape the engineering community on campus. 

Dhwani Sreenivas (SEAS’25) is the current Academic Clubs Representative of the Activities Board at Columbia. She is a junior at Columbia Engineering studying Computer Science and Economics. In addition to ABC, Dhwani is involved with research at the Neurological Institute of New York and was previously a staff engineer at the Columbia Daily Spectator. Dhwani loves giving back to her community, whether it be through ABC, tutoring, or even as a course assistant. She hopes to advocate for events and other ways to build camaraderie on campus, and is looking forward to supporting the academic clubs community.

Dennis Zhang (CC ‘24) used to serve as Technology Director for the Activities Board at Columbia (ABC) during the 2023-2024 academic year. As a student leader who has experienced difficulties in finding club policies and resources, he was dedicated to increasing student access to resources and opportunities. He firmly believed that the Activities Board website was a useful medium to do just that, and leveraged his extensive expertise managing the web presence of other student organizations towards revamping the ABC's digital presence by rebuilding and maintaining its new website.

Outside of the ABC, Dennis graduated from Columbia College in 2024 as a biology major, who pursued extensive scholarship and service centered around genetics and rare diseases. He developed genome engineering technologies in the Sternberg lab and conducted precision medicine bioethics research in the Columbia Division of Ethics. He served as president of STRIVE, a mentorship program for teens with sickle cell disease, and revived At Your Service, a volunteering program to support terminally ill Huntington's disease patients. In 2024-25, he will conduct gene editing research at the University of Copenhagen as a US-Denmark Fulbright scholar. In his free time, he is a kombucha aficionado, plays the guitar, and can usually be found running along the Hudson as he trains for his next marathon. 

Daniel Andrade (CC’26) used to serve as ABC’s Secretary and LatinX Representative. He is a Political Science and Statistics major. Daniel is part of numerous LatinX organizations such as Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity Inc. and ChicanX Caucus. He is from Chicago’s South Side and believes in building community and transparency.

Connie Tran (CC’24) is an economics major and former Media Representative. Connie is an experienced ABC board member, having previously served as ABC President, ABC Secretary, and Music Representative. During her time as President, she successfully ratified changes to ABC's Constitution, codifying student group auditing procedures and revisions to spending guidelines. 

Claire Sun (BC ‘25) is a rising senior studying Economics. In addition to ABC, Claire is involved with Columbia Wushu and the Women’s Rugby Team. As the Performance Representative for ABC, Claire is committed to fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment for all groups. She understands the role performance groups play in the cultural tapestry of student life and strives to promote events that showcase the diverse talents of students across campus. In her freetime, she enjoys exploring the city, cooking, and binge-watching tv shows and movies.

Christina Xiao (CC’25) is the current Vice President of the Activities Board at Columbia, having previously served as the Treasurer and East Asian Representative. In addition to ABC, Christina is involved with the Asian American Alliance and Columbia Venture Partners. Christina is especially excited by the connections and communities that form as a result of the programming put forth by ABC groups, and is therefore committed to ensuring the healthy growth, changes, and expansions of student organizations at Columbia University.

Celeste Lamadrid (SEAS’26) is serving as the Special Interest Group Representative for the 2024-2025 academic year. Celeste is currently the President of the Columbia University Minecraft Club (CMC), Secretary of the Columbia University Robotics Club (CURC), and Co-Lead of the Pacbot Subteam for Robotics Club. She also has involvement in Columbia Space Initiative and EcoReps. Celeste is an avid enjoyer of movies, video games, and getting lost in the YouTube algorithm! As Special Interest Representative, she hopes to bring a vibrant and fun flair to campus by supporting clubs that foster diverse interests and provide an inviting community. 

Carl von Bonin (SEAS’26) is the current Engineering Representative and Tech Director at ABC. He is German by nationality, but grew up in Brussels, Belgium where he quickly developed a passion for all things STEM. Carl is involved with many engineering clubs on campus including the Robotics Club where he co-leads the PacBot subteam. He also serves as vice-president of the Minecraft Club (“The Best Club on Campus™️”) and is a TA for CS3157 (AP). His main focus as an ABC rep is making sure all student organizations have access to the resources they need to plan and carry out their amazing projects which he views as essential to the undergraduate student experience.

Cairo Yépez (he/him) (CC'24, studying Cognitive Science) used to serve as the ABC Latinx Groups Representative for the 2023-2024 academic year. Cairo has been involved with Chicanx Caucus since 2021, where he served as Co-Chair and helped create one of the largest, most vibrant Latine communities on campus after the pandemic. He is also currently a senior editor for CU Grey Matters, and a research assistant in the Social Cognitive and Neural Sciences Lab where he will be working on his thesis. As the Latine rep, Cairo will work towards empowering Latine voices on campus, and meet other community leaders.

Caden Burkman (CC’26, studying political science and economics on the pre-law track) used to serve as the Music Representative at ABC for the 2023-2024 academic year. In his time at Columbia, Caden has enjoyed time in the Barnard and Columbia Choir and in Columbia Nonsequitur, experiences which have both provided him with unique opportunities to make music with like-minded individuals. In addition to making music, Caden is eager to increase the opportunities available to music-based student groups and understands that there are many ways in which the music community at Columbia can be expanded, strengthened, and bettered. This past year, Caden served as a Business Manager for Nonsequitur A Cappella and, as a result, has much experience communicating with the University in order to acquire funds, advance interests of the group, and much more. As the Music Representative for ABC, Caden will work to increase communication amongst music groups at Columbia, campaign for expanded on campus performance opportunities, and advocate for the interests of music groups at Columbia to the Activities Board at Columbia.

Boxuan (Dave) Wang (SEAS’25, Mechanical Engineering) serves as the Media Representative for The Activities Board of Columbia. He is a graduate student in mechanical engineering with robotics concentration. In his role, Dave strives to engage students and promote a sense of community on campus through creative work of media student groups. In his free time, he has a keen interest in discovering new films, and creating content on Youtube. He is passionate about utilizing media as a tool to bring people together and enhance the college experience for all students.

Boss Pornprasert (CC '25) serves as the South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander Representative on the Activities Board at Columbia. He is currently a junior at Columbia College studying East Asian studies with a focus on Japan. In the previous academic year, Boss took on the role of Co-President at the Columbia Thai Club. Additionally, he is an active member of Columbia Gagaku, where he plays the Hichiriki instrument for this traditional Japanese Imperial Court music ensemble. In his free] time, he enjoys exploring the city and cooking Thai food. As a member of ABC, Boss hopes to increase the visibility of South, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander students on campus.

Armando Javier Gimenez (CC’26) serves as ABC’s current Treasurer, Indigenous Representative and interim LatinX Representative. Armando is dedicated to advocating for underrepresented groups on campus in his work on ABC, Columbia Black Pre-Law Society, and Marigold Magazine. Armando is dedicated towards his positions and responsibilities within the Columbia community and only strives to assist and serve its students.

Ania Krzyżańska (SEAS '25) is the European/Middle Eastern group representative in ABC. She is currently the Vice President of the Polish Student Society and hopes to foster an environment where cultural groups on campus have ample support and guidance from ABC when growing their clubs and hosting events. Aside from this, Ania is also involved in Columbia Science Olympiad, the Columbia Space Initiative's Rocketry team, and Columbia Tae Kwon Do. She checks her email religiously, so if you ever need a quick response, feel free to reach out.

Alexander Zhao (CC’27), currently serves as the Pre-Professional Representative for the Activities Board at Columbia. He is a rising sophomore studying Economics and Mathematics with an interest in Data Visualization. Growing up in Southern Oklahoma and engaging in the VC space, Alex witnessed the power of investment and community in creating visible impact. In addition to ABC, Alex is a member of the Columbia Venture Partners and Columbia Consulting Group. As the Pre-Professional Representative, he is eager to support professional development on the Columbia campus to create strong supportive networks that enable success and progress for every career.