Walking into the Faculty Alumni House on a sunny May afternoon, guests were welcomed with bright fuchsia orchid leis and warm smiles from staff. The building buzzed with anticipation to hear from the panel of speakers assembled for "A Courageous Conversation About Ancestral Wisdom and Wellness".
Financial and Administrative Services (FAS) partnered with the Asian Pacific American Systemwide Alliance (APASA) to host this community-building event in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, sparking conversations about heritage and culture that went far beyond the water cooler.
After a warm welcome from Klint Jaramillo-Hudson, FAS Executive Director, Organizational Culture & Strategy (pictured left), guests joyfully connected over dumplings and flavorful Asian cuisine. Following this moment of shared self-care, they got ready to hear from voices often underrepresented in campus conversations; the frontline and administrative staff.
The event featured a panel of four UCSF staff members who came together to speak about their experiences with identity, culture, healing and wellness.
Panelists included Frances Famacion Mendoza from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost; Tiffany Lam from Student Academic Affairs; and two of our own Campus Life Services colleagues, Denny Nguyen and Joey Convento.
“We wanted diverse backgrounds, a representation of different ethnicities and cultures. One was born here, one was not. The experiences are different. Generational diversity, supervisory and non-supervisory, different jobs across campus,” event moderator Jennifer (Jenn) Chan explained.
The conversation began with opening remarks from APASA Co-Chair Tiffani Chan and Assistant Vice Chancellor Wylie Liu from the Center for Community Engagement, who reminded attendees why it’s so important to celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month at UCSF.
Chan then led the discussion with thoughtful and heartfelt questions about self-care, cultural traditions, family values, and how personal identities show up in professional spaces.
“These are like private conversations,” Chan noted. “People don’t know how to have them with co-workers, even though we spend so much time together. When we build community, we get to know people as whole human beings, not just by what they do at work.”
For many in the audience, it was the first time hearing colleagues speak so openly about their lived experiences.
Mendoza, an executive assistant, shared her community-centered approach to wellness rooted in her Filipino heritage and explored through the Hawaiian practice of hula dance. Convento, a longtime staff member, talked about finding wellness through fitness and self-discipline. Nguyen, a landscape supervisor, described family traditions that may seem unconventional in American culture but are common in AANHPI households such as the ancient healing practice of cupping. Lam, director of student success, spoke about how her immigrant parents’ values shaped her upbringing, and how she now draws on those experiences as a parent and as someone who supports first-generation students at UCSF.
They also discussed the importance of bringing cultural identity into the workplace and honoring the interplay between their heritage and American culture.
“These themes show up in our lives, and we often don’t stop to think about where they come from. That’s why we chose the theme of ancestral wisdom. These are stories passed down over generations, shaping who we are, what we give to others, and how we show up to achieve UCSF’s mission,” Chan said.
This event allowed a safe space for attendees and panelists to share personal aspects of themselves, which required them to be vulnerable and courageous.
“Through that vulnerability is how we build real connections. Connection is what we need right now more than ever,” Chan reflected.
Watch the video recap of the event here:
