This first week was quite the introduction to CAUSE and the leadership academy. I highly enjoyed the orientation because it was truly an experience like no other for me. I have never been in a professional environment on this scale before, and judging from this orientation, I will be granted an abundance of opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive in this space over these next few months. As interns, we have already been brought into several spaces where we could connect with people in positions of power as well as community leaders. We have been held to a highly professional standard which was brand new to me, however we were always equipped with the tools to succeed in the situations we entered; there was a plethora of workshops and lessons graciously taught to us by our cohort instructors Steve and Shanahan. These leaders also invited many professionals and experts to guide us as we attempted to navigate these professional and sometimes political spaces.
On Monday, our first day, we were given an in-depth introduction to CAUSE and CAUSE staff. We got to learn more about the staff and their experiences–even the Executive Director Nancy Yap and former CLA interns. Hearing from the former interns was really reassuring and motivational because they were once in our same exact position. They were able to give us some insight as to what we could expect, tame our nerves, and offer some advice as to how to make good use of our time. The work that these former interns have been able to accomplish both during and following CLA, including community organizing, was inspiring and gave me hope for my own future. As a recent graduate, I hope to utilize the skills I learn here and connections I make to forge my own path of advocacy, organizing, and a career.
CLA Intern Olivia Diaz Anderson at Long Beach City Hall.
Tuesday through Thursday was spent at a retreat in California State University Long Beach with the intern cohort. We were able to connect and bond with one another through activities like Life Map sharing as well as mealtimes and free time activities–such as going to the gym, exploring CSULB campus, and getting boba.
Polaroids of Interns Meghna Nair, Olivia Sieve, Phong Nguyen, and Olivia Diaz Anderson at CSU Long Beach.
The activities and sessions we had in Long Beach, which included a guest lecture from CSULB professor Dr. May Lin, allowed me to learn more about not just my fellow interns, but myself as well. We had an activity and personality test called the DiSC leadership test that was, in my opinion, highly accurate and helpful. In every activity and workshop after we took the test and learned about each category and leadership style, I was able to notice how everyone else carried themselves in the group. I had never taken the DiSC test before, but it was so accurate and truly helpful in noticing and predicting others behaviors and more importantly, my own behavior and anxieties. In every workshop since we took the test, I have been more actively aware of how I carry and present myself. I hope to work on my particular weaknesses within my category and utilize this categorization system in my daily life.
CLA Interns Angel Yuan and Olivia Diaz Anderson during a team-building activity.
After leaving our retreat site, we had the opportunity to tour Long Beach City Hall and meet with some city officials there that gave us an insider perspective to city government which I found to be interesting.
CLA cohort members at Long Beach City Hall.
On Friday we had some more workshops including a networking opportunity with CAUSE community members and an in-depth breakdown of running a campaign from Godfrey Plata who ran for a California Assemblymember seat in 2020.
CAUSE Board Member Ben Wong networking with CLA Interns Olivia Diaz Anderson, Emma Chen, and Kenny Lê.
Some quotes and nuggets of wisdom that really stuck with me from last week include Nancy speaking on representation and sharing her beliefs on our community needing allies and how we need to create space for our community at these “tables” of powerful and momentous conversations. In the same conversation, CAUSE staff Farrah shared how she learned through CAUSE that it is possible to do this advocacy work in a non-partisan way which I related to because I also have very left-leaning radical views that I am very firm on. Within the talks with former CLA interns, Matthew Vu shared these three sentiments:
“Good policy dies with bad implementation.
Real organization comes from challenging power.
Be clear about who you are and what you stand for. People will remember that.”
That last quote also goes along with something that we learned in our networking lesson and that was to be authentic. I feel that we often dim our personalities and make ourselves more palatable for professional spaces, but I feel that CAUSE has offered us a safe space to grow into our truest selves and discover this advocacy world for ourselves. Something that Shanahan shared with us in that same former CLA intern conversation was that there is power in horizontal networking as well, and I feel that was a super important piece of advice. I hope to foster relationships with this cohort and with the rest of CAUSE as well. Networking is bidirectional and I feel that this community is a great space to learn, grow, and thrive with one another. Within the span of a single week we have already met and connected with so many leaders and members of the AAPI community, and I have high hopes for the remainder of the Leadership Academy.
CLA Interns Emma Chen, Andrea Mac, Pa Houa Lee, Erika Au, Phong Nguyen, and Olivia Diaz Anderson at Long Beach City Hall.
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the views or positions of CAUSE or the CAUSE network.
Written by Olivia Diaz Anderson, Leadership Academy 2023 Intern.
The CAUSE Leadership Academy (CLA) for students is a nine-week, paid, internship program that prepares college undergraduates to lead and advocate for the Asian Pacific Islander community on their campuses and beyond.