My gunggung and I, who taught me the importance of community care and love.
But, current systems make it difficult for people to recognize their own power, so I’m trying to change that. (we are so powerful together!)
Growing up in Vancouver, Canada, I saw how my communities designed radical solutions to systems that gave them less. And it is this ingenuity to create, change, and care is what continues to drive my work today.
I have held may roles in my career, from art-directing mulit-million dollar fundraising galas to organizing markets for BIPOC artist, but find that I thrive in facilitating connection and developing impact strategies.
My practice revolves around justice, love, and co-existence. Inspired by writers, artists, activists, and my own roots in communities overlooked by traditional care systems, I’m passionate creating tangible projects that aid communities and center joy.
I was born and raised on the unceded territories of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ on Turtle Island, otherwise known as Vancouver, Canada. I’m a settler on that land from mixed Cantonese and German-Russian-Ukrainian Mennonite heritage. I identify as queer and non-binary, and I’m currently on a journey of exploring my own transness. I grew up in a financially secure household, where I had access to learning and resources at an early age. Throughout my life, I have navigated academic and professional spaces with disability and neurodivergence, advocating for myself and accessible access. I have had the privilege of earning both a bachelors in Business Administration from SFU and masters Design for Emergent Futures from Elisava.
Both of my parents grew up as the first generation within their family to finish high school and I’m the first generation to grow up outside of poverty. Close to my Cantonese heritage, I have spent years working in my ancestral settlement of Vancouver Chinatown and am intimately familiar with the acts of human trafficking, indentured servitude, and assimilation that were forced upon my family and other marginalized groups by the colonial state of Canada.
While I approach each project with openness and accountability, I know that my position in life leaves many areas of lived experience out of my understanding. I’m forever learning and always open to feedback, even if negative.