Wena Teng

Sen. Wena Teng (CC’25) is a Senior at Columbia College, studying race/ethnicity studies and history with a specialization in political economy on the pre-law track. In the University Senate, she serves on the Student Affairs Committee, Education Committee, and the Commission on Diversity.

Born and raised in Queens New York, and attending Columbia as a proud First-Generation student, Wena understands the importance of community relations, financial security, housing, labor rights, and more. She is excited to take these experiences to the University Senate, with a focus on continuing to grow student life on campus and in our city through improvements in diversity, student affairs, labor justice, financial accessibility, and community solidarity.

As a Laidlaw Scholar, Truman Scholar (NY), and legal research assistant, Wena is dedicated to studying and building a career in immigration and labor law. Her experiences drive her political and legal advocacy to build inclusive and multilateral institutions for migration labor and diasporic communities. Educated in New York City Public Schools, she has served as a director of the educational equity nonprofit IntegrateNYC and has been involved in local elections. Her dedication to labor and immigration rights has been nourished by her experiences as a White House Intern and organizer with the Urban Justice Center. 

Outside of the University Senate, Wena served as Co-President of the Asian American Alliance, Director of the Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice Team of the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review, and a member of the Columbia Pops Orchestra and the Housing Equity Project. Though Wena is on the pre-law track, she is also a fan of tea culture, and literature, plays the Chinese harp (guzheng), and might just open a bookstore/teahouse one day.