Samu’s journey is one of resilience, advocacy, and artistic expression through his living experience as a LGBTQ+, PLHIV, and PWUD peer. He received a life-changing diagnosis of HIV in 2016 while travelling abroad in the Pacific. This pivotal moment infused his passion for creative expression and healing through diverse art forms exploring the emotional impact of living with HIV, queerness, neurodivergence, and shedding light on stigma and discrimination. Multi-award-winning artist and advocate, Samu won the Midsumma Australia Post People’s Choice award in 2020 and his project supporting non-binary people during COVID at The Red Rattler was a finalist for the 2022 ACON Mental Health Matters.

Samu possesses an innate ability to engage communities. His passion lies in using design arts and multimedia as a powerful tool for driving change. With over a decade of advocacy work within the LGBTQIA+ sector, Samu worked as a peer worker for ACON, a digital projects officer at NAPWHA and is now working as AIVL multimedia specialist harnessing the power of creativity to challenge inequity and foster awareness for PWUD. Samu’s lived experience as a neurodivergent peer with HIV serves as his motivation and inspiration. His journey is a testament to the transformative power of advocacy and art as he is dedicated to making the world a more inclusive and compassionate place.