Echolalia

Eric Nguyen

Vice President, External Affairs

Eric is a 4th-year English major at the University of California, Irvine, with minors in Literary Journalism and Creative Writing. Based in Garden Grove’s Little Saigon, he seeks to uplift the voices of the city’s Vietnamese inhabitants while expanding on their origins and diverse culture. Eric has always been a strong advocate of creative expression, and he firmly believes that everyone has a story worth sharing. As a co-founder of Echolalia, Eric fosters a passionate drive to support fellow storytellers. Through the club, he aspires to establish an inclusive space, building an environment where healthy dialogues and community-oriented pursuits can flourish. In conversation, Eric is a lively soul. He enjoys activities like Muay Thai and snowboarding, and his interests span the world of pop culture — from Pokémon cards to Korean dramas and shows like Adventure Time or Game of Thrones. Whether in sports or fandoms, Eric always finds common ground for engaging discussions.

Kane Hong

President, Editor-in-Chief

Kane is a 4th-year Political Science and English double-major, and Digital Filmmaking minor at the University of California, Irvine. As a writer, journalist, and filmmaker, he is committed to pursuing all forms of storytelling. Having produced short stories, political articles, and documentaries, Kane’s work strives to shed light on stories of the underrepresented. In fact, he is currently directing his first feature-length documentary, telling the story of formerly incarcerated students reintegrating into student life. Community building is just as important to him as his own work, and he hopes to run Echolalia with emotional sincerity by fostering an inclusive space for students to share and understand each other through important conversations. He envisions the journal to be an outlet for artistic enthusiasm, while also being a place where one can simply make a friend. Outside of his work, he can be found jamming to Paramore and Wallice, indulging in D&D, reading emotional sci-fi, and watching weird films. Ask him about his favorite board game, Coup, and he won’t stop talking.

Kaylie Harley

Vice President, Internal Affairs

Kaylie is a 3rd-year English major, Linguistics minor at the University of California, Irvine. Having worked as an editor in various school newspapers throughout her academic career — including UCI’s own New University — she has always had a passion for supporting the written works of her peers. Kaylie hopes to extend that support through Echolalia towards the creative endeavors of UCI’s student body. Starting as an editor for the journal in its founding year, Kaylie is excited to continue aiding Echolalia’s mission of uplifting the many diverse voices present on campus, while also advocating for recreational reading outside of an academic setting. She is most passionate about creating a welcoming place on campus for queer students to express themselves freely. Outside of school, Kaylie can be found listening to ATEEZ or Paramore, binge watching fantasy shows like Doctor Who or Shadow and Bone, or playing Dungeons and Dragons with her friends.

Emily Law

Executive Advisor

Emily is a 5th-year Psychology and English double-major, and Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies minor at the University of British Columbia which is based on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations. Through her studies, Emily seeks to understand the individual in both intra- and interpersonal levels; specifically, how the interplay between the human mind, societal and cultural factors influence and create one’s identity. An avid storyteller, she spends her time thinking about the world and our place in it, sharing stories of her experiences as a 2nd-generation Chinese-Canadian settler. Outside of Echolalia, Emily is actively involved in undergraduate writing, working with The Garden Statuary and Tributaries at UBC, and participating in the SOLA Network’s 1st college writing cohort. When she’s not working, you can find her journaling, making music, building models or taking a nap!

Erica Leal

Events Coordinator

Erica is a 3rd-year Literary Journalism major and English minor at the University of California, Irvine. Through her studies, Erica seeks to produce works of fiction, as well as journalistic pieces, covering minority communities and cultural issues. With her love for storytelling, Erica’s creative interests lay within reading and writing fantasy, adventure, and dystopian literature (as well as touching upon cultural experiences and perspectives). This is Erica’s first experience as Events Coordinator, and she is looking forward to expanding the club’s presence on campus and strengthening its community through her work with Echolalia. Outside of her academic endeavors, you can find Erica reading, journaling, or baking some homemade cookies.

Karthika Nambiar

Social Media Chair

Karthika is a 3rd-year Anthropology major and International Studies minor at the University of California, Irvine, which is based on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Acjachemen and Tongva peoples. As an avid writer, she hopes to be able to uplift the voices of minority students on campus through her work with Echolalia, and help provide a platform for their creativity. Apart from working for Echolalia as Social Media Chair, Karthika serves as Graphic Design Editor at two other UCI publications: the New University and The Antreader. One might even say that graphic design is her passion. Outside of school, you can always find Karthika with a pair of headphones on and a book in her tote bag that she promises she’ll actually read someday.

Abby Whittington

Historian

Abby is a 3rd-year student majoring in Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. She joined Echolalia to pursue her joy in editing– hopefully introducing her to a career of editing for a publishing company that focuses on fantasy novels. Abby has lived throughout the US — mostly in the southeastern states — but currently resides in the Irvine area. Her love for photography stems from her father whose photographs were displayed across the house. Having experienced such diversity in the places she’s lived, Abby takes pictures of all of the places she’s journeyed, making a special effort to take images of things she wants immortalized. She also devotes much of her free time to playing video games such as Baldurs Gate 3 or Final Fantasy XV, something she calls life’s best false destressor because it can make you just as stressed as real life. With her leftover free time, she partakes in random artistic crafts such as making beaded bracelets, building Gundam, and creating prop weapons.

Angela Wang

Angela is a 1st-year student majoring in Informatics. She is excited to join the editorial team at Echolalia this quarter for the opportunity to explore more varieties of writing. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, photography, and playing badminton!

Annika Lee

Annika is a 1st-year undergrad studying Environmental Science and Policy at UCI. Outside of writing, they enjoy baking and going on walks. They joined Echolalia to find a community of writers and a safe space to share their work. They’re super excited for everyone to read the amazing pieces this year!

Ariana Vargas

Ariana is a third year majoring in English and Asian American studies at UCI. She joined Echolalia to explore, engage with, and uplift student work, and is excited to be a part of creating Volume 2. Outside of school, Ariana enjoys reading, knitting, and dancing in her room.

Ayla Baig

Ayla is a 3rd-year transfer student and a Sociology major at the University of California, Irvine, striving towards using the field to pursue social work. As a new student to the UCI campus and community, xe joined Echolalia as an editor to meet others interested in writing and reading, as well as an expression of creativity. In her free time, she can be found working on xyr novel or listening to varying genres of music.

Brandon Lo

Hey! I’m Brandon (4th-year): narrative game designer, multicultural cook, part-time romantic poet, and full-time aspiring novelist. I always advocate for people to share their stories because I believe everybody has something worthwhile to say through their work, which is why I gravitated so much towards Echolalia’s mission and am returning for a second year.

Cailey Niandrea Pasco

Hello! My name is Cailey Niandrea, and I’m a 2nd-year pursuing a major in English and a minor in creative writing. I joined Echolalia for its supportive community, so that I could find people with similar interests to engage with in both an academic and social environment. I’m so excited for all of the stories in this upcoming publication, especially surrounding this year’s theme of Reminisence! Outside of school, I am a big reader and love creating playlists to listen to while reading!

Cynthia Wang

I’m Cynthia Wang, studying English! I joined Echolalia because I’ve always wanted to be part of a literary journal and meet new people who are also into writing! I’m super excited to read everyone’s work and get to work with others this year! (Fun fact: I do not have blue eyes, contrary to the image displayed)

Daniel Perez Pichardo

Howdy, my name’s Daniel, a 4th-year English Major with a Minor in Education! I joined Echolalia so that I could have an opportunity to branch out with the kinds of writing I’ve worked with since I hadn’t done much editing beforehand, though I do write short stories in my spare time. Getting the chance to edit and develop the skill, meeting so many new people and seeing everyone’s different works is a super exciting opportunity! Can’t wait to get to know everyone!

Elaine Nguyen

Elaine Nguyen is a 4th-year English major at UCI and a DJ at KUCI, UCI’s public radio station. In her spare time, she loves writing fiction, acting on stage, and dancing to K-pop. This is her first time working with Echolalia, and she’s thrilled to be part of such a warm and welcoming community!

Ella Wu

Hey! My name is Ella Wu and I am currently double majoring in comparative literature and literary Journalism. I joined Echolalia because I love helping people edit and improve their  writing, and it aligns with my future career interests. This is my first time being in an official editorial position, and I am very excited about my upcoming work and future publications.

Emily Ferguson

Hi I’m Emily, a 3rd-year English major. I joined Echolalia as an editor because it aligns closely with my future career goals and I wanted to find a community at UCI. This upcoming publication, I’m most excited about being able to see everyone’s hard work put into a physical copy that can be enjoyed by readers. I am fond of fantasy and murder mystery novels, I enjoy a plethora of music genres, and I have a cat that I adore.

Heather Wilson

Heather Wilson is a 4th year English major with a minor in creative writing, which led her to join Echolalia and share her passion for writing with other writers and editors. In her free time, she enjoys writing her own stories, reading, playing video games, and learning other languages.

Jordan Magee

I am currently in my 4th year studying English and History at the University of California, Irvine. I am interested in how history shapes narrative storytelling and the influence it has on readers, as every storyteller and reader are impacted by their personal and global histories. I love that Echolalia’s second volume is about reminiscence because it’s centered on the recollection of our histories. Outside of academics, I love listening to all kinds of music, watching films and anime, and playing badminton!

Karen Li

My name is Karen and I am studying Psychological Sciences and Management. I joined Echolalia because I couldn’t write fanfics for like 5 months (still can’t, darn writer’s block), so I was like if I can’t write, then I can try editing, and here I am. My current hyper-fixation is the Yugioh animes (yes, there is more than one) because where else would I get an amnestic pharaoh, adolescent depression, class divide, aliens, inter-dimensional warfare, and revenge spawned from childhood trauma, all in the context of playing a children’s card game.

Katherine Llave

Katherine is a 3rd-year English major with a minor in Literary Journalism at UCI. She is interested in uplifting the creative voices of those around her, and she loves that Echolalia provides a welcoming and inclusive space for anyone to share their writing and creativity. Katherine hopes to gain writing and editing experience so that she may one day figure out what she wants to do with her English major. She is also heavily involved in running UCI’s Music Writers Collective, where she aims to create a similar environment as Echolalia by providing a space for all music-related writing. Other than schoolwork, Katherine passes time watching sitcoms and video essays, crocheting, or planning her next concert.

Yen Nhi (Leyna) Hoang

Hello! I’m Yen Nhi—but my friends call me Leyna—a 2nd-year Civil Engineering Major. I am a firm believer that one of the greatest act of love and expression is the act of creation, and I joined Echolalia as an editor to play a part in the sharing of peoples’ creative endeavors. I’m a very big collector of books, manga, albums, DVDs, various trinkets and I’d like to think of my time in Echolalia as a way for me to expand my collection as I make new memories and experience the works of its amazing contributors.

Manelle Aruta

Manelle is a 3rd-year Psychology major and Comparative Literature minor at the University of California, Irvine. Having previously worked on an editing team with news publications and enjoying creative writing, she figured Echolalia would be a perfect fit. For the upcoming publication, she’s excited to see how each story grows into its own! Through writing, she aims to explore the dystopian implications of culture under a settler-colonialism narrative (kidding! mostly!) and character-driven stories. Outside of school, Manelle can be found reading in bed three hours after she was supposed to get up, talking too much about whatever game she just finished, and tackling an endless to-watch list.

Mia Brixey

Hello! My name is Mia Brixey and I’m an English major with a creative writing minor. I joined Echolalia because I wanted to connect with other writers and get some experience editing publications. I’m really excited to read the end product of the journal this quarter and to get to know everyone in the process!

Michelle Padilla

Hi! I’m Michelle, a 3rd year International Studies and English double major, with a creative writing minor. I am a returning editor and I love Echolalia because the board is super cool, and the journal strives to create a welcoming platform that promotes our students’ pieces.

Mohammad “Moh” Samhouri

Moh is a 4th-year political science and international studies double major at the University of California, Irvine. Previously the Managing Editor of UCI’s official newspaper New University and The AntReader, he moved on from news and pursued an internship with the U.S. government and an editor position with Echolalia. This is his first time working with a literary journal and he’s nothing short of excited to read and edit the work of UCI’s brilliant literary minds. You might catch a glimpse of him driving the Anteater Express, and as always, please remember to move all the way to the back of the bus.

Naomi Acosta

Naomi is a 3rd-year student at the University of California, Irvine pursuing a major  in Aerospace Engineering and a minor in Creative Writing. Naomi is an undergraduate researcher at UCI’s Aircraft Sound Laboratory where they are working with noise and engine modeling. From a young age, Naomi has loved art, writing, and creating new worlds through all types of mediums: poetry, prose, screenwriting, etc. Originally, they joined Echolalia for its inclusivity as an undergraduate journal for all types of art. In their free time, Naomi likes to play video games, knit, and sew.

Olivia Mondragon

Hello! My name is Olivia Mondragón, and I am a 3rd-year Psychological Science major with a creative writing minor! I am deeply passionate about encouraging fellow writers and artists to share their work with the world, and am thrilled to be an editor on the Echolalia team!

Special Thanks

We would like to extend our thanks to the following for their guidance, patience and care as we navigate this journal:

Dr. Theodore Martin, Associate Professor of English @ UCI & Sponsor Professor of Echolalia

Land Acknowledgement

We are mindful that the University of California, Irvine and with it, Echolalia is situated on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Tongva and Acjacheman nations. As Echolalia strives to create a safe space for marginalized voices and to learn from each individual’s unique experiences and stories, we acknowledge the implications of our roles as non-Indigenous settlers. We express our gratitude and stand in solidarity to the Indigenous communities who have cared for these lands and will continue to recognize and be cognizant of our roles in the settler colonial structures we find ourselves in.