Masthead | Berkeley Political Review

Editorial Staff

Editors-in-Chief

Mira Chawla

Mira Chawla is a fourth-year student in UC Berkeley and Sciences Po Paris’s Dual BA Program, studying Political Economy. She previously led Sciences Po’s campus newspaper and wrote and edited for BPR’s Opinion Section. She joined the Review in 2024.

Elias S. Myers

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Elias S. Myers is a fourth-year studying History, with an interest in the American identity. Formerly, he edited the California Section. He joined the Review in 2022.

Section Editors

World

Ava Reyes

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Ava has been writing for the World Section for two years. She is particularly interested in the topics of criminal justice, Southeast Asian politics, and democratic backsliding.

Oishika Chattopadhyay

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Oishika Chattopadhyay is a co-editor of the World Section. She is a fourth year studying Political Science and History, and has been at BPR since her first year at Berkeley, where she began as a writer for the World Section. Her focuses surround international relations, specifically trends of democratic ideals and global policymaking.

Ella Johnson

Ella is a third year studying Political Science, Public Policy, and Global Studies. She has a distinct interest in Central Asia and post-Soviet democratization.

Nick Carone

Nick Carone is a Deputy Editor of the world section. A third-year studying Political Science and Film, he is interested in global and cultural politics. He joined the Review in the spring of 2025.

United States

Monica Sidana

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Monica Sidana is a third-year majoring in Political Science and Legal Studies with a minor in Human Rights. She joined the Review in 2023 to explore the American judicial system through a political lens.

Molly Urfalian

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Molly Urfalian is a 3rd-year majoring in Society and the Environment, with minors in Data Science and Public Policy. She joined the review in 2024 and is passionate about all things environmental.

Faith Spalding

Hi! I’m Faith, a third year starting as Deputy Editor. I’m incredibly passionate about journalism and editing, working at several news and reporting outlets on campus. I look forward to in-depth and proactive coverage of U.S. politics this year, especially in such an uncertain environment.

California

Laila Hamidi

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Laila Hamidi is a fourth-year studying Environmental Economics, Geography, and City Planning. She is passionate about urban accessibility, climate resilience, and local organizing. Laila joined the California Section in 2023, and has been an editor since Spring 2024.

Matthew Pitcher

Meet with Matthew

My name is Matthew Pitcher and I am one of the editors for the California section! Born and raised in Fresno, California (the beating heart of the state), I learned that my hometown served as a microcosm of many of the issues that the state faces. Because of that, I decided to apply to BPR to cast Fresno into the California limelight! Think FresYES and Go Bears!

Caspar Turner

Hey, I’m Caspar Turner. I’m a third-year political science major who enjoys researching both what California does better than the rest of the US, and what our great state can improve on. The vastly different viewpoints Californians can have on infrastructure, commerce, and the judicial system fascinate me.

Opinion

Caitlyn Liao

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Caitlyn Liao is a third-year student studying Political Economy and Economics, with a focus on domestic inequality. She joined the Review in 2023 and enjoys writing about a wide variety of topics.

Tucker Gauss

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Tucker is a Senior Opinion Editor at BPR. He is majoring in Economics and Political Science, and is passionate about affordable housing, AI policy, and sustainable business strategy. He also loves tennis, playing the guitar, going the gym, and horror movies.

Rithwik Shivnani

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Rithwik Shivnani is a second-year student studying Applied Math and Data science. He joined the Review in 2024, and enjoys cultural and political analysis.

Marcus Oettinger

Marcus is a deputy editor in the opinion section. When not writing or editing for BPR he enjoys reading, hiking, and exploring the Bay Area.

Multimedia

Isabelle Jacobson

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Isabelle Jacobson is a third-year Political Science major, passionate about human rights and political polarization. She joined BPR in 2024 as a podcaster and is now Senior Editor of Multimedia.

External

Delaney Sparacio

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Delaney is a fourth year Political Science and Public Policy student who joined the copyediting team in her sophomore year. She is passionate about the intersections of law, policy, and technology, and her favorite thing about copy editing is being able to read a variety of amazing articles!

Jacky Zhengchen Li

Meet with Jacky

Jacky is an avid traveller, with a strong passion for culinary arts and photography, as well as a pet lover, especially for his two dogs, a Labrador and a poodle. He is also a dual degree student who has spent two years in France prior to Berkeley, majoring in Politics and Government. Apart from BPR, he’s also involved in many other campus activities and projects, such as the Student Policy Institute at Berkeley. He joined the Review as a copy editor in 2024.

Yana Patel

Meet with Yana

Yana Patel is a senior studying Political Economy and serves as the Business Manager. A fun fact about her is that she was born and raised in Zambia, Africa!