Julian Avenilla ’20 Wants To Help Make U.S. Workplaces More Equitable For Minorities

The American studies major is interning at Kizuna, a nonprofit that aims to educate and empower young Japanese Americans.

By Jessica Weiss ’05

It took Julian Avenilla ’20 many years to learn to talk about his identity. The son of immigrants from the Philippines, he rarely considered what it meant to be an Asian American or Filipino American while he was growing up in Maryland.

That all changed at the University of Maryland, where he found a home in the American studies department in the College of Arts and Humanities (ARHU). Not only did he discover a passion for exploring his own background, but also the experiences of people from other marginalized groups in the U.S., whether due to race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality or more.

“Learning about the experiences of people on the margins, I knew I wanted to help empower those groups,” said Avenilla. “I knew I wanted to try to create more equitable spaces for people of color. Maryland refined my interests and helped me discern that.”  

Avenilla finished his coursework last semester and will graduate in May. He recently moved to Los Angeles for a final semester internship at Kizuna, a nonprofit that aims to educate, empower and engage young Japanese Americans. Though originally slated to focus on program and event coordination, including in-person fundraising, many of Avenilla’s responsibilities have shifted online due to the COVID-19 crisis. He’s now working on revamping the organization’s social media accounts, creating online visual content and stewarding donations online. 

“I’m thankful my internship has continued,” he said. “I'm actually co-leading the direction of our online content, which I view as a rare and transformative opportunity.”  

While at UMD, Avenilla especially enjoyed classes that focused on experiences within the Pacific Islander, Central American and Asian American communities. He also valued the accessibility of professors and advisors within the American studies department, many who provided a space for him to share and seek advice—both academic and beyond. He formed particularly strong relationships with Associate Professor Jason Farman, Senior Lecturer Robert Chester and Senior Lecturer and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies Asim Ali.

“They had a huge impact on my development,” he said. “Being able to talk about similar academic and world interests and also connect on a personal level helped me focus on what I want for my future.”  

While many plans for the future are in flux, Avenilla has accepted an offer to work as a tax consulting intern at Deloitte beginning this summer. 

His hope is to eventually pivot into a role as a diversity and inclusion professional — at Deloitte or elsewhere — to contribute towards making U.S. workplaces more equitable for minorities. 

“Diversity and inclusion help create a space that is more just, more safe, more welcoming and also more productive ... where everyone’s comfortable and everyone performs better,” he said. 

ARHU recently launched “Be Worldwise. Get Worldready.,” a career initiative that blends new and reimagined course offerings, integrated academic and career advising and access to internships, alumni networking and other opportunities across the region. Learn more.

Pictured in photo: Avenilla attends a Filipino American History Month celebration on Capitol Hill in October 2019 with Adjunct Lecturer Gem Daus and classmate Patrick Peralta ’21.