April 21, 2025: So proud! Our Inkandescent Intern Erin Li’s Empowered Together Network article is featured in South Asian Herald, “The Changing DEI Landscape: The Challenge of Finding Steady Footing”

Monday Morning Magic from Inkandescent® PR + Publishing Co. — It is with great pride that I share today an article by our newest intern Erin Li, a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, that is featured in today’s issue of the South Asian Herald.

Erin writes: I’m a first year student studying healthcare policy at the University of Pennsylvania, where I’ve been inspired to dig deeper into the complexities of our healthcare system. I’ve always believed that access to quality care is a basic human right, and my studies help me understand the legislative, economic, and social factors that affect who gets that care and why.

By immersing myself in research, collaborating with peers, and staying engaged in campus forums, I hope to uncover and champion solutions that make healthcare more equitable for all. Being part of Inkandescent Women’s Empowered Together Network reinforces my sense of purpose and shows me the power of a collective vision. When people come together to share ideas and advocate for change, we create a force for good that’s greater than the sum of our individual efforts. It’s empowering to know that my voice matters and that my work can contribute to a larger movement committed to improving lives around the world. Through collaboration, empathy, and a drive to serve, I aim to shape policies that will make a lasting, positive impact on communities everywhere.

Since Jan. 20, though, I am challenged. Day after day, I’m bombarded with alarming headlines: “BREAKING NEWS!” Another tariff imposed. Another restriction announced. We’re still within the first 100 days of the Trump presidency, and already, everything feels bleak. As a first-generation American and a young woman aspiring to study healthcare, the future I had once envisioned now feels uncertain. I had dreamed of conducting research as an undergraduate, but recent funding cuts have made those opportunities more limited. I had hoped to work with government health organizations like the NIH or CDC—institutions I once saw as beacons of public service, but they are now facing political constraints and shifting leadership under figures like RFK Jr.”

Click here to read more in the South Asian Herald.

And click here to follow Erin, who will be penning her insights regularly for the Empowered Together Network on InkandescentWomen.com.

Until next Monday: I invite you to share your thoughts, experiences, and insights on life in the US in 2025. — Hope Katz Gibbs, founder and president, Inkandescent® Inc. Inkandescent.us • send me an email

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