Marama Pala was born into a life of poverty, drug and alcohol addiction, crime, hardship and social marginalization. Despite being born a Māori (Indigenous New Zealand) woman, she was able to overcome her social health determinants, gain an education and rise above her HIV and social status. This ethnic pride restoration enabled her to work through the complexities of HIV and become a public advocate/activist for Indigenous People living with HIV & AIDS. Marama was infected with HIV in 1993. This experience has helped her champion Indigenous Peoples and HIV globally and also has made her an advocate against the criminalization of HIV. Marama’s qualifications include Māori language, administration, law and philosophies, and an advanced diploma of business systems (IT). Her interests currently lie with a public health diploma and her two young HIV free children. Marama is the Co-chair of the International Indigenous Working Group on HIV & AIDS, the Executive Director of INA (Māori, Indigenous, & South Pacific) HIV & AIDS Foundation. She has served on the International AIDS Conference program committee for 2012 (Washington, D.C.) and 2014 (Melbourne, Australia), and is currently the Co-chair of the Global Village and Youth Program. Marama’s favorite quote is: “Tama tu, tama ora, tama noho, tama mate,” which roughly translated is: “If you do something with your life you will prosper; if you do not, you will lose.”