Jean M Uasike Allen is of Tongan (Makaunga and Kolovai [Tongatapu]; Tefisi [Vava'u]) and European heritage, born and raised in South Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand. She is a lecturer in the School of Curriculum and Pedagogy, and the Centre for Arts and Social Transformation, within the Faculty of Education and Social Work. Jean’s previous career was as a primary school teacher where she taught across all levels predominantly in the Catholic School sector. Prior to her role at the University of Auckland, she was a lecturer and programme coordinator for the BHSc in Public and Environmental Health, in the School of Public Health and Interdisciplinary Studies at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). Jean has always had a passion for education, justice, and her community of South Auckland. This led her to work with South Auckland youth, exploring how they negotiate and resist media power which often ‘Others’ and marginalises them and their communities. Her PhD research continued her work within the community of South Auckland, where she explored youth experiences of health education and schooling at the intersections of cultural knowledge, family expectations, gender, and ethnicity. She has a strong interest in arts-based research, and re-presentation, which has led her to include poetry and ngatu (tapa making) in her work. Jean's current research is focused on Pacific youth wellbeing in online gaming spaces. She is a member of The Adolescent Health Research Group (AHRG) and also established and facilitates the Faculty of Education and Social Work, Pacific focused reading and writing group