My activism consciously began in early adulthood. Before I started my undergraduate degree, I reached out to student clubs that provided mentoring to young people. I wanted to continue my high school volunteer work as a mentor. Luckily for me, the organisation I connected with was REACH!. Beyond running a mentoring program, REACH! educated me (and many others) about racial, political, and economic injustices that were particularly confronting Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

Not long after starting my undergrad, I was quickly invited to take a position on the United States going to war with Iraq - I opposed it. Marching in San Francisco to protest the war was my first foray into this form of direct action. My activism carried into policy advocacy work (fighting the ban on affirmative action), electoral politics (supporting Get out the Vote efforts and campaigning for candidates I believed in), and anti-oppression work (coalition building with other people of colour and training to act as an LGBTQI+ ally). My activism also became part of my education and learning. Aside from my Sociology degree courses, I sought out courses in Ethnic Studies, City and Regional Planning, and Education. Most recently, my activism led me to co-found and lead Survivor Alliance, an international NGO of, by, and for survivors of human trafficking.

My activism has taken many shapes and continues to evolve, but a few things remain true:

1. At the heart of my activism is people and relationships

2. My activism is aimed at both the individual and collective, seeking micro and macro change in the world

3. I am drawn to praxis - the connection between theory and practice - and I approach the work as a scholar-activist.