Driving to my host office, I came in with a lot of excitement. I’d previously interned at a state office before, but that experience was entirely online. The difference between an online and in-person experience was immediately evident. First, I got completely lost. The office was in a bank with duct tape surrounding the elevator and “hard hats only” signs plastered everywhere around the office. After finally glimpsing at a — plaque, “Assemblymember Anthony Rendon” — I began my three day district office journey.
I came out of the first week with a lot of curiosity. The people who work at the office have incredible life stories. The press secretary broadcasted in television journalism for over two decades, and she even had the opportunity to interview President Obama. I also met a Vietnamese staff member (coming down from Sacramento) who had her wedding at the same venue I had just gone to for my cousin's venue: there’s only one venue in Anaheim that all Vietnamese people go to get married.
I noticed and appreciated the staff members’ community-minded foci. Every staff member had deep connections to the district they represented and the issues they were concerned with. All the interns they selected (excluding me) grew up in the district. In advocacy-work, I believe that policy work must center community members’ needs, and clearly, the staff around me fully believed that.
Specifically, my supervisor knew a lot about her assigned city of Lakewood. She recounted its history: The first indoor mall in the United States was built in Lakewood, and it is one of the first models of White suburbia post-GI Bill. This led her to connecting this traditional history with its current initiatives of keeping its traditionalism.
Kenny Lê at the Fighting For Democracy exhibit during CLA session.
What the days also made apparent was the transitionary period that all the staff members are currently going through. This week was Assemblymember Rendon’s final week as the Speaker of the California Assembly. Thus, one of the assignments I had was carrying Christmas boxes from their Los Angeles office down to our district office in Lakewood. This transition period has allowed me to see the community and relationships that had formed in the office well before I came to the forefray.
During a staff meeting, the staff played a video they had compiled acknowledging the speaker’s future plans post-speaker. There, they played clips full of inside-jokes and iconic moments in Assemblymember Rendon’s time as speaker. It was sentimental and slightly emotional — as I gladly ate Portos’ cheesecake, they exchanged stories, knowledge, and memories reminiscing about their time with Assemblymember Rendon over the past years he’s been speaker.
I’m really excited to see the work that we all do in the future. At the moment, there hasn’t been a lot I’ve had to do: I’ve picked up one phone call, made two certificates, and drafted one letter of recognition. But, I am certainly not complaining. I think the time I’ve spent connecting with the staff members has been truly invaluable, and I know that in the future, what I’m going to remember out of my internship experience will be the small pockets of joy and celebration I have with these staff members.
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 Kenny Lê, 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.