While at Berkeley, Betsy conducted independent field research in New Zealand and won the Independent Field Research Grant from the Center of Race and Gender. The title of her thesis was “My Language is Awakening: Exploring Barriers and Pathways toward Mori Heritage Language Proficiency”. As a student, she worked concurrently with Asian-Pacific American Student Development (APASD) to bring Pacific Islander issues to the forefront of the UCB administration to help improve the experiences of Pacific Islanders on campus. After graduation, she co-founded Oceania Connects (https://oceaniaconnects.com/), a nonprofit media organization spotlighting Pacific Islander perspectives in the U.S. and abroad.
