Husky 100

My Husky Experience has meant discovering ways to be an asset to the people and spaces I engage with even in the midst of pain and isolation. However, I can proudly say that they’ve also left me more aware and secure in who I am as a multi-faceted person. I now have the ability to say, “I may not always have the answers but there is purpose in the journey of discovering them.” They’ve molded me into a person who not only dreams for themselves but for their family and community as well.

Tālofa. Fa’aumu Kaimana kʷə dsdaʔ. I am a proud first-generation student who grew as a healer for my Pacific Islander and Native American communities. I create welcoming spaces for Indigenous communities through language revitalization and perpetuation in spaces from public transport to the Burke Museum. As I pursue studies in ethnolinguistics, I strive to cultivate a legacy of inclusive mentorship and family in academia, knowing that healing happens when every story is heard and respected.

My UW education has led me to fantastic mentors and opportunities, which have provided ways to specify my interests and ensure I am conducting work I believe in. I research the spatialization of representations as a method of empowerment and agency. Particularly, how museums are institutions with a lot of social power and changing these spaces into ones that are made by and for communities of color creates societal change. I will continue working alongside my communities to represent themselves.

I have always been a justice-seeker and a protector. At UW, I learned that I could achieve anything and overcome any challenges. The privilege of being at the UW makes me feel responsible, and I will use all my academic and non-academic connections to help people succeed. We are all indispensable carriers of information that we take with us wherever we go. Geography and Informatics will help me move the geographic borders using modern technology.

Powered by an evolving understanding of multifaceted leadership, I’m grateful to the UW for enabling me to build connections between experiences, stay curious in my learning, treat everything as a collaborative challenge and lead with an inclusive community-building approach in all I do. I hope to keep facilitating meaningful dialogue surrounding the socioeconomic intersections of rights and equity in order to better serve those impacted the most by structural disenfranchisement.

My identities as a 1.5 generation Chinese immigrant from South Seattle provided a foundation for my Husky Experience and sparked my interest in social justice advocacy. My time at the University of Washington has empowered me to not only recognize the growth and potential within myself, but also understand how to promote educational equity while supporting underserved communities. I strive to become an empathetic educator to inspire future students and help them achieve their highest potential.

My Husky Experience showed me the importance of creating inclusive spaces. It has given me the fierceness I need to pursue my passions for leadership, human rights and forensics. After college, I want to pursue a career in human rights to uncover hidden truths and help bring justice to marginalized communities. From my involvement in UW Leaders to my experience in research, my time at UW has driven me to challenge myself, take initiative and fight for what I believe in.

My work focuses on journalism as a tool of activism, using inclusive coverage to empower marginalized communities. The UW has given me strength to fight the systemic barriers placed against people like me; from writing a column on campus about ways the UW can improve minority student experiences to collaborating internationally on coverage of transgender violence for law reform with policymakers in my home country of the Philippines. I work to uplift the next generation of queer youth of color.