On Thursday, June 9th, I received the amazing news that I got off the waitlist for CLA. The internship would begin the following Monday, and even though I still lived in Berkeley, I knew I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. As someone who is mixed-race, I have often struggled to connect with the Pacific Islander side of my identity and knew spending the summer at CAUSE would allow me to deepen my understanding of what it means to be a civically engaged member of the AAPI community. So, in two days, I packed my entire apartment up, signed a lease for a place in Los Angeles, and spent my Sunday on a long, solitary drive in order to begin the internship the following morning. It’s been an inspiring, fun, and growth-focused experience so far, and I’m so thankful I get to be here for the ride.
Every intern in my cohort has inspired me in some way: each individual has their own, unique talents and experiences that have helped me to deepen my understanding of and connection within the AAPI space. During our cohort’s retreat, we had the opportunity to learn from teacher and organizer Godfrey Plata, who reminded us that we are “born on a moving train”. That means we are born into a world wherein hegemonic, or in other words, dominant ideas are already set in place. These ideas often exclude different groups of people based on their gender, race, ability, and sexuality. My cohort and I reflected on hegemonic ideas that have harmed us and focused on what we would like to change as active members of our society. It was so eye-opening to listen to the various passions and values held by my cohort members and I realized that through this community CAUSE has created, we have the opportunity to invoke tangible change, together.
Learning about our individual identities and heritages through our retreat was so impactful and this was only the beginning of an intellectually stimulating and transformative summer. While it’s true that we’ve been born onto a moving train, with each other's support, I know we can change this train’s direction. And as I said before, I’m here for the ride!
