{"id":3755,"date":"2026-05-22T10:00:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T14:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/?p=3755"},"modified":"2026-05-28T10:47:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T14:47:34","slug":"aapi-heritage-shiju-kuriakose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/aapi-heritage-shiju-kuriakose\/","title":{"rendered":"PWD Asian-American\/Pacific Islander Heritage Month Spotlight: Shiju Kuriakose"},"content":{"rendered":"

To celebrate Asian-American\/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we are featuring several Philadelphia Water Employees throughout the month of May. We asked them to talk about their work with PWD, how their heritage has shaped their life and work, and what AAPI Heritage means to them.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\n

Shiju Kuriakose<\/h2>\n

Indian-American<\/h5>\n

Water Utility Manager<\/strong>
\nQueen Lane Water Treatment Plant
\nDevelopment Services Unit<\/h3>\n
15 years at PWD<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
What is your favorite thing about the work you do with PWD?<\/h5>\n

My favorite thing about working in a water treatment plant is knowing that the work I do directly protects public health and keeps the community safe. There\u2019s something incredibly rewarding about being part of the system that provides clean, reliable water every single day to the Philadelphia citizens. Working with a team that takes pride in doing things right makes the job even better.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today? Does it shape your work?<\/h5>\n

My heritage shaped me to be respectful, hard-working and taught me about the importance of community. This helped me to tackle challenges as it comes. Because of my background I am mindful of different perspectives and experiences, value teamwork, and work with integrity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Does your family have any cultural traditions or practices that are especially important to you?<\/h5>\n

My family has many cultural traditions that mean a lot to me. One of the main cultures is to take care of your elderlies and showing respect to everyone through small gestures.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Who are the role models or mentors that have influenced you or helped guide you?<\/h5>\n

My biggest role models have always been my parents. They taught me the importance of responsibility and showing up for others. Those values guide the way I approach challenges and how I support the people around me.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?<\/h5>\n

AAPI Heritage Month reminds me to reconnect with my own heritage and reflect on the values I was raised with and appreciate how those traditions shaped who I am today.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Favorite AAPI food?<\/h5>\n

Biriyani.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today we’ll talk with Shiju Kuriakose, Water Utility Manager at the Queen Lane Water Treatment Plant, who has been with PWD for 15 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":38357,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[562,558],"class_list":["post-3755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","tag-aapi-heritage-month","tag-employee-spotlight","wpautop"],"acf":{"suggested":null},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/phila.gov\/blog\/aapi-heritage-shiju-kuriakose\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"PWD Asian-American\/Pacific Islander Heritage Month Spotlight: Shiju Kuriakose","url":"http:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/aapi-heritage-shiju-kuriakose\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/water.phila.gov\/blog\/aapi-heritage-shiju-kuriakose\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Community","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Martin"}],"creator":["Justin Martin"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"@PhillyH2O Blog","logo":""},"keywords":["aapi heritage month","employee spotlight"],"dateCreated":"2026-05-22T14:00:26Z","datePublished":"2026-05-22T14:00:26Z","dateModified":"2026-05-28T14:47:34Z"},"rendered":"