AB SITE LEADERS
Mia Neuman
Site Leader
She/Her/Hers
Hi! I’m a fourth year sociology and psychology double major with a minor in Chicanx and Central American studies :) I joined AB last year and was a part of the mass incarceration site in San Francisco, which allowed me to navigate social justice in more meaningful and impactful ways. Growing up as a first generation student with immigrant parents from Latin American countries, I have seen and experienced first hand the barriers obstructing immigrant communities from accessing basic resources and opportunities. Understanding these nuanced disparities has inspired my passion and activism for intersectional issues regarding immigrant rights, labor equity, accessibility to health care and higher education, political mobilization, and cultural preservation. I am looking forward to site leading this year and building a community with our peers!
Sondia Luong
Site Leader
She/Her/Hers
Hello! My name is Sondia and I’m a third year Biology major. Last year, I participated in the healthcare inaccessibility site based in San Francisco. The trip was extremely insightful because we had the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations with community partners and volunteer to help their cause. Being a part of AB has been so fun and has helped me learn more about myself. I’m excited to lead my own site to have others experience the things I did! Outside of AB, I enjoy playing video games with friends, sleeping, and trying out new restaurants.
Emme Rackham
Site Leader
She/Her/Hers
I am a Global Studies Major in a dual degree program with a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies. I am interested in immigrant experiences in education and law as well as studying anti-carceral approaches to justice. I organize with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners in the outreach work group of their DropLWOP coalition. I was a participant in an AB site last year in San Francisco about Mass Incarceration and am excited to elevate the service and connections with community partners by diving into community development and investment guided by a decarceral approach to justice. Alternative Breaks is what you make of it and I am thrilled to create a site where students and leaders can collaborate to connect ourselves to something bigger.
Kirthana Pisipati
Site Leader
She/Her/Hers
Hi! I'm a fourth year MIMG major, and this is my third year being in AB. I joined AB because I wanted to do something meaningful over my spring break and I really appreciated the emphasis on being active, educated citizens instead of participating in voluntourism. I've been on the Wildlife Conservation and Green Space & Mental Health sites and both years, I had the most incredible time working with the CPs, learning about interesting topics, and meeting new people! As site leader this year, I'm really excited to provide others with the opportunity to have the same amazing experience, while also working on environmental issues that I have been passionate about for as long as I can remember. In my free time, I like reading, going to the gym, and finding ways to make my life more sustainable.
Joyce Lin
Site Leader
She/Her/Hers
Hey, I'm Joyce, and I'm a fourth year Linguistics and Psychology major with minors in Disability Studies and Chinese. I've been on two AB trips as a participant, a virtual one in Alaska dealing with climate change and an in-person one in Monterey looking at wildlife conservation. Last year, I led my own site to Seattle on sustainable farming and food systems. I really valued the interactions with our community partners and the connections I made with my fellow participants, so I want to give you all that opportunity too! Outside of AB, I enjoy collecting vinyls, asking people to teach me how to count to ten in their native languages, attempting to read, taking pictures of my cats, and browsing Yelp.
Chinmayi Mutyala
Site Leader
She/Her/Hers
I'm entering my final year at UCLA as a Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology (MCDB) major with a computing specialization and a minor in Society & Genetics. I've been in AB since my freshman year participating in topics ranging from Mass Incarceration, Healthcare Inaccessibility, and Green Spaces & Mental Health. Some of best, most entertaining, and insightful conversations I've had during my time at UCLA were with AB members. This club will help you make some of the best connections and friendships so I'm excited to continue to participate in AB and meet new people!