Who or what is your inspiration in business?

My family and community. As Chinese South African and Japanese American, I carry generations of resilience forged through injustice across two continents. I almost died from Kawasaki disease at 6. My mom nearly died from brain cancer. Systems failed us, repeatedly. But my family and community never stopped sparkling. KiraKira — きらきら, “continued sparkling” in Japanese — is named for that inherited, collective light.

How do you stay motivated?

I think about every version of myself that almost didn’t make it — and every person navigating broken systems alone right now. I stay motivated by staying close to the work — not the strategy, but the people. When I see a community light up through play, storytelling, or systems thinking, I remember that transformation is already alive in them. KiraKira doesn’t create the sparkle. We just build the conditions for it to spread.

What would you do with the $25,000?

This funding would directly expand KiraKira’s Fellows Program — a global initiative I’ve already been building, connecting social impact leaders across communities and continents. The $25,000 would allow us to bring on more fellows, deepen the support we offer them, and grow our reach into communities that need this infrastructure most. We’re already sparkling — this would help us shine further.