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Peer Concentration Advisors

Peer Concentration Advisors (PCAs) serve as peer advisors for current CS concentrators and pre-concentrators, providing a valuable perspective and helping students to discover additional resources and opportunities. Students can reach out to meet with PCAs with similar academic, career, or extracurricular interests.

For more information, please reach out to the PCA Co-Captains, Matthew Nazari and Sophia Cho, through the email address cs-pca@seas.harvard.edu.

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Peer Concentration Advisor Bios

Aika Aldayarova

Picture of Aika Aldayarova

Class of 2024, lives in Eliot.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aikaaldayarova

https://github.com/aaldayarova

https://twitter.com/AAldayarova

amaldayarova@college.harvard.edu

About Me: Hi everyone! I am a junior in Eliot studying CS and Neuroscience (jointly, for now) and have interests in the general field of AI, but more specifically natural language processing, computer vision, and the applications of AI for social good. Outside of classes, I love reading books, staying active, exploring new places, and spending quality time with my loved ones. Feel free to reach out to me about anything I’ve mentioned, or if you have thoughts about research, grad/post-grad school, and the big academia vs. industry dialogue.

CS Interests: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, AI for Social Good, Product Management

Other Interests: Yoga/pilates, running, reading, piano (“Spring Waltz” is my favorite piece!!), travel

Concentration: Computer Science & Neuroscience (joint)

Courses: (Took) CS50, CS51, CS20, CS141, CS191, Neuro 80, Neuro 140, Neuro 143, Math 21 series; (Taking now) CS120, CS79, Neuro 101U

Tags: Joint Concentration, Grad/Post-grad Plans

Affinity Groups WiCS (Women in CS)

April Chen

Picture of April Chen

Class of 2023, lives in Adams.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilchen01/

aprilchen@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m from near San Francisco, California, and a senior in Adams. I’m doing a concentration in CS, a secondary in Government, and concurrent master’s in CS. I’m generally interested in civic tech, tech for social good, and tech policy, especially related to education and social justice. Happy to talk about CS research, internships (startups/big tech/research), tech for social good, classes, or anything else!

CS Interests: Data science, ML, equity/bias

Other Interests: Music (acapella, orchestras, opera)

Concentration: Computer Science

Courses: CS50, CS61, CS 121, CS 124, MIT 6.036, Stat 110, CS 136, CS226r, CS260r, CS238

Tags: Internships, Research, CS & Humanities, Entrepreneurship, AB/SM

Affinity Groups WiCS

Austin Wenxuan Li

Picture of Austin Wenxuan Li

Class of 2023, lives in Eliot.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinwli

awli@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m from Chicago, IL, and am a rising senior in Eliot. I’m doing a joint concentration in Physics and CS (with a secondary in Government) and really interested in tech for social good and quantum computing. Happy to talk about physics/CS research, joint concentrations, startups, tech for social good, or anything else!

CS Interests: Data science, ML, AI safety, computational social choice, quantum computation/algorithms

Other Interests: Politics and law, Philosophy (casually), Asian American Literature, Volleyball, Board and card games

Concentration: Physics and Computer Science

Courses: CS: 50, 51, 124, 136, 181, 236, 91r; Physics: 16, 153, 15c, 143a/b, 181; Math: 25a/b, 122; Stat: 110; MIT: 6.840 (Theory of Computation), 8.370 (Quantum Computation)

Tags: FGLI, Joint Concentration, Research, Internships, Started CS Late, CS & Humanities, Entrepreneurship

Affinity Groups CSA, AAA

Brian Ham

Picture of Brian Ham

Class of 2025, lives in Dunster.

bham@college.harvard.edu

About Me: Hello! I’m a rising sophomore from Seoul, Korea planning to study computer science, statistics, or something in between. I’m primarily interested in machine learning and its many applications to the real world, such as climate change, healthcare, and natural language processing. I’m also passionate about the intersection of data science and journalism. In my free time, you can find me playing with the Futsal Club or in the Pops Orchestra, as well as writing for the Crimson magazine. Feel free to reach out about any and all questions you have!

CS Interests: Machine learning, Natural language processing, Social impact

Other Interests: Journalism, Chess, Soccer/Basketball, Music

Concentration: Computer Science/Statistics

Courses: CS50, CS124, CS61, MIT 6.036, Math 22a, Math 122, Stat 110 bham@college.harvard.edu

Tags: International, Research, Joint Concentration, AB/SM

Affinity Groups Korean Association

Eric Meng Shen

Picture of Eric Meng Shen

Class of 2024, lives in Winthrop.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-shen/

ericshen@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m a rising junior studying Applied Math with a focus in CS, aiming also to obtain a Master’s in Statistics. I originally hail from Toronto, but spent this past summer working as a software engineer intern in New York City. I’ve been on the course staff for CS50 and CS124, and am also involved with the Harvard College Consulting Group. Happy to chat about choosing courses, student groups, research, or any topic—related or not!—to CS.

CS Interests: Software Engineering, Data Science, ML, CS Education

Other Interests: All things music (broadly rock, hip-hop, classical); biking, running, climbing, snow sports

Concentration: Applied Math/CS

Courses: CS50, CS51, CS61, CS124, CS208, STAT111, STAT210, MIT 6.0001/2, MIT 6.036

Tags: International Students (Canadians), Internships, Started CS Late, Applied Mathematics, AB/SM, Research, Pre-Professional Organizations, Teaching Staff

Eshika Saxena

Picture of Eshika Saxena

Class of 2023, lives in Lowell.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eshikasaxena/

eshikasaxena@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m interested in artificial intelligence, deep learning, computer vision, and the intersection of computer science and healthcare. On campus, I’m involved with WiCS, GAMI, SWE, and WIB. I’m happy to talk about doing CS research, finding internships, CS courses, AB/SM, TF/CAing courses, and life in general! Feel free to reach out anytime :)

CS Interests: ML, Computer Vision, Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)

Other Interests: Baking, Teaching CS, Traveling, and Dancing

Concentration: Computer Science

Courses: Stat 110, CS50, CS51, CS109a/b, CS121, CS124, CS136, CS171, CS179, CS182, CS226r, CS242, CS286, MIT 6.036

Tags: CS research, AB/SM, SWE internships

Affinity Groups South Asian Association

Evan Howard

Picture of Evan Howard

Class of 2024, lives in Dunster.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-p-howard/

evanhoward@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m a junior in Dunster originally from outside Washington D.C. in Virginia, and I’m studying Computer Science with a secondary in TDM/Statistics/History/who knows it’s up in the air. I’m most interested in systems and low-level programming, but am constantly exploring the CS curriculum to hopefully learn at least a little bit about every major area. I really enjoy TFing and have TFed CS50, CS124, and am TFing CS121 in Fall 2022. Besides my CS interests, I’m heavily involved in the Theater community at Harvard, both acting and working on tech for shows.

CS Interests: Systems, Machine Learning, App/Web Dev, CS Education

Other Interests: Theater, NBA, Science Fiction, Video Games

Concentration: Computer Science

Courses: CS51, CS61, CS121, CS124, CS153, CS161, CS205, STAT110, STAT111

Tags: Internships, AB/SM, CS & Theater

Hannah Zhou

Picture of Hannah Zhou

Class of 2025, lives in Mather.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahgz/

hzhou@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m a sophomore in Mather originally from Palo Alto, California! I’m interested in web development, machine learning, STEM education, and the general interdisciplinary applications of CS. Would love to talk about CS/ML research, computational biology, tech internships, women in tech, classes, or life in general :) Outside of CS, I also love traveling, reading, dancing, spikeball, and going on hikes!

CS Interests: Machine Learning, CS Education

Other Interests: Reading, Traveling, Dancing, Spikeball, History

Concentration: Computer Science, secondary in Economics

Courses: CS50, CS20, CS181, STAT110, CS61, CS120

Tags: Research, Internships

Affinity Groups WiCS

Jothi Ramaswamy

Picture of Jothi Ramaswamy

Class of 2024, lives in Cabot.

https://jothiramaswamy.com/

https://linkedin.com/in/jothiramaswamy

jramaswamy@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m a junior in Cabot, originally from Westchester, NY. I’m passionate about building and supporting tech that is mission driven and has social impact. I am really interested in supporting women in STEM, and have previously hosted my own podcast interviewing women in STEM, media, and entrepreneurship. I spent the 2020-2021 school year on a leave of absence and I’m open to discussing my experiences making this decision! On campus, I have TF’d CS50 and I’m TF’ing Stat110 this fall, I am involved in Harvard Blockchain’s Crypto 101 wing, and I’m planning on pursuing the AB/SM program in CS. I have also pursued multiple SWE internships that I would be happy to talk about!

CS Interests: Machine Learning, CS Education, iOS App Development

Other Interests: Podcasts, Dance, Educational equity, Venture Capital, Blockchain

Concentration: Computer Science

Courses: CS50, STAT110, CS124, CS121, CS136, CS181, CS191, CS231

Tags: Internships, Entrepreneurship, AB/SM

Affinity Groups WiCS, South Asian Association

Karina Halevy

Picture of Karina Halevy

Class of 2023, lives in Currier.

https://github.com/enscma2

”https://linkedin.com/in/khalevy”

khalevy@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m a senior interested in natural language processing (NLP)/computational linguistics, education, and the intersections of CS with/applications of CS to public policy/law/social science/history. Outside of CS, I’m also interested in performing arts [administration] (especially dance) and public service. I’m happy to talk about NLP, CS research, TFing/designing curriculum/tutoring/educational equity, summer tech internship recruiting (particularly software engineering and industry research roles), and getting involved with the Harvard-Radcliffe Modern Dance Company or the Phillips Brooks House Association!

CS Interests: Natural Language Processing, AI/ML ethics/fairness, Computational Social Science, Academic Research

Other Interests: Educational equity & accessibility, dance, arts administration, public service

Concentration: Computer Science, History

Courses: CS50, CS51, CS61, MIT 6.840, CS124, CS181, CS187, CS226R, CS287R, STAT110, STAT111, MATH23A/B

Tags: Research, Internships, Joint Concentration

Affinity Groups: WiCS

Lucy He

Picture of Lucy He

Class of 2023, lives in Winthrop.

luxihe@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m interested in ML & recommendation systems, mathematical modeling, data analysis, and carbon footprint of computing devices. Outside of classes, I’m also passionate about EdTech and curating open-source collaborative community. I also love musical theater, reading, and traveling (sadly not now). Feel free to reach out about international student experience as well. Happy to chat about any of the above or anything else you’d like to discuss.

Concentration: Joint Computer Science and Math

Courses: CS50, CS51

Tags: International, Joint Concentration

Maegan Jong

Picture of Maegan Jong

Class of 2024, lives in Winthrop.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maegan-jong/

maeganjong@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m from the Chicagoland area and am a junior in Winthrop studying AB/SM Computer Science and a secondary in Statistics. I’ve explored various tech industry roles like software engineering, data science, and product management and am open to talking about anything related to them! I’m also interested in research and applications of CS in social sciences.

CS Interests: Data Science, Machine Learning, Systems, Cloud Computing

Other Interests: Dance, Group Fitness

Concentration: Computer Science with a secondary in Statistics

Courses: CS50, CS61, CS124, CS187, CS238, CS260r, CS286, STAT110

Tags: AB/SM, Research, Internships, Student Organizations

Affinity Groups Harvard Computer Society, WiCS

Matthew Nazari

Picture of Matthew Nazari

Class of 2024, lives in Mather.

https://github.com/mattynaz

https://matthewnazari.info/

matthewnazari@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m a Junior at Mather from San Jose studying CS, Ling, and NELC. This summer, I interned at Apple as an ML Engineer and did linguistics fieldwork in Armenia for Assyrian Neo-Aramaic. After completing my AB/SM requirements my Sophomore year, I’m now focusing full time on ML research with Harvard’s DtAK group and on the preservation of Neo-Aramaic with the University of Cambridge. Outside of courses, this year I will be a TF for AC297r and Head TF for CS181. Outside of academia in general, catch me on night runs along the Charles or in the ceramics studio. Feel free to reach out whenever, I would love to help out with course selection, navigating internship applications, etc.

CS Interests: ML, Education, Web Dev, Extremely Low-Resource NLP

Other Interests: Running, Reading, Film

Concentration: Computer Science, Ling, NELC

Courses: CS50, CS51, CS124, CS153, CS181, CS205, CS231, CS242, CS282r, CS 282r, CS282br, CS288, CS299r, AM207

Tags: FGLI, AB/SM, TFing, Internships, Research, Joint Concentration

Affinity Groups Armenian Student Association

Miah Caine

Picture of Miah Caine

Class of 2023, lives in Leverett.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/miah-c-965b5713b

mcaine@college.harvard.edu

About Me: Hi everybody! My name is Miah Caine and I’m a senior from Detroit, MI concentrating in CS with a Math secondary and a Spanish citation. Throughout college, I’ve been a member of several clubs including Women in CS, ABHW, and HSBSE, and I’ve done a bit of research with the Atmospheric Chemistry group over at SEAS. I came into college with no computer science experience, but I’ve had a great time exploring what the CS department has to offer for the past 3 years! So far, my favorite CS class at Harvard has been tied for CS171 and CS61. Outside of school, I love to roller skate, listen to and find new music, and explore the area to find new restaurants with my friends.

CS Interests: Human Computer Interaction, Backend development, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence

Other Interests: I’m also really interested in learning different languages!

Concentration: Computer Science

Courses: CS50, CS20, CS61, CS171, STAT110, CS187, AM120, CS124

Tags: FGLI, Internships, Non-CS research, Started CS late Affinity Groups Black Students Association, Generational African American Students Association, Association of Black Harvard Women, Women in Computer Science.

Michael Wu

Picture of Michael Wu

Class of 2022, lives in Eliot.

https://github.com/michaeldwu

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldwu/

https://michaeldwu.com/

mdwu@college.harvard.edu

About Me: Hey! I’m a social entrepreneur dedicated to building things that make a difference. I’m currently doing half-time machine learning research at Harvard for creating fairer ML algorithms in education and working on a peer-to-peer charitable fundraising app. In the past, I’ve built solar-powered microreactors for sustainable pharmaceutical synthesis, analyzed secondary organic aerosols and their impacts on global warming, published a few papers and created a free virtual college applications counselor called Etruscan. I’m an HBS Tech Fellow too so hit me up if you’re interested in learning more about the startup scene on campus.

CS Interests: ML, Social Impact, App/Web Dev, Genomics, Fintech

Other Interests: Basketball (Go Lakers!), Chess, Reading, Football

Concentration: Computer Science

Courses: CS 50, CS 124, CS 181, Stat 110, AM 120, CS 136, CS 121

Tags: Entrepreneurship, Research, CS & Humanities

Nina Lei

Picture of Nina Lei

Class of 2025, lives in Currier.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nlei1/

nlei@college.harvard.edu

About Me: My name is Nina and I am a sophomore in Currier studying CS and Statistics originally from Taipei, Taiwan. On campus, I take CS, Stat, and Math classes and do research applying NLP to pharmacoepidemiology. In the past, I’ve worked on initiatives in CS education equity and digital humanities projects applying computing to history and literature.

CS Interests: Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Data Science

Other Interests: long-distance running, hiking, exploring new places

Concentration: Computer Science and Statistics

Courses: CS51, CS61, CS120, Stat 110, Stat 111, Stat 139, Stat 221

Tags: Research, Joint Concentration

Affinity Groups WiCS, Taiwanese Cultural Society

Olayeni Oladipo

Picture of Olayeni Oladipo

Class of 2023, lives in Kirkland.

linkedin.com/in/olayenioladipo

olayeni_oladipo@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m a senior from Boston, Massachusetts, studying Computer Science, Philosophy, and Mandarin Chinese! I’m involved with Women in CS, Women in Business, and a few cultural organizations on campus. I’m interested in making joy-inducing products and have done so through internships at companies big, medium, and small. Happy to talk about all things CS, finding belonging in the department, and transitioning to college!

CS Interests: Machine Learning, Tech Ethics, Natural Language Processing, Product Management

Other Interests: Music, Design

Concentration: Computer Science. Secondary in Philosophy, Language Citation in Mandarin Chinese

Courses: CS50, CS51, MIT 6.840, STAT110, CS124, CS61, CS187, CS179

Tags: CS & Humanities, Internships, Entrepreneurship

Affinity Groups Harvard Nigerian Students Association, Harvard Black Students Association, Association of Black Harvard Women

Prateek Pinisetti

Picture of Prateek Pinisetti

Class of 2022.5, lives in Dunster.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateek-pinisetti-606287171/

prateek_pinisetti@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m originally from Phoenix, Arizona, and am a second-semester senior in Dunster House. I’m interested primarily in computer systems, including OS, systems security, and high performance computing. I’m currently planning on working in the trading industry after graduation, and am generally interested in markets and finance as well. Outside of CS, I enjoy playing chess, reading books, traveling, and basketball. I’m always happy to talk about internships, my own journey through CS (especially while starting late) and any other random topics!

CS Interests: Low-level programming, operating systems, systems security, high-performance computing

Other Interests: Snowboarding/skiing, reading, chess, basketball, poker, markets

Concentration: Computer Science

Courses: CS 50, CS 61, CS 20, CS 121, CS 124, CS 141, CS 161, Stat 110, CS 286, CS 263, AM 22A, CS 153, CS 242, CS 283, CS 109B, CS205

Tags: Started CS Late, Internships

Richard Qiu

Picture of Richard Qiu

Class of 2023, lives in Pforzheimer.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-qiu/

rqiu@college.harvard.edu

About Me: Hi! I’m a senior from Roanoke, VA in Pfoho, studying physics and CS. I’m interested in data science, machine learning, and high performance computing, as standalone fields and in their applications for science (I work mostly on black hole physics!). I’m most familiar with computational science, TFing, taking leaves of absence, and the AB/SM program, but feel free to reach out about anything relating to the CS student experience!

CS Interests: Data Science, Deep Learning, Machine Learning for Science, High Performance and Scientific Computing

Other Interests: Astrophysics (black holes, gravitational waves), cooking/baking

Concentration: Physics (formerly Physics and CS), CS SM

Courses: CS50, CS 124, MIT 18.404/6.5400, CS 281, CS 242, CS 231, CS 205, AM 120, AM 207

Tags: Research, AB/SM, Gap Year/Leave of Absence, TFing

Sílvia Casacuberta Puig

Picture of Sílvia Casacuberta Puig

Class of 2023, lives in Dunster.

https://twitter.com/SiCaPu

scasacubertapuig@college.harvard.edu

About Me: Hello! I’m a senior from Barcelona studying a joint concentration in Mathematics and CS, with a concurrent masters in CS and a secondary in Philosophy. I’m interested in theoretical computer science, particularly cryptography, privacy, and fairness. I have been heavily involved in CS research during my undergrad (at Harvard and abroad) and I have TFed for CS 120, CS 124, Math 1b, and AM 107. I’d love to talk to you about research opportunities at Harvard (e.g., PRISE, HCRP, Herchel-Smith), CS research opportunities in Europe, joint concentrations, the AB/SM program, the theory CS group at Harvard, TFing classes, or doing a senior thesis! On campus I am affiliated with WiCS and GIIM. Outside of CS and math, I play the violin and I’m involved in several music groups!

CS Interests: Theoretical Computer Science, Cryptography, Privacy, Fairness

Other Interests: Classical music, Photography, Philosophy

Also: I’m also an international student, so happy to talk to fellow international students in the CS community! I care a lot about increasing diversity in CS and math, so can also discuss anything related to that. Or you can email me about anything, don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions about CS!

Concentration: Mathematics and Computer Science

Courses: CS 50, CS 121, CS 124, CS 152, CS 191, CS 226r, CS 227, CS 238, STAT 110, MATH 22a/b, MATH 112, MATH 113, MATH 122, MATH 123, MATH 129, MATH 131, MATH 280Z, MATH 288Y

Tags: International, Research, Thesis, Joint Concentration, AB/SM, CS & Humanities

Affinity Groups Women in CS (WiCS), Gender Inclusivitiy in Mathematics (GIIM), Woodbridge International Society

Siona Prasad

Picture of Siona Prasad

Class of 2023, lives in Lowell.

http://sionaprasad.com

sionaprasad@college.harvard.edu

About Me: My name is Siona and I am currently a senior in Lowell studying Computer Science and Global Health/Health Policy. I am interested in the application of tech to healthcare and medicine using data science/machine learning tools. I’d be happy to talk about CS research, being CS-premed. Outside of CS, I am also involved with Crimson Emergency Medical Services, our South Asian Association, and club tennis.

CS Interests: Data Science, ML/AI, Medical AI

Other Interests: Tennis, Dance, Medicine/Global Health

Concentration: Computer Science

Courses: CS50, CS124, STAT 110, CS179, CS109a, CS 109b, CS61, MIT 6.036

Tags: Pre-Med, Research

Affinity Groups Harvard South Asian Association

Sophia Cho

Picture of Sophia Cho

Class of 2024, lives in Kirkland.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiacho1/

scho@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m a junior double concentrating in CS and Economics with a secondary in Statistics and concurrent master’s in CS. I’m interested in computational approaches to policymaking as well as the development of technology policy. On campus, I’m involved with the IOP, HULR, and SCAS. I also enjoy teaching as a Head TF for CS 50 and CA for ECON 50. In my free time, you can find me playing the cello, listening to K-pop, or swimming. Feel free to reach out about any of the above or anything else on your mind!

CS Interests: AI/ML, Data Science, Privacy, CS Education

Concentration: Computer Science and Economics

Courses: CS20, CS50, CS51, CS 79, CS 109A, CS 120, CS 124, CS 126, CS 181, CS 182, CS 226R, CS 238, STAT110, STAT 111

Tags: Internships, Double Concentration, AB/SM

Talya Li

Picture of Talya Li

Class of 2024, lives in Leverett.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/talya-li/

talyali@college.harvard.edu

About Me: I’m Talya and I’m a junior in Leverett studying Computer Science, English and Spanish. I am really interested in the application of tech to education using data science/machine learning tools. I’d be happy to talk about CS & Humanities, starting CS late and research. Outside of CS, you can find outdoors with the Harvard Outing Club & FOP, and giving tours with the Crimson Key Society. Happy to chat about any of the above or anything else! :)

CS Interests: Data Science, CS Education, EdTech

Concentration: Computer Science & English with a secondary in Spanish

Courses: CS20, CS50, CS51, CS109A

Tags: CS & Humanities, International, Started CS late

Affinity Groups WiCS, Office of BGLTQ Student Life

Thu Minh Pham

Picture of Thu Minh Pham

Class of 2023, lives in Adams.

www.linkedin.com/in/mthupham

thupham@college.harvard.edu

About Me: Hi y’all!! I’m a senior in Adams from Fort Worth, TX. I’m studying Statistics/Computer Science with a secondary in Educational Studies. I’m interested in using CS and Statistics in housing, immigration, or education policy research. Outside of class, I work as a CA/TF and am involved with PBHA (Summer Urban Program, Boston Refugee Youth Enrichment, and Harvard Square Homeless Shelter) and the Noteables. I’m excited to meet y’all – please reach out about any of the above, or anything else on your mind. I came to college with little experience/interest in CS and sought advice from a lot of people in SEAS, so nothing is too big or small!!

CS Interests: Data Science, Machine Learning, Social Impact

Other Interests: Public service, education, housing, volleyball, running, music (singing and piano – especially musicals)

Concentration: Statistics and Computer Science

Courses: CS: 50, 51, 121, 124, 109a, 181; Stat: 98, 110, 111, 210; Other: Econ 1011a, Math 23a/22b

Tags: Research, Internships, Joint Concentration, Started CS Late, CS & Humanities

Affinity Groups Harvard Vietnamese Association