Where do you work?
I am a writer and nonprofit consultant, who works mostly with advocacy and social services organizations. I’ve done a little bit of everything—from grant writing to website content writing, from CRM implementations to strategic planning.

How long have you been involved with Women Unite!?
Since September. I draft grants and communications for our partners and clients.

What do you like most about WU!?
Professionally, I do my best to align myself with organizations that have a strong and clear set of values that are similar to my own. I most appreciate and admire WU!’s commitment to justice and equity across all aspects of its operations.

What’s an issue you care deeply about? Why?
One issue that remains especially near to my heart is the issue of immigration justice—that is, ensuring human rights protection, increasing access to legal aid for immigrants and asylees, and enacting humane policies that allow immigrants, asylees, and refugees to live with dignity in the U.S. Having grown up in a bicultural household, I’ve always been deeply interested in the diasporic experiences of other communities in the U.S, and, as a result, I began working in the social services sector in 2010 as an English as a Second Language instructor. It didn’t take long for me to realize just how vastly different my own family’s immigration experience was compared to that of my students’ due to reasons of race, religion, and class.

What’s a hobby you have?
I really enjoy playing (non-competitive) basketball with my friends!

What gives you hope?
I draw daily inspiration from the artists and activists I know. Artists and activists complement one another: artists are working to shift cultural values, activists to shift policies. At a certain point, those two things will hopefully align and that’s when change can happen. It’s a long game, though—one that often seems futile and can last beyond the scope of a single lifetime. You just have to push forward, sometimes in a world that is hostile to your work, and keep believing that one day you’ll reach someone. It’s an extreme act of faith.

What are 2–3 ways you’ve been getting through this pandemic?
Cooking evening meals with my partner, listening to the podcast Poetry Unbound, and caring for my plants.

Fun/random fact you want to share?
The word “conversation” stems from the Latin “conversari” which meant “to dwell among” or “to keep company with.” I’m really charmed by this idea of conversation as a way of keeping company with someone, whether through words or action or presence—conversation as being beyond the verbal.

What’s one of your favorite local Chicago businesses?
Women & Children First.