The International Education Student Board (IESB) is a board of International Education graduate students who are committed to creating both social and professional events for the International Education student body. If you would like to contact the current officer board, please email us at steinhardt.iesb-group@nyu.edu.
Olivia Davis, President
Hi, my name is Olivia Davis and I am originally from St. Louis, MO. I graduated from the University of Missouri with a BA in Sociology and minors in History and Psychology. Graduating in COVID’s job market, I decided to capitalize on my various experiences with children and packed my bags to become an Au Pair in Munich, Germany. This experience sparked a passion for international education and curiosity for how different children across the world learned. When I returned to the States, my next step was to fulfill a lifelong dream of moving to NYC. I became a Nanny and saw a whole new perspective on education. As a graduate student in the International Education program, I hope to learn about education all around the world in hopes to reimagine what the education system can look like in America.
Ariella Markus, Vice President
Ariella is from San Diego, California and is a second year MA International Education student on the study abroad and cross cultural track. She has her BA in Theatre(Acting) from Muhlenberg College and studied abroad at Florida State University’s Theatre Academy London. Ariella also currently serves as the IE Ambassador. She is excited to get to know and work with her classmates as a part of IESB. In her free time, she enjoys ballet, going to art museums, traveling, and exploring NYC.
Ashly Huerta, Secretary
Ashly Huerta is a graduate student at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, pursuing a Master of Arts in International Education. She graduated summa cum laude from Lehman College, CUNY, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and English Professional Writing.
Alongside her studies, Ashly serves as an administrator in NYU’s Office of Global Programs, where she advises students on the study away process and manages the NYU International Exchange Program. Prior to joining NYU, she spent a year in Mexico on a Fulbright scholarship and worked with a higher education policy and advocacy organization.
Ashly is passionate about supporting fellow first-generation and Latino students, drawing from her own experiences.
Outside of her academic and professional roles, she enjoys spending time with her dog, traveling, and playing sports.
Bheshta Azizi, Treasurer
Hey there! My name is Bheshta Azizi, and I’m currently pursuing my MA in International Education at NYU. I grew up in Sacramento, California, and completed my undergraduate studies at UC Davis, where I majored in International Relations with a minor in Music.
My background in policy, education, and the arts has shaped my passion for cross-cultural exchange through creative expression. Over the past two years, I’ve worked in the accounting sector. Additionally, during my time at UC Davis, I served as the Treasurer of the K-Pop Club on campus. These experiences strengthened my financial management and organizational skills.
Outside of academics, I love playing instruments, listening to jazz, and attending concerts. I’m also a concert photographer, through which I aim to capture the raw emotion of live music in the moment, completely unedited.
At home, I have a beloved orange cat named Nemo. I’m thrilled to serve as the Treasurer for IESB and support the program’s initiatives contributing to our vibrant NYU community!
Anya Parauda, Events Coordinator
Anya Faruki is from Washington, D.C. and is currently pursuing an MA in International Education at NYU. She earned her BA in Linguistics with a double minor in Chinese and Global Studies in Education from the University of Virginia. After graduating, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and spent two years in Taiwan teaching English. She is excited to serve as the Events Coordinator on the IESB and looks forward to creating engaging opportunities that bring together diverse perspectives and foster cross-cultural understanding.
Elections:
Board positions are held for a year. It consists of a:
President
- Spokesperson for the board
- Attends all GSO meetings, acts as liaison between GSO and the board
- Maintains communications with the faculty and board advisors
- Runs board meetings effectively by sticking to the agenda
- Delegates tasks at the end of each meeting
- Maintain communication with IE community, faculty, and the IESB board
Vice President
- Sets the agenda and shares it with board members prior to meetings
- Emails board members reminders to add to the agenda
- When President is not available, serves as ex officio at GSO meetings and board meetings
- Works closely with other board members to complete projects and tasks
- Maintain communication with IE community, faculty, and the IESB board
Secretary
- Record minutes at each meeting and share them with the board
- Maintain an ongoing document to evaluate each IESB event
- Create initial cohort interest survey
- Responsible for organizing the documents in the Shared Google Folder
- Assists other members of the board with their duties as necessary
Treasurer
- Oversees applications for GSO funding
- Responsible for tracking and managing budget expenditures and receipts
- Responsible for gathering receipts after events
- Reports current fiscal standing to the board
Communications Officer
- Maintains and updates the IESB social media and communication channels
- Designs invites and flyers for events
- Responsible for in-class announcements of board events
- Liaison to International Education study body
- Distributes announcements for newsletter to advisor
- Responsible for responding to IESB emails
- Searches out and contacts NYU groups outside the department and other organizations outside the university
- Contacts these groups and/or distributes events when relevant
Events Coordinator
- Responsible for collecting activity/event ideas from the student body and board
- Presents the logistics of the top-rated events to board members
- Delegates activity-related tasks to board members at meetings
- Follows up with board members on assignments
- Coordinates and implements all IESB-sponsored events