Lily MacMillan

Lily (she/her) is a recent graduate from UC Santa Barbara and Banteay Srei’s new Community Health Advocate. She was inspired to pursue advocacy by the resilience and strength of immigrant and marginalized communities, which she observed first-hand while being raised by her Thai-immigrant mom. With her academic background centered around political science and interpersonal communication, and her personal background as a formerly undocumented youth, she is impassioned by the opportunity to uplift, support, and nurture strong, self-reliant, and capable young women and girls. She believes that if young women and girls are equipped with these tools, they can thrive within the Southeast Asian diaspora free of exploitation and abuse. In her free time, she is absolutely obsessed with cuddling, playing with, and dressing up her cat Shark, as well as cooking delicious Thai food and crocheting with her mom and two sisters. Through her work with Banteay Srei, she hopes to build a legacy of community–but more specifically sisterhood–with other Southeast Asian women and girls that will comfort, nourish, and inspire many future generations to come.