The rooted collective
JUNE 4, 2026
The Rooted Collective team is made up of Elle Lynn Quimpo, Miriam Perez, and Nty Diakite, who work at the intersection of adolescent sexual and reproductive health, mental health, and community care. Drawing from their shared experiences bridging cultures and supporting young people from immigrant families, the team creates spaces grounded in connection, joy, and collective healing.
Together, they are working to address the needs of young people from immigrant families by tackling two key challenges related to sexual and reproductive health: the lack of culturally and linguistically responsive resources and the shortage of trusted, relatable mentors. Each member of Rooted Collective shares a nugget of wisdom from their experience with In/Tend, for future In/Tend Innovation Development Team cohorts.
Wisdom Nugget #1: You May Need to Set Aside What You Know!
As (former) youth of immigrant families, our team has similar lived experiences to our end users, as we also have had to navigate two cultures that sometimes felt at odds with one another, while having to manage the messiness that is being a young person.
Human-centered design is all about understanding your end users. While sharing identities with your end users can build trust, you can find yourself focusing, well, on you. When it came time to learn about our end users, I found myself coming back to the younger version of me, thinking about what she needed. Though tending to the younger version of yourself is always important work, it’s easy to let that guide your work in ways that don’t speak to the needs of your end users.
Throughout your process, take the time to pause and reflect on your biases and assumptions.
So, when you see yourself reflected in your end users, celebrate the connection, but be intentional about setting aside your own desires to really understand their needs. Throughout your process, take the time to pause and reflect on your biases and assumptions. Be honest with yourself and your team members: how are past versions of yourself showing up? Lean into your coach’s expertise to help you ensure the insights you gain are grounded in what you heard from your end users, not simply ideas that resonate with your lived experience.
Be kind to yourself so you can show up for your end users. You got this!
-Miriam
Wisdom Nugget #2: Embrace the Messiness!
I’m pretty Type A-coded—my brain operates by sorting, categorizing, and organizing information into neatly labeled spaces. That is quite literally the opposite of how the design process works!
Human-centered design is simple in theory, but in practice, it is deeply iterative. The process is fast-paced and dynamic, and if it’s new to you, as it was for me, it can feel overwhelming at first. Being comfortable with ambiguity may not come naturally, but that’s okay. The more you practice stepping back, revisiting earlier phases, and starting again, the more you build new perspectives, take risks, and make decisions without having all the information.
Pivoting, a.k.a. changing direction or even starting over, is not a matter of if, but when.
Pivoting, a.k.a. changing direction or even starting over, is not a matter of if, but when. You’ll rewrite your “How Might We” statement 100+ times, and 2 weeks later, someone will lovingly revise it (again!), urging you to obsess over language tweaks, revisit your assumptions, and brainstorm to the point of exhaustion before reaching a breakthrough. You’ll often move one step forward and two steps back, likely in every phase. Over time, it starts to click. Even when you feel stuck or confused or overwhelmed, the growth and lessons are worth it; I promise!
-Elle
Wisdom Nugget #3: Let It Go, Then Let It Grow!
There’s something about being in a space like this that makes you want to figure it out fast—land on the “right” idea and stick to it. You’ll probably hear this repeatedly throughout the innovation process, but I’ll say it anyway: Don’t get tied down to one idea.
Things will shift. A lot! And honestly, that’s where the magic is.
Being part of In/Tend has shown me how many limitations I’ve put on myself—assumptions, biases, and the need to have everything figured out early. Working with my team (Rooted Collective) and learning from our cohort and coaches pushed me to loosen that grip and see creativity differently. Not just as a personal thing, but as something you actively practice, stretch, and rethink.
Leaning into creativity means getting comfortable with not fully knowing.
Leaning into creativity means getting comfortable with not fully knowing. It means letting yourself explore, question, and even pivot when something no longer feels aligned. It might feel like you’re starting over, but you’re actually getting closer to something that makes more sense and has real impact for your end users.
When you hold onto one idea too tightly, it can quietly limit you. But when you give yourself permission to be curious, follow tangents, test ideas, and rethink your approach, you create space for something better to emerge.
Some of our best insights came from uncertainty, honest conversations, and pivots we didn’t plan for.
Trust that. Stay open. The idea will find you in the process.
-Nty
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Photo By: Sasun Bughdaryan
