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Thinker | Tinkerer | Pathfinder

Documenter at City Bureau

ChicagoIllinoisUnited States🇺🇸
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Highlights

Full profile

Kenji is a leader, thinker, and earth steward committed to advancing Black liberation and autonomy. Beginning much of their current work as a student organizer, they are someone who is always and only in the business of constructing and contributing to transformative, life-affirming infrastructures. Deeply critical of the medical industrial complex and acutely aware of the need for rigorous scientific inquiry and study, they are at once a healer of minds, a sculptor of people, and a strategist for movements. Whether serving as a health professional, an advocate, or a consultant, their work of creating and tending to the ecosystems that make Black disposability an impossibility is a project of deep, profound, and necessary cultural (re)engineering. They are excited to welcome you into that vision.

Career: 5

City Bureau

Chicago, IL

May 2019 - Present

Attended Illinois' public meetings and those of the greater Chicagoland area, reporting on the proceedings live using a range of social media tools and creating a publicly-owned record of the events. Produced work product notes, refining them for further use by established media teams and staff and providing relevant analysis and commentary on novel developments and interesting findings. Ensured document fidelity by taking audio and video recordings and comparing them against available transcripts.

Penguin Random House

Jul 2020 - Present

Reviewed pre-print manuscripts, assessing characters, dialogue, and settings for sensitivity and fitness, internal consistency, and realism. Drafted interpretative feedback for editorial consideration, providing detailed and supportive citations and sociohistorical context.

Byp100

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Jul 2018 - Jan 2026

Chaired chapter communications to provide spokesperson trainings, create internal newsletters, and maintain external media relationships. Served as healing and safety representative to anticipate and remedy interpersonal conflicts through transformative justice (TJ) frameworks. Refined strategy and performed power analyses for local racial justice campaigns, advancing constituent priorities as a coalitional liaison.

Xsell Technologies

Chicago, IL

Jan 2016 - Sep 2018

Provided customers with financial services and support information and developed internal messaging and training materials. Analyzed chat transcripts to identify and track logistical trends and purchasing patterns, providing insights on improvement opportunities. Generated average monthly sales of $140,000 and consistently placed among the top ten sales specialists.

City Bureau

Chicago, IL

Mar 2016 - Jun 2016

Devised research questions of civic and communal import, identifying and utilizing public databases for storytelling support. Cultivated subject-matter sources and engaged local residents and community leaders to secure in-person and telephone interviews. Covered immigration court proceedings and produced explainers on Chicago's policing systems and infrastructure. Co-mentored a cohort of youth journalists, providing thoughtful feedback on their projects and nurturing their creative development.

Projects: 2

latentdesign.net/pages

Mar 2014 - Present

This project was the brainchild of Architecture for Humanity's ACTIVATE! Design Competition, which solicited designs and feedback from Chicago's Pilsen community under a budget constraint of $1,000. A collaborative undertaking between artists, students, community leaders, and municipal government, the primary objective was to create opportunities for the exchange of ideas and facilitate conversations on the nature and utility of public space. The roles of student participants were to cut, assemble, and install the designs of the winning proposal. This experience afforded us workshop and wood-working experience, as well as the opportunity to meet with designers, residents, and city officials.

facebook.com/UFlexLabIIT

Jan 2013 - May 2013

The objective of the Interprofessional Project (IPRO) program is bring together students from various academic discliplines--science, engineering, architecture, the humanities--to develop real-world solutions to complex problems. In this case, the sponsor of our project was the university itself and our task was to develop a strategy or vision that furthered the notion of the campus as a dynamic, accessible, and integrated research space.

Through interviews, surveys, a design charrette, and benchmarking, our team came to conceptualize one such solution that specifically addressed a problem with undergraduate student access to (and representation in) research. My responsibilities were in the areas of Ethical Management, Community Engagement, and Video Production. The fruits of our collaborative efforts yielded two IPRO Awards, one in Video Design and another for "New Initiatives in Teaching and Learning."

Skills: 67

Other

Active ListeningAlumni RelationsApplied AnthropologyAudio TranscriptionBloggingCanvassingClient CounselingCommunity Engagement
Community OutreachConflict ResolutionConsumer FinancingCritical ThinkingCustomer ServiceData AnalysisData ManagementDocument ReviewDonor EngagementDonor ManagementEditingEditorial ConsultingEvent PlanningFundraisingHealth CommunicationHigher EducationHIV TestingInfection ControlIntercultural CommunicationInterviewingInvestigative ReportingLeadershipLegal ResearchMarketingMedia AnalysisMedia StudiesMeeting FacilitationMental HealthMentoringMessagingMotivational InterviewingOnline ResearchPatient AdvocacyPhlebotomyPhone BankingPowerPointProject ManagementProofreadingPublic Health SurveillancePublic SpeakingRelationship BuildingReportingResearchResearch DesignRetail SalesRisk AssessmentScience CommunicationSocial MediaSocial Media OutreachStrategic CommunicationsStrategic PlanningStudent AffairsTeam BuildingTeam LeadershipTeam ManagementTechnical WritingThreat ModelingVideo EditingVideo Production

Credentials: 5

Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Jun 2026 - Jun 2029

Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)

National Association for Health Professionals

Oct 2021 - Oct 2026

HIV Test Counselor Certification

Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)

May 2018

Education: 1

Bachelor of Science (BS), Biochemistry

Aug 2008 - Present

Activities / Societies: GLAM IIT, IIT Undergraduate Research Journal (URJiit), Undocumented Students and Allies (USA), Feminists United, Students for Justice in Palestine, IIT Rock Climbing, Commuter Student Association

Awards: 2

IPRO Video Design Award

Apr 2013

IPRO Award for "New Initiatives in Teaching and Learning"

Apr 2013

Involvement: 4

Volunteering

Regional Advisory Committee Member

Mar 2024 - Mar 2026

Supported implementation of Illinois' Community Emergency Services and Support Act (CESSA) to expand the existing crisis response system for individuals navigating acute mental distress or substance use challenges in the greater Chicagoland area (RAC 11). Provided expertise on effective outreach as well as the equitable deployment of resources. Worked with health providers and community-based organizations to develop and refine EMS protocols and responses, synthesize call center and admittance data to analyze trends, provide recommendations on effective outreach and equitable resource deployment, and minimize criminalizing or punitive outcomes for service recipients.

Festival Operations

Oct 2015 - Oct 2019

Committed approximately one-hundred hours to the annual Chicago International Film Festival as a House Assistant and in Theater Operations. Responsibilities included informing participants of festival logistics and directing them to relevant site amenities as well as preparing and managing screens for film introductions by running spotlight, scanning and receiving tickets and passes, and distributing post-screening ballots and surveys.

Community Volunteer

Oct 2018 - Jun 2019

Assembled safer injection kits, minimizing disease risks associated with needle usage and reducing social stigma around recreational and palliative substance use.

Volunteer Research Member

Apr 2014 - Jun 2018

Facilitated discussions and supported presentations around the policing, criminalization, and dispossession of underprivileged groups in Chicago. Researched, contextualized, and evaluated social movements and local institutions using materialist analyses to improve organizing efficacy. Collaborated with others to establish a community reading group, increasing social cohesion and providing a space to explore theoretical and literary works of contemporary relevance.

Languages: 2

English(Native or bilingual)
Spanish(Limited working)

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