Honoring Asian Pacific American Heritage in the Workplace

What each of us brings to the workplace extends far beyond technical skills and expertise. We bring our lived experiences, generational wisdom, values, and the essence of what makes us who we are.

Granicus wanted to explore these truths across our community while also honoring Asian Pacific American heritage through the lens of diverse voices. We spoke with colleagues across the globe about how their heritage has shaped them and what allyship means to them. Their wisdom and insights make clear that diversity, equity, and inclusion strengthen community and must be honored and elevated year-round.

(Responses were lightly edited for length.)

Saritha Kunder, Recruiter

What inspired you to work in your field?
Human Resources is a career of opportunity that allows me to make a difference through recruiting, building culture, and people practices!

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
Our ancestors contributed to India’s freedom movement. Dad served in the Indian Airforce and later joined banking. Growing up, we travelled to many places, and I learned to embrace culture and hardships with grace. My passion for helping animals also makes me a better version of myself: more adaptable, compassionate, and purposeful.

What would you like your colleagues to know in terms of what allyship means to you?
Count on me instantly. Expect me to be competent in learning and executing. Know that I will celebrate your success; it is my passion.

Who is someone you admire, and what impact have they had on your life?
Swami Vivekananda. His lesson to mankind is practical and applicable in today’s living.

Rachel Keen, Senior Director, Digital Services Implementation

What inspired you to work in your field?
I have always been the type of person who loves helping people get from A to Z. When I exited the military, I found myself in a role as a project coordinator and discovered that there was a job that truly was created for me — Project Manager! I had a boss who was willing to invest in me by giving me small projects to build my skills, and even pay for my PMP!

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
My Indonesian heritage has created grit and a deeply rooted passion for building diverse teams, solving problems together, and driving toward change that would otherwise not be possible.

What would you like your colleagues to know in terms of what allyship means to you?
Developing cultural awareness is not optional to developing as a leader; it is imperative to your growth and the success of your teams.

Who is someone you admire, and what impact have they had on your life?
My grandfather grew up in a concentration camp. He took the most difficult season in his life and turned it into the motivation for empathy toward all things. He has spent his life dedicated to serving others and making an impact. I hope to be as patient, supportive, and understanding.

Jaziell Villanueva, Implementation Specialist

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love my job and my company because I get to enjoy my career while working remotely. Being in the IT field gives me the ability to grow personally and professionally. There are a lot of things to learn in the IT world that always challenge me to become better at what I do.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
My Filipino heritage helped me become a person with passion and compassion. I learned from my heritage that I should always be grateful for everything, and I must work hard and work smart to achieve my goals.

What would you like your colleagues to know in terms of what allyship means to you?
You will never be left alone; you’ll be heard, respected, and supported.

Esther Han, Platform Training Coordinator & Implementation Strategist

What inspired you to work in your field?
I love helping people, and it was important to find a career that allowed me to invest my time and energy toward meaningful work that will build positive impacts for the community.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
As an Asian American immigrant, I witnessed my parents working incredibly hard with sacrifice and humility to build a stable future for our family. Despite both having PhDs, they were often ridiculed or dismissed in public for their accents and inexperience in navigating American social culture.

I had to grow up quickly to assimilate with and for the adult figures in my life, but these experiences also instilled in me the power of language, awareness, code switching, and proactive problem-solving.

What would you like your colleagues to know in terms of what allyship means to you?
Come in with humility, being quick to offer support, taking on a stance of mindfulness, and not diminishing or assuming you know about my experience and where I’m coming from!

Particularly in the current climate of rising #asianhatecrimes with the pandemic, it was such a display of solidarity when allies showed up to intentionally counteract against the microaggressions and inflammatory language to create safe, welcoming spaces for the AAPI community.

Kenneth “Kenny” Fukuda, Recruiter

What do you enjoy most about your job?
My favorite part of my job is sharing the mission of Granicus. When I see potential employees light up and buy into our mission, and then decide to join us, it’s such a delight.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
Being an immigrant from Taiwan, it shapes how I view the lens of being an American. I see the freedoms enjoyed by many and can see the struggle by many others to fully enjoy those same freedoms.

What would you like your colleagues to know in terms of what allyship means to you?
Allyship isn’t about agreeing with everything I agree with. The Asian American diaspora is so large. There’s no way to agree with everything I agree with, and I don’t even agree with everyone else who is Asian American. What I expect is for people to see me as an American, endowed with the same rights as anyone else. But allies will also see me as Asian American, as different, but that the differences make us so much fuller! This means that America isn’t a melting pot, but more like a salad bowl. A salad of only lettuce is no fun. I like my lettuce, but also my tomatoes, croutons, peppers, olives, onions, chicken, and cheese. 😊

Who is someone you admire, and what impact have they had on your life?

My high school music teacher and my high school German teacher. Both saw my potential in life and pushed me to do more and be better.

Charlotte Lee, Strategic Lead, CX & Innovation

What inspired you to work in your field?
As an immigrant, the first person in the family to go to college, entrepreneur, and parent; I am categorically tied to the services of the government. Some of my earliest memories after arriving in the states as a 5-year-old were going to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Social Security Administration, and DMV to translate for Korean Americans.

Sometimes I was met with deep compassion, and sometimes I felt embarrassed and lost in the maze of the processes. It is truly an honor to find myself at a place of genuine alignment of capability and opportunity to apply empathetic, human-centric thinking to government services.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
Korea has managed to maintain heritage, language, and culture throughout centuries of occupation and colonization. To be Korean American means carrying the story of the country’s resilience with us everywhere.

What would you like your colleagues to know in terms of what allyship means to you?
Allyship starts with acceptance, authentic belief, and implicit knowledge that the differences we may have in race or culture are not easy or natural (despite what people may say), but are totally worth it.

Who is someone you admire, and what impact have they had on your life?
I admire Asian American comediennes and actresses like Ali Wong! She’s hilarious and irreverent but understands the critical role she plays in changing the perception of Asian Americans in the country.

Diana Kim, Sales Operations Project Coordinator

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the opportunity to be able to work with a lot of different personalities/backgrounds and play a role in how other employees enjoy their time at Granicus.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
Personally, I’ve always been pretty out of touch with my heritage because my parents immigrated here from South Korea for me to be able to live the “American Dream.” I think the “model minority” narrative is really toxic, though, because anyone can be intelligent, hard-working, and independent regardless of your background. In my mind, it was more about my parents wanting an ROI, so I better be good at what I do and who I am.

What would you like your colleagues to know in terms of what allyship means to you?
I think it’s important to always think twice before you speak, but don’t think when you are trying to correct/educate someone. It is crucial to interrupt comfort to create positive change. Being an ally means being an active participant in supporting that community. If you have never been uncomfortable, then you’re probably doing it wrong. No amount of social media posts or friends automatically makes you an ally. You have to work for it.

Take time to reflect on the wisdom that our colleagues shared. How might their insights shape the way you connect with and show up for those around you? What does allyship look like on your team, in your workplace, and how might you contribute to positive change?

If you’d like to learn more about Granicus and how you can be a part of the impactful mission to support those who serve global communities, please connect with us here.