Lani Felicitas

Lani is a Filipino American, born and raised in one of the last working class neighborhoods in Honolulu, Hawai’i. In 2014, they moved to Portland, Oregon to study Sociology and Anthropology at Lewis & Clark College.

During their undergraduate career, they revived the Asian Student Union on campus and co-chaired their college’s Ray Warren Symposium on Race and Ethnic Studies in 2016. They also led the 2018 alternative spring break to Yakama Nation, Central Washington with Lewis & Clark’s Office of Student Leadership and Engagement. The following summer, Lani also curated the annual Anakbayan-USA national exposure trip with Filipino-American youth organizers to the Philippines. As a youth leader, Lani sees the significance of grassroots efforts of youth leading our communities beyond campuses and universities. They also believe in the need to connect our local issues to global issues of migration, identity, and capitalism.

Outside of APANO, you can find Lani taking care of their house plants and organizing with Anakbayan Portland, the local chapter of Anakbayan-USA. You can also talk to them about homebrewing kombucha and deepening our mental health practices as activists for social change.