nCino’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are organic, employee-led groups with a focus on building community and belonging among employees and providing resources to the broader nCino community. These groups also focus on recruiting diverse talent, encouraging professional and leadership development, mentoring and community outreach. Each ERG includes executive sponsorship and a connection to the Diversity and Inclusion Council.
In this series, we’re excited to offer a deeper dive into the members and goals of each ERG. This month, in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we’re highlighting the AAPI Alliance.
The AAI Alliance was founded by Roz Williams (Content Marketing Specialist), Angie Vu (Senior Customer Success Manager) and Eric Byun (Adv. Analytics Product Manager).
“We started the AAPI Alliance as a safe place where employees who identify as Asian or Pacific Islander can find community, encouragement and have open dialogue while also celebrating all the things we love about our culture,” says Roz Williams, Content Marketing Specialist. “The AAPI Alliance has allowed us to meet coworkers from across the globe that we would not necessarily get to interact with otherwise. It’s really special to see how we are making a difference at nCino and impacting the company’s vision and efforts when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Inspired by the Stop AAPI Hate movement, the AAPI Alliance ERG was founded to help nCino employees connect, share resources and process violence against the Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Now, the group has moved from a place of fear to a place of celebrating their heritage and educating nCino’s executive team, fellow employees and decision makers within the organization. As with all nCino’s ERGs, the AAPI Alliance is centered around building a diverse community within the company and fostering a positive environment in which employees feel empowered and valued.
“We believe that it’s through spreading awareness and education that will evolve the human race to become a more accepting generation,” says Eric Byun, Adv. Analytics Product Manager. “It’s our duty to prevent previous dark moments in history from repeating for generations to come.”
The AAPI Alliance hosts events to help educate and spread awareness within the nCino community about AAPI issues, including the impact of current events, cultural awareness and sharing about their heritage. The group recently hosted an in-person event celebrating the Lunar New Year, which began this year on February 1st. 2022 is the Year of the Water Tiger, symbolizing strength and bravery.
Members of the nCino community were invited to join in the celebration of the holiday, learn about AAPI cultures and enjoy traditional food, such as dumplings (for luck) and tangerines (for luck and wealth). To honor the tradition of elder relatives presenting children with red money-filled envelopes, leaders of the AAPI Alliance distributed red envelopes filled with nCino stickers.
Last year, the AAPI Alliance partnered with two other nCino ERGs, The Diaspora and Mi Gente (formerly Latinx), to present a panel titled “Journeys That Make Us.” The panel celebrated the cultures, experiences and intersections of four nCino employee panelists and their families as each panelist shared their story of coming from their native country to the U.S. Moderated by nCino Architect Sara Izad, audience members heard from Britney Pope (The Diaspora), Edwin Estrada (Mi Gente) and Angie Vu (AAPI Alliance).
This May, the group is celebrating AAPI Heritage Month with a number of events. They kicked off the celebrations with a beach cleanup at Wrightsville Beach, followed by a meet and greet at Bitty and Beau’s café at nCino’s Headquarters. On May 31st, the AAPI Alliance will host a Taste of Asia + Pacific Islands, which will feature food from local Wilmington favorites such as Indochine and Double Happiness.
“The AAPI Alliance has opened the doors across the company to connect and learn from people of different life and cultural experiences that I may not have had the chance to do so without the ERGs bringing us together,” says Angie Vu, Senior Customer Success Manager. “The friendships and connections that I’ve made are one of the best parts of being a part of DE&I at nCino because I get to keep growing on all levels, personally and professionally. I look forward to continuing to be a part of The AAPI Alliance and an advocate for DE&I as a whole as we continue to grow, and I hope this group helps spread awareness, education and community across the company.”