#apiasf intern

[apiasfrepresent]

ECAASU 2014: love learning about community

By Juliana Wong, APIASF Intern

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) Conference, one of the oldest and largest Asian American organizations in the nation that attracts over 1,000 students annually. As I have attended University of California conferences before, such as the Students of Color Conference (SOCC) and the Asian Pacific American Awareness Conference (APAAC), ECAASU was definitely one for the books in terms of perspective, experience, and humility.

As a Bay Area and West Coast native, I have grown up among large AAPI populations in my schools and community. The presence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has always been a familiar feeling and I want to say "normal" for me. As a first timer in the East Coast, I have definitely come to realize that this is not the case for many AAPI students and individuals across the country. As I have been exposed to AAPI issues before, I didn't really put them into perspective until I was able to hear the personal stories during the workshops at ECAASU. That is not to say it's all good in California either, as each individual and group has their unique set of struggles. It's just that I was able to really gauge the differences in various regions in terms of (under)representation, resources, and life experiences. 

Needless to say, ECAASU was most definitely a learning opportunity for my personal growth, identity development and understanding of the diverse AAPI backgrounds, experiences, and narratives. It made me appreciate my home even more, and also motivated me to keep engaging in dialogue to continue to foster community-building across state borders and among communities of color. 

Thank you again to the amazing coordinators of the conference! All of your hard work does not go unnoticed, and has many rewards within itself. Continue to represent who you are and let them know that you're present -- re/present!

[apiasfrepresent]

My Last Week at APIASF as an Intern

By Hari Om Adhikari, 2013 OCA Intern for APIASF

It feels like I blogged about my first week as an APIASF intern yesterday. But the reality is, it’s already been 9 weeks since I started interning at this great organization. This is a bittersweet blog post for me. Time has just flown by in such a brisk pace, but the memories and experience collected along the way are irreplaceable. It feels surreal thinking that I spent almost 3 months at the nation’s capital away from my family.

I couldn’t have asked for a better placement than APIASF. I have truly enjoyed working with a dedicated group of people. I will miss APIASF and its staff. I really want to thank everyone here for making me feel comfortable and always being helpful. I can proudly say that this has been one of the best summers I have ever had. Although my placement doesn’t really pertain to my major (Molecular and Cell Biology), I am really happy to have gained other skills during this time, which include working with Excel databases, networking, communication, leadership, and advocacy. Since I am really passionate about education and immigration, I am very glad that I was able to obtain these necessary skills that will be instrumental in my advocacy journey.

OCA’s National Convention was another major event that I had the pleasure of attending. It was really nice to see people from different regions of the country celebrate OCA’s 40th birthday. The event attracted very distinguished people, including the likes of Senator Mazie Hirono, Congresswoman Judy Chu, California State Controller John Chiang, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, Mee Moua and many others. To hear their speeches and discussions, as well as to meet some of the speakers in person, was indeed a gratifying experience. I always feel inspired when leaders of our community come and talk about issues that impact the AAPI community at large.

My summer experience has been enriching not only from a professional standpoint, but also a personal one. I have been able to see so many historical landmarks while staying in the capital. Although I underestimated DC’s hot and humid weather, I still had plenty of sightseeing trips to the Capitol, National Mall, Jefferson Memorial, Nationals Park, Smithsonian museums, Holocaust Museum, Newseum, etc.

To sum it up, it has been a magnificent 10 weeks in DC. I got to know more about the challenges that our community faces and the work that’s being done here in the capital by organizations like OCA, APIASF, NQAPIA, AAJC, and others, to tackle them. We as a community have definitely made progress over many years, but it’s clear that there’s so much work that still needs to be done. DC has proved to be advantageous for all the important legislative and policy related tasks that have been done by all the AAPI organizations here. Personally, to be able to work for an organization that promotes higher education and educational equity by providing scholarships and other resources to the AAPI community has been both an honor and pleasure. I can proudly reflect upon summer of 2013 as a very remarkable one.