At the beginning of the new year, Laurel–one of my oldest and dearest friends, and the co-founder of our small but grand book club–will be moving to D.C.. Although my heart is heavy with her departure, I couldn't be more excited for this next chapter in her life. With Laurel leaving, and my own personal capacity changing in the new year, we've decided to bring our three year long book club to a close.

Laurel and I created Elevate Women's Voice in the Fall of 2017. We wanted a space were we could learn about, and read books by Black, Indigenous, Women of Color authors. By the end of 2020 we had over three dozen members–although only a handful dedicated lol–and read 19 books together.

‘Hunger’ by Roxane Gay; ‘Heart Berries’ by Terese Marie Mailhot; ‘There, There’ by Tommy Orange; and ‘On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous’ by Ocean Vuong were some of my favorites. Over the years we also collected lots of recommendations which I hope to work through in this new year.

Orange postcard were designed by talented @jenhewett

At the start of the Summer a friend of mine pitched me an idea:

Create an internship for early career Product Managers, Product Designers, and Engineers to replace opportunities lost to the pandemic; prioritizing BIPOC.

During a time where many of us were looking inward, focused on our own safety and security; Jihern reminded me that we had the capacity to move outside ourselves and to support our peers.

Three months after that conversation we launched the first cohort of the Moringa Fellowship. The dedication from our motley crew* was a labor of love like nothing I’ve seen in Tech. Additionally the outpour of monetary and social support from friends and strangers was humbling.

As a token of my gratitude, I hand drew and colored 24 illustrations of a moringa leaf. Thank you again to everyone who showed up for our fellows. Your generosity is a testament to the power of community: together we can accomplish anything.

*Jihern Baek (He/Him), Rahul Doraiswami, Qiqi Xu, Siddharth Ramakrishnan, Cory Weaver, Shoumik Pennathur, Kimiko Goeller, Anthony Michael Abril, Allan Yu, Evan Smith

When I think of my nu’u (village/community), I think of land. I think of the soil Pa built his family on: the acres of talo and koko he planted; the sacred grave he made for Fa’afetai and the place he saved for himself next to his son.

I reminisce on the sugarcanes that grow untamed at Uncle Vili’s house; and miss the big breadfruit tree that used to shade the ‘three corner’ house–the one Dad built after marrying Mom.

This small collection of watercolor paintings are an ode to my nu’u. I donated them to a silent auction raising money for the non-profit Inneract Project, an organization very much dedicated to the community building and fellowship of Black and Brown designers and students.

From left to right: Neo, Me, Nackie, and Carl

I joined PolyByDesign Faika podcast to share my academic and professional journey; and discuss my current philanthropic endeavors.

Listen to a recording here.

Completely and Without Pause is a robust collection of personal essays, poetry, art, and photography centered on the voices and experiences of Black Women, Indigenous Women, Women of Color, Trans, and Non-binary folks of color.

I had the honor of contributing a short personal essay about the event leading up to receiving my matai title. Here is an excerpt:

I returned because I was home sick. There are only a handful of Samoans in San Francisco, and I have yet to meet any working in tech. I missed my family and our village. I missed the smell of the Pacific Ocean on everything, of walking barefoot, eating warm manapua at the market, and waking up to the sound of church bells–the islands’ way to signal a new day.

This is the first piece of writing I’ve shared publicly. Thank you to @jennieg_jennieg for seeing my story, even before I could, and allowing me to be apart of this amazing cohort of women.

100% of the proceeds from the purchase of this publication will go to @rootsoflaborbc and @birthingjustice .

I gave an interview about my experience as a Samoan women of color working in Tech. You can read the full on their website www.peopleofcolorintech.com; below is a short excerpt from the Q&A.

Tell us about yourself and what you do.

As a woman of color, and as a first-generation Samoan woman, where I would go ‘next’–after high school or college–wasn’t always so perspicuous. I never thought I’d end up in Tech. Growing up I didn’t have access to a computer at home; as one of eight I also didn’t have a lot of space I could call my own. So, I found solace in things that didn’t require either: books and journals. Because of that, I decided to pursue a degree in journalism when I left for college.

In college, my love for storytelling move from paper to canvas, and I received my BFA in Fine Art. Fast forward to today, I still tell stories, they are just more interactive. As a Product Designer, it’s my job to tell a good story; whether I’m pitching an idea, or creating an experience, I’m always thinking about how the story unfolds for the end-user.

What is your experience being a POC in Tech?

Living in San Francisco and working in Tech I am often the only Pacific Islander in the room, if not in the entire building. That in itself can feel very isolating. Over the years, I have learned to see it as an opportunity to educate my peers about my culture and use my seniority/privilege to advocate for women and POC in more associate roles.

What advice would you give to a young person who wanted to enter Tech?

Talk to someone doing what you want to do; learn about their process: how they got started, mistakes they made.