Gabby Lupola
Gabby Lupola (she/her) is of Chamorro and Italian descent and has spent most of her life on the ancestral, unceded lands of the Luiseno and Kumeyaay, also known as Oceanside, CA. She received a Bachelor’s in History (with a thematic track of the Transpacific) and a minor in Italian Studies from Pomona College and is currently a second year in the Asian American Studies Master’s Program. Her research focuses on Pacific Islander history, identity and culture both on island and in diaspora. Her thesis will unpack the complexities of Chamorro diaspora through a comparative framework of those who grew up on island but then migrate to the Turtle Island/the continental U.S. and those who move back home to Guahan/Guam despite growing up stateside. In addition to her own research, she works as a Teaching Assistant for the AASD department and as the Mentorship Coordinator for INSPIRE (Improving, Nurturing, and Sustaining Pacific Islander Retention and Education) held under UCLA’s Community Programs Office (CPO). She is a staunch advocate for community-engaged learning and research, building solidarity between and among Indigenous communities, and bringing awareness to Pacific Islander histories, epistemologies, and present-day struggles whilst working within the Asian American Pacific Islander umbrella framework. In her free time, she loves to collect vinyl records, go to concerts, and spend time with friends and family (especially when it’s to gather for a meal).