May was AANHPI Heritage Month, and we asked the leadership team of Qork.api, Unqork’s Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Employee Resource Group, to reflect on the events and conversations they hosted this month.
Can you share how Qork.api got its cool name?
Our ERG originally started as Subtle Asian Qorks, but when we relaunched the group in 2024, we wanted a fresh identity that reflected both our community and our company’s roots in tech. That’s how Qork.API came to life. “API” stands for Asian & Pacific Islander and also nods to the application programming interfaces that power the applications built on Unqork. We love a good pun!
What is AANHPI Heritage Month?
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month has been recognized each May since 1991 as a time to celebrate the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of the AANHPI community. It’s an opportunity to honor the lasting impact these communities have had across generations and to continue uplifting their voices and stories.
What events have you had this month?
Sushi Making
Our Executive Sponsor, Chief Evangelist, and master sushi chef Richard Robinson led a sushi-making workshop that brought culinary appreciation to the office. He shared how sushi began as a way to preserve fish in fermented rice in Southeast Asia, eventually evolving in Japan during the Edo period into the hand-pressed nigiri we know today.
Richard guided attendees through making their own rolls, from Japanese-style Temaki to Korean-inspired bibimbap rolls, offering cultural context along the way. Even our CEO, Gary Hoberman, stopped by to try a few. Everyone left with full stomachs and new skills.
Movie Night
We hosted a lunchtime screening of Little America’s “Mr. Song,” which tells the true story of Luke Song, a Korean American boy in Detroit who befriends a legendary DJ who helps breathe new life into his family’s hat shop. The story resonated with attendees, sparking conversations about family, identity, and the immigrant experience.
People enjoyed it so much that many said they planned to check out the show on Apple TV+, which highlights a different immigrant story in each episode. It was a heartfelt and engaging way to connect through storytelling.
Tech Leader Spotlight
We were very lucky to shine a spotlight on design and product leader Sin Leung. Sin was fantastic in her Q&A session with Qork.API, where she had an open and honest conversation about her background, career path, and collaboration across design, product, and engineering teams. Sin answered questions gathered from Qork.API members, as well as Womxn of Unqork and QueerQorks.
Key topics included empathetic team collaboration, data-driven design prioritization, balancing urgent and important tasks, applying professional principles to personal goals, overcoming the fear of public speaking, fostering team morale. She also discussed the process of merging UX, product, and brand, and shared insights from powerlifting on decision-making and resilience.
The Art of Healthy Disagreement + Heart of Dinner Community Service
To conclude AANHPI Heritage Month, we were honored to welcome Steph Kim from Collaborate.NYC for an insightful session on “The Art of Healthy Disagreement.” With team members joining both in-person and virtually, Steph kicked off the event with an engaging icebreaker before sharing her valuable career experiences and practical tools for navigating disagreements constructively.
The session culminated in a meaningful service activity in partnership with Heart of Dinner, an NYC-based nonprofit dedicated to fighting food insecurity among Asian American elders. Our team collaborated on designing decorative bags for their meal deliveries, providing a creative outlet that also supports a vital community cause. This event (co-sponsored by #volunqork!) was a fantastic opportunity for learning, collaboration, and service, and a memorable way to close out our AANHPI Heritage Month celebrations.
How has planning ERG events like these enhanced your experience as an employee at Unqork?
Participating in ERGs gives us the opportunity to connect with colleagues across the company, not just within our immediate teams, and helps build a community centered around sharing and celebrating unique cultures and experiences. This kind of connection supports both professional and personal growth by deepening how we understand the world we share.