Where do you work?
I am a grants consultant who works mainly with 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.

How long have you been involved with Women Unite!?
Since September 2024. I draft grants and grant reports for WU! partners and clients.

What do you like most about WU!?
I get to work for mutual aid organizations like Chicago United Solidarity Project (CUSP). Mutual aid is deemed radical by most of society because it operates outside of conventional charity and nonprofit systems. But stigma aside, it has been a source of empowerment for many generations of immigrants and folks pushed to the margins.

What’s an issue (social or political) you care deeply about? Why?
I’m interested in the relationship between large, stable middle classes and healthy democracies. My interest in this topic can be traced to my decades-long interest in the democratization movements of South Korea and Taiwan, which had previously been authoritarian.

What’s a hobby you have?
I like to meditate. I do Transcendental Meditation twice a day. It’s like recharging your brain. It’s a nice breather from everyday life—you get to decompress.

What are 2–3 ways you’ve been getting through the fall of late-stage capitalism?
I enjoy traveling abroad; the fruits and vegetables in Asia and Europe are much sweeter than the ones in the U.S. I also like to fly to Boston to visit my nieces and nephew.

Fun/random fact you want to share?
I went to middle and high school with Bruno Mars. We called him Peter back then.

What’s one of your favorite local businesses?
Phở Năm Lúa