Core Committee

President: Jasmine Meredith (she/her)

Jasmine is a third year Molecular and Cellular Biology major (with an emphasis in genetics and human health), with minors in Flute Performance, French, and Sociology. She has played badminton on-and-off for about 9 years. Her hobbies include watching horror movies, and learning about art history.

Vice President: Lara Espina (she/her)

Lara is a third year student studying Nursing. She started playing badminton when she was 4 years old, but got started with training at 12 years old. Since then, she has been playing the sport on-and-off for about 13 years! Some of her hobbies include playing/making/listening to music, singing karaoke, calligraphy and organizing.

Treasurer: Sue Kwon (she/her)

Sue is a fourth year Software Engineering major with Computer Science and Math minors. She has been playing badminton for about 6 years. Her hobbies include cooking and rating boba.

Tournament Operations: Yaoye (Jerry) Wang

Technology Manager: Jackson Qiu (he/him)

Jackson is a second year PhD student studying Aerospace Engineering. He is originally from China and plays badminton for fun! He earned his BS in Astronomy and Physics still enjoys discussions about these subjects. He likes taking film and digital photographs and going on road trips.

Volunteer Coordinator: Natasha Graham (she/her)

Natasha is a second year student studying Biology. She became involved in badminton as a first year and loves to play to relieve stress and be active! She grew up in Myanmar and in her off-time enjoys getting boba, and catching up on her favorite TV shows.

Tournament Scout: Jugal Patel (he/him)

Jugal is a first year student majoring in Civil Engineering. He has been playing badminton for 5 years and has been a national level athlete! His passion and dedication for the sport makes him work hard to achieve success in tournaments. His hobbies include cooking, stargazing, and listening music.

Head Coach: Rob Waters (he/him)

Rob Waters has been involved in coaching since 1992. He first coached at Tucson Parks & Recreation for ten years, and at the U of A Rec Center from 1994-2015 as well. He has played in several major tournaments around the US including the National Senior Olympics and the US Masters. His desire is to teach all he knows to a younger generation of eager badminton players.

Assistant Coach: Ramesh Bondalapati (he/him)

Ramesh Bondalpati has been a member of the club for the past 17 years. He has 36 years of experience in the sport and he also worked with YONEX as a advisory staff member for 5 years. Ramesh has played national and international tournaments and won various medals. He has been giving individual and group Badminton lessons in Tucson for the last 15 years.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Cholik Chan (he/him)

Dr. Chan is a Professor of the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department in his 35th year. Outside of badminton, Dr. Chan enjoys being active in hiking and bike riding.