Workshop Session 2:
Sat, 10am - 11:15am

Return to Workshop Schedule

Research Family & Pacific Islander Centered Research at the Burke Museum & University of Washington [Waldo Hall 240]

This workshop aims to share the various Pacific Islander led and centered research and projects taking place at the University of Washington and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. We will also talk about our Pacific Islander led research group known as Research Family and how our group has allowed us as Pacific Islander students to discuss the barriers and challenges of working within a museum and university space while also sharing how we shift these spaces towards serving our communities and students. We are practice based and dedicated to supporting Pacific Islander students, families, and communities which is evident in the research students do. This workshop will share Research Family stories and initiatives, as well as engaging activities to illustrate how we bring familial values into our spaces.

Presenters: The Research Family at the University of Washington

  • Research Family graduate and undergraduate students are excited to introduce themselves and their work during their session! As well as get to know all of you! Presenters will share more about themselves in the workshop!

Beyond the Reef: From the Islands to the Continent [Waldo Hall 244]

This session will confront candidly the challenges faced by first‑generation Pasifika college students. Whether you navigate this path independently or with encouragement of loved ones, many of us have journeyed great distances in pursuit of a better life. We will explore the nature of resilience, the fortitude required to persist in higher education, and invite reflection on what your presence here in higher education signifies for you.

Presenter: Andrea Camacho

It Takes a Village to Thrive: Reframing Basic Needs as Collective Strength [Waldo 201A]

This workshop is designed with our Pacific Islander students and communities at the heart. Rooted in the values of vā(relational space), aloha, fa’aaloalo (respect), pwukoah (responsibility), and collective care, this session creates a safe and affirming space to talk openly about basic needs, cultural responsibility, and navigating college systems. In many of our island cultures, we are taught to be strong, to give before we receive, to support our families back home, and to carry responsibility with pride. While these values are powerful, they can sometimes make it hard to ask for help — even when we need it. This workshop reframes support not as weakness, but as a way to strengthen the entire village. Together, we will explore what it truly means to thrive in college — not just academically, but physically, emotionally, financially, and culturally.

Presenter: Pamela Fredrick-Williams

  • Drea Camacho is a Chamorro/Thai graduate from Eastern Oregon University and Oregon State University. She was born and raised in the island of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands and was a first-generation college student. She has served as a youth advocate, assisting teens experiencing homelessness and as a domestic violence and sexual assault response advocate where she has supported survivors impacted by violence. Drea now works for local government as a Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator and advocate for health equity.

  • Pamela Fredrick-Williams (She/Her) serves as a Benefits Navigator in the Strategic Equity Initiatives Department at Eastern Oregon University, where she advances student retention and success through equity-centered basic needs support. Her work integrates public benefits navigation—including SNAP and the Oregon Health Plan—into broader student success frameworks, positioning basic needs access as a critical institutional responsibility rather than a peripheral service. As a Pacific Islander professional and bilingual English–Pohnpeian advocate, Pamela brings lived experience and community-rooted leadership to her practice. She also serves as a Pohnpeian Outreach Enrollment Specialist with the COFA Alliance National Network of Oregon, supporting Compact of Free Association (COFA) community members in navigating healthcare systems and public benefits enrollment. Her work bridges higher education and community health systems, strengthening culturally responsive outreach, cross-sector partnerships, and trust-building with historically underserved populations. With her MBA from EOU, Pamela focuses on developing sustainable, data-informed, and culturally grounded strategies that advance institutional equity and student persistence.

Creating Change As An Organizer [SEC 354]

Want to fight for change in your community? What does it mean to be an organizer? Let's be so real... it's difficult to create change while also being a student. Join us to walk through stories and exercises to help you walk away with learning more about yourself and how to contribute to the movement of transformative change and justice.

Presenter: Kareena Salvi, Youth Engagement and Field Associate at APIAVote

  • Kareena Salvi, she/her, is a South Asian American, an ally and currently working at APIAVote as the Youth Engagement and Field Associate. She oversees youth programming and implements leadership and civic engagement training to uplift and support Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Asian American students across the nation. Outside of APIAVote, she is a community organizer at heart and a fighter inspired by her grandpa. Currently holds a BA from Drew University with a major in Political Science and minors in Spanish, Dance, and Law, Justice and Society. Some of her previous work is at Sikh Coalition, the nation’s largest Sikh civil rights organization as a Policy and Advocacy intern handling hate crime data collection. She also uses dance as a social justice tool such as her piece on Decolonization!

Know Your Rights: Pasifika Edition [SEC 254]

Know Your Rights and use them! Join us to get Pasifika specific updates from the Dept of Homeland Security. We will go through a Know Your Rights presentation and end with an activism art activity.

Presenters: Johanna Inoke & Angela William

  • Hafa Adai yan Tirow! My name is Johanna Inoke and I am a Chamorro woman born and raised in the island of Saipan. I moved to Vancouver during high school years and it has been my new home since then. I am an alumni of Clark College and Washington State University – Vancouver Campus where I achieved my Bachelors in Biology. Although science was my major, I learned through activities outside of school work, that community work is my real passion. I will be sharing knowledge from my work as a Site Manager at the Pacific Islander Community Association of WA. I attended PISA Con for the first time in 2016 and I am so happy to be back as a Workshop Facilitator.

  • Angela William, She/Her, Chuukese

    My name is Angela William and I am the Wellness Navigator for PICA-WA in SW Washington. I’m Chuukese, from the island of Weno and Udot. Spefically from the villages of Sapuk in Weno and Penia in Udot. I graduated from Portland State University in 2020 with my B.S. in Criminal Justice/Criminology. I was driven by the support of my family and my community to keep going to school, and to keep finding new opportunities.

Creating Change As An Organizer [SEC 354]

Want to fight for change in your community? What does it mean to be an organizer? Let's be so real... it's difficult to create change while also being a student. Join us to walk through stories and exercises to help you walk away with learning more about yourself and how to contribute to the movement of transformative change and justice.

Presenter: Carol K. Matsuzaki, Caleia Capoccia and Mahina Ajifu-Santos

  • Kareena Salvi, she/her, is a South Asian American, an ally and currently working at APIAVote as the Youth Engagement and Field Associate. She oversees youth programming and implements leadership and civic engagement training to uplift and support Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Asian American students across the nation. Outside of APIAVote, she is a community organizer at heart and a fighter inspired by her grandpa. Currently holds a BA from Drew University with a major in Political Science and minors in Spanish, Dance, and Law, Justice and Society. Some of her previous work is at Sikh Coalition, the nation’s largest Sikh civil rights organization as a Policy and Advocacy intern handling hate crime data collection. She also uses dance as a social justice tool such as her piece on Decolonization!

  • by Drea Camacho

    This session will confront candidly the challenges faced by first‑generation Pasifika college students. Whether you navigate this path independently or with the encouragement of loved ones, many of us have journeyed great distances in pursuit of a better life. We will explore the nature of resilience, the fortitude required to persist in higher education, and invite reflection on what your presence here in higher education signifies for you.

  • by Rachael Tamngin & Ronalei Gasetoto

    This workshop aims to share the various Pacific Islander led and centered research and projects taking place at the University of Washington and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. We will also talk about our Pacific Islander led research group known as Research Family and how our group has allowed us as Pacific Islander students to discuss the barriers and challenges of working within a museum and university space while also sharing how we shift these spaces towards serving our communities and students. We are practice based and dedicated to supporting Pacific Islander students, families, and communities which is evident in the research students do. This workshop will share Research Family stories and initiatives, as well as engaging activities to illustrate how we bring familial values into our spaces.

  • By Pamela Fredrick Williams

    This workshop is designed with our Pacific Islander students and communities at the heart. Rooted in the values of vā(relational space), aloha, fa’aaloalo (respect), kuleana (responsibility), and collective care, this session creates a safe and affirming space to talk openly about basic needs, cultural responsibility, and navigating college systems. In many of our island cultures, we are taught to be strong, to give before we receive, to support our families back home, and to carry responsibility with pride. While these values are powerful, they can sometimes make it hard to ask for help — even when we need it. This workshop reframes support not as weakness, but as a way to strengthen the entire village. Together, we will explore what it truly means to thrive in college — not just academically, but physically, emotionally, financially, and culturally.

  • By Kareena Salvi
    Want to fight for change in your community? What does it mean to be an organizer? It's difficult to create change while also being a student. Join us to hear from long-time organizer in the PI-space Tana Lepule, and APIAVote's youth engagement organizer Kareena Salvi who will walk through stories and exercises to help you walk away with learning more about yourself and how to contribute to the movement of positive change and justice.

  • By Carol Matsuzaki

    Come be part of hands-on, action-packed activities that uplift Pacific Islander voices and student success across Oregon through the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Student Success Plan. This is a space to share what real mental health support looks like, speak up, and help shape the look and future of the Plan so it truly reflects the diversity and strength of Pacific Islander cultures.

  • By Daniel Brown

    This workshop invites Pacific Islander college students living in the diaspora to explore their personal stories and relationships through the traditional craft of rope making, or tåli in Chamoru. In a relaxed and open environment, we’ll reflect on our connections to land, community, and identity while exploring values of inafa maolek (maintaining harmonious relationships), reciprocity, and respect.

  • By Olynn Ara & Emma Olo

    This interactive workshop introduces participants to elei, the traditional Samoan art of hand-printing fabric using carved designs and fabric paint. Participants will learn the cultural history and meaning behind common Samoan patterns, then create and print their own elei design to take home. Beyond art-making, this workshop centers wellness through guided reflection, storytelling, and intentional breathing. As we paint and print together, we create space for stress relief, emotional grounding, and cultural reconnection. Participants will explore how cultural practices strengthen identity, build community, and support mental well-being.

Workshop Session 3:
11:30am - 12:45pm

  • By Carol Matsuzaki
    Come be part of hands-on, action-packed activities that uplift Pacific Islander voices and student success across Oregon through the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Student Success Plan. This is a space to share what real mental health support looks like, speak up, and help shape the look and future of the Plan so it truly reflects the diversity and strength of Pacific Islander cultures.

  • By Kareena Salvi
    Want to fight for change in your community? What does it mean to be an organizer? It's difficult to create change while also being a student. Join us to hear from long-time organizer in the PI-space Tana Lepule, and APIAVote's youth engagement organizer Kareena Salvi who will walk through stories and exercises to help you walk away with learning more about yourself and how to contribute to the movement of positive change and justice.

  • by Ria Galo

    We inherit so much from past generations - family land, cultural stories through song and dance, biological features including our personality traits and mannerisms - but how much have you considered mental health-related inheritances? In this workshop, we will walk through building your individual genogram and explore patterns of behavior and how that impacts our mental health. We’ll learn about what a genogram is and what types of information gets put on it. Then we will encourage open dialogue both in small groups and individual reflection to ask the questions about our mental health inheritances. 

  • by Johanna Inoke & Angela William

    This workshop will go through a presentation of knowing your rights if ICE were to show up to your door. We'll discuss what to do if someone in your community becomes detained and closing with an activity to practice your rights.

  • By Janae Puni, Kaleigha Perez, Evangeline Paulo & Kinikiele Ta’aga
    This workshop invites Pacific Islander college students to focus on structure of leadership and tips of leadership.

  • By Dr. Jade Hidle

    Our 4 outstanding Mana scholars will share how they all identify as Samoan yet in distinct, diverse ways. From the differences between indigenous and diasporic identities to grappling with the notion of “authenticity” as afakasi with mixed heritage, our students will acknowledge how tension and exclusion carry over into Pasifika spaces intended for them. To combat these continuities of intra-NHPI discrimination, they will each share how during their participation in our Mana classes, talanoas, and student club activities, they have worked on first navigating their own identities in order to find a sense of community.

Workshop Session 4:
2pm - 3:15pm

  • by Dr. Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, Motutama Sipeli'i, Jaden DLG Villacrusis, Remedio (Bedu) Ana Sablan Dela Cruz, Petra Doreen Babauta Castro, Jenara Bai

    This interactive workshop centers Micronesian student voices as they reflect on their lived experiences navigating higher education while remaining grounded in culture, identity, and community. Facilitated by Micronesian Pacific Islander students who transferred from their home islands to pursue education in the United States through Portland State University, the session draws from their experiences in PIAA 301, a Pacific Islander Studies course grounded in Indigenous Pacific epistemologies taught by Professor Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson.
    The workshop will utilize a weaving circle, grounded in the Talanoa learning framework. It introduces participants to Micronesia as part of Oceania, emphasizing the distinct languages, histories, and cultural practices of its island nations, alongside shared values of community, reciprocity, respect, and collective responsibility. Presenters reflect on how PIAA 301 created a culturally grounded learning space that centers Pacific Islander voices and prioritizes learning from the Pacific rather than learning about it. Students will share how the course supported identity exploration, belonging, storytelling, and community building through Talanoa methodology.

  • By Daniel Brown
    This workshop invites Pacific Islander college students living in the diaspora to explore their personal stories and relationships through the traditional craft of rope making, or tåli in Chamoru. In a relaxed and open environment, we’ll reflect on our connections to land, community, and identity while exploring values of inafa maolek (maintaining harmonious relationships), reciprocity, and respect.

  • By Alissa Takesy

  • By Tihani J. Makanaʻauao Mitchell & Kaimana Kon

    Aloha mai a ʻIa Orana! We plan to discuss the different language branches and dialects
    that came from voyaging throughout the Pacific. Specifically exploring the Proto-Central Eastern Polynesian Languages of Te Reo Tahiti and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. We plan to introduce how voyaging and settlement impact linguistics, how they change and adapt to their regions, and then go into an introductory language lesson on both ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and Te Reo Tahiti. If time permits, we also plan to show a conversational example of both languages.

  • by Ria Galo

    We inherit so much from past generations - family land, cultural stories through song and dance, biological features including our personality traits and mannerisms - but how much have you considered mental health-related inheritances? In this workshop, we will walk through building your individual genogram and explore patterns of behavior and how that impacts our mental health. We’ll learn about what a genogram is and what types of information gets put on it. Then we will encourage open dialogue both in small groups and individual reflection to ask the questions about our mental health inheritances. 

  • By Pamela Fredrick Williams
    This workshop is designed with our Pacific Islander students and communities at the heart. Rooted in the values of vā(relational space), aloha, fa’aaloalo (respect), kuleana (responsibility), and collective care, this session creates a safe and affirming space to talk openly about basic needs, cultural responsibility, and navigating college systems. In many of our island cultures, we are taught to be strong, to give before we receive, to support our families back home, and to carry responsibility with pride. While these values are powerful, they can sometimes make it hard to ask for help — even when we need it. This workshop reframes support not as weakness, but as a way to strengthen the entire village. Together, we will explore what it truly means to thrive in college — not just academically, but physically, emotionally, financially, and culturally.

  • by Drea Camacho
    This session will confront candidly the challenges faced by first‑generation Pasifika college students. Whether you navigate this path independently or with the encouragement of loved ones, many of us have journeyed great distances in pursuit of a better life. We will explore the nature of resilience, the fortitude required to persist in higher education, and invite reflection on what your presence here in higher education signifies for you.