Mother, Wife, and Public Servant.

Celeste Lukshis was born and raised in Papua New Guinea. She immigrated to America with her father, her Melanesian mother, and sister in the late 1990’s. In the 2000’s, her education and experiences have focused on international relations and aiding communities in developing countries. As a member of the United States Military, she is passionate about empowering women to break cultural norms, and their true authentic selves. As a Melanesian woman, she is looking to give back to empower other Melanesians to reach their full potential.

Chun Chia Tai is a Ph.D. candidate in ethnomusicology at the University of California, Riverside. Her dissertation is about Pacific Islander communities and music scenes, specifically reggae scenes, in the US and their cross-Pacific connection with the homeland and other Pacific Islands. She is volunteering with Melanesian Women Today as part of her dissertation research to learn how culture, music, and education connect Melanesian people in diaspora with their roots. She previously worked for a commercial radio station for two years in Taiwan as a producer. She also worked with Taiwanese Indigenous popular musician Suming Rupi, to organize concerts and the Amis Music Festival for a year. After that, she helped organize music and dance camps and workshops for Indigenous children in Taipei National University of Arts in 2018.