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A University of Minnesota student smiling and wearing a UMN beanie, navy sweater and gold sweatpants.

President - Gaby

I’m Gaby and the president of TandemPlus! I’m a senior in Global Studies with a focus on human rights/ justice and Latin America. TandemPlus is an important club to me because language learning has always been a hobby of mine. I grew up speaking Spanish and later English, French in high school, and Korean and Norwegian in college. I love that TPSA offers a space for all sorts of language learners to connect, share tips, and make new friends. After my bachelors, I plan on going to graduate school to get a PhD in Political Science. Everyone on board is absolutely lovely to be around, and our events are fun, so make sure to stop by at least once! 

A student holding a peace sign, smiling and wearing a black t-shirt.

Chief Standards Officer - Noah

Nice to meet you! My name is Noah and I am the Chief Standards Officer of TandemPlus Student Association. I am a graduate student in the Asian and Middle Eastern Studies department at CLA. I have been studying Korean for a couple years now, and have even had the opportunity to study abroad at Korea University (with Monica)! Contributing and participating in TandemPlus has reinvigorated my passion for culture sharing and language learning. As someone who grew up in a monolingual household, being able to hold conversations in a different language is borderline thrilling, and it is these sort of thrills that have motivated me to pursue area studies further.

A smiling University of Minnesota student wearing headphones and a white sweater.

Secretary - Libby 

I’m Libby, and I’m the secretary this year for the TandemPlus Student Association! I am a freshman majoring in Global Studies with a minor in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. I’ve studied Spanish for four years, and I am currently studying Chinese. After college, I hope to attend law school to study international human rights law and work in the foreign service. In my free time, I love reading YA fiction, drinking coffee, and crocheting. My favorite part about TPSA is meeting new people, practicing my language skills, and learning more about other cultures! 

A smiling University of Minnesota student wearing a blue and white horizontal stripped shirt, sunglasses on head, and sitting in a hammock.

Treasurer - Lucas

I’m Lucas, and I’m the treasurer for the TandemPlus Student Association. I am a sophomore majoring in German, Scandinavian, and Dutch with a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). In addition, I’m in the DirecTrack to Teaching Program for Second Language Education. After graduation, I hope to break into the language acquisition space, especially with how it relates to language education. When I’m not busy, I enjoy spending time with those close to me, making terribly funny jokes, and getting boba and coffee (MuMu and Nina’s represent!). Stop by any of our events to say hello!

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Social Media Coordinator - Mai

I am Mai. I am from Argentina and I am Social Media Coordinator of Tandem Plus Student Association. My native language is Spanish and I am learning English as a second language. This last summer I attended the MELP program at the UMN. I am planning to attend again next semester. My goal is to continue perfecting my English so I can live in the US and connect with native people too. 

In my free time, I love to go to the cinema, stop by a coffee place and drink coffee. I like cooking and spending time with the people that I love. 

My favorite part about TPSA is meeting new people and having fun while I learn.

A smiling University of Minnesota student leaning against a fence over a lake.

Event Coordinator - Mason

Hi, I’m Mason, event coordinator for TandemPlus. I’m a senior this year in linguistics with minors in Spanish and computer science. I started speaking Spanish in high school and have been practicing ever since. I also speak some Mandarin Chinese. I learned about Tandem+ in my desperate search for free Mandarin resources because I didn’t want to take any classes, and I was able to find a very kind and patient native speaker to teach me! I’m now on the TPSA board and love connecting with language learners and international students. After college, I’m going to work at Thomson Reuters as a software developer.

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Event Planner - Nick

Hi! I’m Nick, and I’m the event planner for TPSA. I’m a junior doing a double major in Supply Chain Management and International Business. I’ve been learning Korean for a little over two years, and next semester I will be studying abroad at Sogang University in South Korea. I’ve been a member of Tandem+ since my freshman year, and I’ve met a lot of friends through the matching service. I hope to learn other languages like Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and some German in the future, so Tandem will definitely be a lasting group I am a part of. In my free time, I love to cook, bake, exercise, and play video games, but I can never sit still for too long so I always like trying new things. I’m looking forward to having a fun semester with everyone at TPSA!