I am grateful to have a cultural background that is rooted outside of traditional “western” ideals. Because of the intersections of my identity, I am able to immediately recognize and address points of privilege and consider the multiple facets of other people’s identities. As a result, I come to my work, whether paid or unpaid, with the mindset that I must consider how an individual wants to be identified, their goal for remediation and what my role is in the particular situation. I do not have all the answers, but I am determined to learn as much as possible. Learning is constant! I am also a firm believer in making sure that the room is as diverse as possible, whether that be in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and ability.

These larger groups [societies, communities, governments, organizations, etc.] play a vital role because they shape our society. While leadership in our larger institutions, communities and organizations needs to be diversified, it also needs to be diversified at every level of society. inclusion and reducing inequities come with having people in those spaces who have faced those inequities daily and know what the solutions are.