Meet Isa, CMY’s new Youth Intern! 👀
Tell us about yourself.
⭐️ Bula Vinaka, my name is Isabellia Mele Leba Kini Lee. I am 22 years old. I was born in Sunny Suva, Fiji, but raised in West Auckland, New Zealand 🤙🏽. I am Fijian, Indian and Chinese – a fruit salad if you will 😭.
🚚 My grandparents decided to move our whole family in Fiji to New Zealand when I was very small – only 3 months! However, I always tell people that it was probably the best decision they ever made for all of us. It gave us more opportunities to grow in terms of employment and education. The political climate was much better in New Zealand than it was in Fiji at the time, having had the last Coup d’état in 2000. So, migration is a huge part of my story, as I know it is a similar case for other young multicultural people.
📚 I recently graduated with my Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Political Science and International Studies, minoring in Gender Studies 🎉.
What is your role at CMY?
I am CMY’s new Youth Intern. This role came to life in honour of the late Mary Danckert, who strongly advocated for young multicultural people in Victoria. I am here because of the sacrifices and immense passion that Mary displayed, and it is in my best interest to continue promoting her message. I will be taking care of admin duties and helping with the different teams and programs in our Youth Leadership team.
What do you hope to bring to your role at CMY?
I aim to bring all the lessons I’ve learned through my lived experience as a young multicultural woman. I want to show compassion and encouragement to the young people who utilize CMY’s support networks. Finally, I aim to provide respect, transparency and humility to this role. I find that these three components will lay a strong foundation for the work I produce. I will use these traits in every interaction I have as a young rep of CMY.
What are you passionate about?
As a young Pasifika woman who was raised in a very diverse city (west Auckland…), my passion has always been supporting and uplifting the voices of young multicultural people. Growing up, I was always surrounded by strong, resilient Pasifika women whether at home, in school (Mrs. Famuina if you’re reading this, thank you for everything) and in my community. As young people we want to be seen and for our voices to be respected. So, I would say I am passionate about amplifying the voices of young multicultural backgrounds in spaces where they are often ignored.
What do you want to ask yourself a year from now, when you have completed your internship?
Hmmm. This is always a hard question because I want to know so much!!
If I could ask three questions though they would have to be:
1. What did we learn
2. What are we most passionate about after working in this role?
3. What’s next after this? /Where are we now? /What position has this role left us in?
If you’re a young person who is passionate like me, or you know someone in your community who would like to get opportunities to grow, lead or advocate for young multicultural people, then tell them this: Isa says Join The Mix Family!! You can subscribe here: The Mix . . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆
Moce 👋🏽