The Global Union is an organization led by a group of international and U.S. students that promote diversity, inclusion, and cultural immersion on the Lehigh University campus and in the local community.
2023-2024 Global Union Executive Board
Karen Charleston
Pronouns: she/her/ella
Hometown: Bronx, New York
Year: 2025 (Masters)
Role: Co-Advisor/Graduate Assistant
Karen is a first year student in the Counseling and Human Services/Mental Health Counseling M.Ed. program. She is serving as the Graduate Assistant for OISS this year. During her time with the Global Union, she hopes to help the E-board bridge a connection between the international and domestic student populations by applying her event planning and leadership experiences as a former Latino club president in undergrad. Karen is passionate about celebrating diversity and promoting representation/visibility of minority identities in majority White spaces to decrease disparities.
Alicia Zhang
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Hometown: Nazareth, Pennsylvania
Year: Class of 2025
Role: Co-President
Alicia Zhang will be serving as the Vice President of the GU this year. She is currently in the Arts and Sciences and planning to transfer over to Business School for CSB. She is interested in art, literature, and is planning to be very active in volunteering at Lehigh. She was previously a secretary of her HS's National Honor Society. At Lehigh she is also in the Accounting Club, Artists for Change, Running Club, Anime Club, etc. She wants to give everyone an equal voice on important issues, and raise awareness of the international student community.
alz425@lehigh.edu
Hongyu "Hanna" Chen
Pronouns - she/her/hers
Hometown - Chongquing, China
Year - Class of 2025
Role: Co-President
Hanna Chen is a sophomore studying in the College of Business. She is serving as VP for Internal Affairs this year. She’s responsible for recording official minutes of E-board and member club meetings, and obtaining and updating accurate information for all member clubs. She's also in charge of managing social media, marketing and finances. Last year, she worked with other Ambassadors and planned fun cultural night events and she’s looking forward to working with the amazing E-board this year! She will continue to create a supportive and inclusive community for international students and domestic students, helping international students at Lehigh represent and share their cultures and helping domestic students embracing other cultures, bridging the culture biases and differences. Furthermore, she hopes to bring more Chinese culture to the campus and make diversity alive at Lehigh.
hoc225@lehigh.edu
Dagmawit Abate
Pronouns - she/her/hers
Hometown - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Year - Class of 2026
Role- Chair of Member Club Relations
I am a sophomore and I will be serving as the chair of club relations. I really like socialising with people and learning new things. I am looking forward to working with the E-board on making Lehigh a more culturally inclusive place. I plan to make international students feel more engaged in the global union. I can not wait to work with both international and domestic students on taking global union to new heights!
Amy Liao
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Hometown: New York, USA
Year: Class of 2025
Role: Vice President of Internal Programs
Amy is serving at the VP on Internal Programs and the head of the GU Ambassador program. She intends to major in marketing with a minor in design. The world is made of so many diverse areas, and within each area consists many unique cultures and people. She hopes to spread and expose these cultures to people who have never experienced them before or know little about them. Amy values diversity and inclusion and the added value it brings to a community. She is excited to work with the Global Union to strengthen the bonds between cultures at Lehigh.
xil525@lehigh.edu
Maritza Mones
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Hometown: Bridgeport, Connecticut
Year: 2025
Role: Vice President of Social Media + Outreach
Maritza is a Junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Latin American Studies. Having worked with the Global Union as an Ambassador, she now serves as the Vice President of Social Media and Outreach. By remaining a part of the Global Union, she hopes to continue building a strong sense of community by seeking fun and unique ways to collaborate with other voices and entities on campus. She is also passionate about promoting diversity and amplifying underrepresented voices and hopes to increase the Global Union's presence and engagement with these students.
mam425@lehigh.edu
Eric Nguyen
Pronouns: he/him
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Year: 2026
Role: Treasurer
Eric is a sophomore and is majoring in Computer Science and Business.