Innovation Scholars: 2021-2022

Katie Chan (she/her) is a multidisciplinary designer & creative technologist based in Los Angeles, CA/ Toronto, Canada. She focuses on creating imaginative and compelling work and building delightful products. She is currently a senior at the University of Southern California in the Media Arts + Practice program at the School of Cinematic Arts and has done work for Annenberg Innovation Lab, Generation She, and Toronto Star. She is also an avid foodie and aspiring polyglot (does Duolingo count?).

Zhang Yiyun is an undergraduate student majoring in Geodesign and minoring Computer Programming at USC. She is interested in history, linguistics, and computer science. She considers herself an adventurer and is always open to new knowledge and perspectives. During her free time, she enjoys calligraphy, photography, reading and writing novels. She is looking forward to diving deeper to connect urban history with data analysis tools in USC.

Sherry is a Junior majoring in computer science and minoring in EALC. She is from Beijing, China and is very interested in the idea of documenting and presenting cultures with current technologies. In her free time, she likes reading, traveling, and going to escape rooms.

Bo is a current sophomore double majoring in Asian American Studies and Media Arts + Practice and a cultural garment worker in LA Koreatown. They are especially interested in visual media, ethnic enclaves, and elderly, disabled, and working class populations within those areas and mutual aid.

Ashley Espinosa was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, to Dominican parents. She now attends the University of Southern California, majoring in Urban Studies and Planning with a minor in Landscape Architecture. Ashley is specifically interested in sustainability and smart cities within the field of urban planning. After college, she hopes to help America obtain more affordable housing and eventually help developing nations develop their infrastructures to help produce an equitable society around the world. However, in her free time now, she enjoys reading Korean comics, watching Netflix, and listening to Albanian and Spanish music. 

Uma Chatterjee is a 21 year old photographer and filmmaker from Miami, Florida. She is specifically interested in documentary media, and specializes in analog photography. Most of her photographic work is observational in nature, dealing with themes of nostalgia and introspection. Apart from creating media projects, she enjoys practicing yoga, cooking, and watching cartoons with her friends.

Will Forker is currently a senior studying Geodesign with a minor in Music Recording here at USC. He is a lover of music, maps, architecture, and the technologies that allow us to create and analyze such things. When not doing schoolwork, one can find him at the student radio station, KXSC, of which he is a staff member and DJ! He is excited to utilize his skills in GIS (Geographic Information Systems), love of Los Angeles history, and certification as an FAA licensed drone pilot to dig deeper into what identities and stories existed within the now nearly-forgotten neighborhood of Bunker Hill.