Esther Hwi-Young Kim (she/hers) is the Program & Research Director of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Asian American & Pacific Islanders Commission. Esther identifies as a second-generation Korean American queer woman who grew up in southeastern Massachusetts on the land of the Wompanoag people. Her career journey involves wearing multiple hats as counselor, K-12 educator, and non-profit program coordinator, and she is proud to be a dedicated advocate for youth and community empowerment, with a particular focus on co-creating spaces of belonging and lifting up individual and collective histories of struggle and resistance.