If you take a look at word embeddings, image embeddings and other kinds of embeddings (such as those used for music recommendation) you will see how a rich space of nuanced meanings can emerge from what is basically a form of data compression. We're observing this higher order representation space - and right there is "what it's like to be" in that experience.
Qualia is an embedding of sensations into a "sensation space". Being aware of qualia is just evaluating sensations with report to future actions, goals and desires - basically adding emotion on top of perception. Emotion emerges from the utility of the current state of your experience, utility is related to rewards, rewards are controlled by genetics, and genetics have a single goal - replication. That's how qualia bootstraps into reality - it supports actions that protect self replication of genes, and genes support the development of a brain that can have qualia in the first place.
Qualia is an embedding of sensations into a "sensation space". Being aware of qualia is just evaluating sensations with report to future actions, goals and desires - basically adding emotion on top of perception. Emotion emerges from the utility of the current state of your experience, utility is related to rewards, rewards are controlled by genetics, and genetics have a single goal - replication. That's how qualia bootstraps into reality - it supports actions that protect self replication of genes, and genes support the development of a brain that can have qualia in the first place.