|
What is your personal/professional story?
I’m still at the beginning of my career, so my story is pretty brief! A lot of my growth came during my undergraduate career at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where I was exposed to knowledge that gave me a way to describe the inequality I saw around me. A couple of years into my undergraduate career, when I finally mustered up the courage to start going to office hours, I connected with a professor over our shared anxiety about the future of democracy and fascination with the media’s role in shaping it. I found myself sitting in his office almost weekly, asking grand questions that neither of us had answers to, until one day he asked if he could connect me with a friend who had been asking similar questions.
What started as a Zoom call about the future of work with my professor’s friend evolved into a career that has given me the opportunity to learn how to tell stories, take an idea from concept to execution, and build a network of support around issues that are meaningful to me. My work with Ourmedia, empowering Generation Z around the future of work and learning, has given me the opportunity to center the voices I’ve found to be missing in conversations about the support young people need in that transition from being learners to workers. Despite the fact that the worlds of tech, education, and business have often left out people that look and think like me, I’ve found that there are new opportunities to make room at the table for people of color, queer folks, and other marginalized groups to be heard. I hope to manifest that opportunity in the coming years.
What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?
I think the moments in my life that have been the most defining have been the times that I felt supported and loved by those around me. I have distinct memories from undergrad of pushing myself way too hard academically night after night in the library, but finding that my friends were waiting on the couch to give me hugs and a reason to laugh. In activist spaces, I would sometimes realize I hadn’t eaten in hours but then turn and see that someone was offering me a plate of food. At work, in moments that I’ve felt myself or my confidence falter, I get the kindest reminders from my colleagues that I belong here, and am deserving of the space I take up.
Though seemingly insignificant, those small reminders of the joy and resilience that exists around me are what have propelled me onto this path; each time I’ve fallen down and been picked up, I’ve become more resolute in my belief that I’ve been put on this earth to do that for others.
Where does your passion to serve come from?
My passion comes from the people I’ve been able to grow with and learn from. I remember being struck from a young age by my mom’s passion for her work in city government; it sunk in very early for me that few people are lucky enough to work in spaces where they can go to bed every night knowing they made a difference in the lives of others, and I knew I wanted to be one of them. Whether it be my cousins, professors, parents, or peers, I’ve always been surrounded by people who use their intellect and privilege to serve others, so I think that’s always been a part of what drives me.
I’ve also been heavily impacted by my own lived experiences working alongside people from backgrounds very different from mine, where I’ve gotten to see the way that service to others can make or break another’s ability to live a full and healthy life. I’ve always had access to resources, education, and a robust support system, and I’m acutely aware of the difference it has made in my ability to succeed. I want to see a world where everyone has the same opportunity I did, and on the flipside, one where people don’t fight as hard as I’ve sometimes had to to be seen and heard.
What does success look like to you, on your own terms?
In my mind, success means an even playing field for people to grow as learners, workers, and humans. I’m so grateful to the people that came before me who’ve fought so hard for better inclusion and diversity practices, but I think that we’ve only barely taken the first step on the path to genuine equity. As a society we are just beginning to allow new voices into the room, and because of that novelty I often see those voices either being sidelined, or asked to speak for an entire community. I think true success will come when we find a way not just to allow a few diverse voices to speak, but to step back, truly listen to people who come from the communities we’re trying to impact, and act accordingly.
On a personal level, it also means continuing to be challenged and excited by the work I do while maintaining healthy boundaries that mean I still have room to enjoy my friends, family, and the things that make me happy.
How can GlobalMindED help you reach your goals?
Global MindED can connect me with like minded people interested in helping empower Gen Z voices around the future of AI for work, life, and learning. We’re currently working on a really exciting initiative at Ourmedia to surface voice around what the future of technology means for young voices, especially the underrepresented ones. We’re standing at the precipice of a crucial moment where we have an opportunity to influence the trajectory of AI and technology to serve and uplift people, but it’ll take the efforts of individuals from every sector and generation. I love that GlobalMindED’s network can connect me with folks who believe in that mission and want to contribute to it.
| 
