Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Trina Sound

by: Miriam Sluis

The timely mission of Pasifika Woman; Trina Sound

Trina Sound works as an eco justice coordinator at the MC Sylvania. She is a returning student, in a non-traditional role, on a quest to restore the collectivist values of her Chuukese heritage. Chuuk is located in the Federated States of Micronesia.

As a second generation Micronesian-American, and a first generation college student, Trina was born and raised in Portland. She feels she is one of the last Portlanders to consider Portland ‘somewhat’ her home. She currently lives in the Portland Metro Area inhabiting and honoring the indigenous Lands of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Clackamas Tribes.

On one of the last days of the Winter term, Trina shared her views on her work at the MC, Portland, what matters most to her in life and her heritage as a Micronesian-American. It was a pivotal time in Trina’s life; signaling a shift in her studies to prioritize a commitment to decolonizing the world of therapy over her previous life as a business major.

What made you want to work at the Sylvania Multicultural Center?

“I was drawn to MC Sylvania the most, mainly because Mak (Porotesano, MC Sylvania Coordinator, American Samoa native – ms) was on the team. It really was important to me to try and connect with people in higher ed who share a similar Ancestral background as me.

“The way I show up for students is being present to the online platforms that we host. We have a Discord channel and I’m usually on there to see what I can contribute to conversations. Outside of the digital spaces, I work as an eco justice coordinator with Mak. A big part of that role is how we shed light on climate change and how it affects marginalized communities and BIPOC folks globally, but also specifically Pasifika communities.

“I also work with an organization under 350.org, called Pacific Climate Warriors. I’m fairly new to this space; we have a lot of creative folks on our team in the Portland Chapter who use their art as a way to tell stories. And to share how climate change has affected our communities at large. So a peer and I co-hosted a workshop on the intersection of climate change and our communities.

“And I collaborated with Valentina Castellanos-Ramirez from the ASPCC (Associated Students of Portland Community College – ms) on an EarthWeek event. Through that experience I learned the valuable skills of leaning on different relationships and departments to pull it off. Including people like our amazing librarian Veronica who helped recommend some titles for our event.

“We hosted a discussion and game night on the documentary, ‘Seed: The Untold Story’; using that space to intentionally talk about how climate change, and the importance of stewarding and preserving seeds, actually affects us globally. This included places like Hawaii, South America, and India.”

Can you share something about your Chuukese heritage?

“I grew up in a multi-generational household. My parents were the first, of each side of the family, to make it to Portland. That brought an opportunity for extended family to migrate from Micronesia, to Hawai’i to here. It was both a chaotic and beautiful upbringing, because it didn’t allow for boundaries. Everything was shared: space, possessions. Nothing is yours alone, because of scarcity. But also because of the culture of collectivism.

“There was always that value of reciprocity. That is such a rooted value. And I didn’t realize it was a cultural value until very recently, diving into academic and non-academic spaces. With everything being online now, connecting with a lot of Pasifika folks has helped me make meaning and understanding of things I never understood about my relationships. Like how I show up in my relationships and not understanding why others weren’t as reciprocal. But now I understand that it’s a cultural value. It’s not just my personal preference; it’s a cultural thing.

“So now I’m in this beautiful but also confusing space, realizing I really undervalued the things that we did in our family, because it wasn’t predominant. There are so few of us who have these values, about how we view the world and others.”

How do you see Portland? Do you feel you can be true to who you are out in the world?

“To me, now, Portland feels like a predominantly progressive, but really white city. I don’t want to bash on Portland, but it’s hard to feel celebrated for who I am, when I don’t see it reflected back to me. Because of that, I’ve always carried myself in an unsure posture. Wondering how I fit into this context, when I don’t see a lot of my identities out there, in my reality.

“At some point, I think it was in high school, I really wished I was white, because that was the only thing reflected back to me. And it was the beauty standard, too. I’ve really evolved as a person, and it makes me sad now, that that was the only thing reflected back, and that I thought that way.

“Right now, if a space feels inclusive, and there is that cultural reciprocity, I’m more willing to be able to share because I’m comfortable in those places. But if I’m in space with a lot of big personalities, then I tend to keep small, because there is no room for me there.

“Whether it’s through media or other channels, there are so many inputs of what’s being told. And there’s so much work for us to do towards changing that..”

Is what you’re studying related to the work that needs to be done?

“My undergrad degree is going to be in Psychology with the intentions of going to PSU and then into grad school for Marriage and Family Therapy. Because I really want to create space for Pasifika folks to feel understood. I see so much value in being a client of a therapist who is a woman of color. But I’ve never found a Pasifika therapist that I could access here. It would be great to offer that.

“I think that’s why I dove into this recent introspection around my heritage. Because I want to understand myself better, but at the same time I’m hoping to build off of that and use this information as a helpful way to contextualize and understand my clients better in the future.

“I’m no longer going into HR and business management like I thought I needed to at first. I want connection with people on a one-on-one basis. That’s so much more meaningful to me than networking with a million people. That sounds exhausting and disingenuous to me.”

How did you experience the North Pacific? Have you been back there?

“I was there twice, but I only recall one of those times.The first time I went down, I was an infant. The purpose of that trip was to meet my grandma. And also to get baptized. There is a Catholic church there and I think it was very important for my mom to make sure I was baptized down there and to get in touch with my roots and meet my grandma.

“And I went back when I was 7. I actually remember this trip. It was a huge culture shock. Because I didn’t know people experienced power outages on a daily basis, for hours at a time. We took cold outdoor showers. That was eye opening, and it really shifted my mindset, even as a kid, that that was part of the reality of their experience. Just recognizing my privilege to things we had in the US that I’d never thought of before.

“I feel like I noticed that there was beauty in the slowness of the culture. People were not in a hurry to do anything. Which was sometimes annoying, but also beautiful. People still find joy in the simple things. Even when they had little to nothing, they still found ways to have fun, or play with marbles or rocks or hand clapping games. I noticed that people seemed happier.

“And one thing that really stood out to me was that it was predominantly women that casted their fishing nets in groups. Women led in those spaces, which I thought was beautiful. Because here in the Pacific Northwest, fishing feels like a predominantly white male space.”

What is your vision for the future, and the role of women? What would you like to see for the human species, in your lifetime?

“Ultimately, I want to be able to witness the value that we bring to spaces as women. And people actually understanding how valuable we are. Not for our beauty or our sexuality or things that have been taken and objectified about us, but understanding how to value us in the way we should be honored.

“Right now we are not being seen or valued in the way we should be. I didn’t recognize that our Micronesian culture is matriarchal until recently. And how beautiful that is, because even though our culture is matriarchal, women still have the ability to share the stage and are coming from a place of humility.”

Do you feel you may go back to work in the Northern Pacific?

“I feel conflicted. In the past I’ve been afraid to go back home because of spiritual elements that were told to me. That it would be dangerous, because of spiritual realm elements you have to be mindful of. I think it comes from making sure protocols are in place, like honoring the Land when you go places, making sure there is respect there. And just being mindful of the context that I’d be stepping into.

“But in the now, I’m open to it. I just don’t know how I’d want to show up. Because it’s been so long, I feel I’m disconnected to understanding which protocols I have to be aware of and making sure I do before I go there. So; I hope to. I think it would be really helpful. But right now I’m just not sure how.”

What matters most to you in this life?

“What matters most right now is contributing, or giving back. Giving back from where I am in this unique position of being a first gen college student and a second generation Micronesian-American. There is beauty in being able to hold those things and to be able to see the world from that position.

“We’ve been so used to having to present ourselves in such a small way, that we’ve become voiceless. Because it’s just the thing to do: I don’t want to cause conflict, so let’s just be agreeable, even if we don’t agree with something.

“And so, for me, making meaning of what my role is, is important. Being able to show up for people and creating space for people to be heard is really important to me. Caring that marginalized people and communities feel seen, including my families. I hope to do that in my future career.”