As I get more and more comfortable working in the office, I am starting to realize just how many resources and programs are available to our citizens. Many of these resources I had no idea existed in my 22 years of living. I’m sure there’s a large amount of resources that I still don’t know about that I could be taking advantage of. And I’m willing to bet that there are many people out there like me who are in need of these resources or who could thrive in these programs that just are completely unaware of their existence.
In addition to everything else I do in the office, much of my work revolves around answering the phone calls of constituents and directing them to the correct resources. As the district office of a US Congressman, we help many people with their passport or immigration troubles or issues federal agency wherever we can. And I’ve seen firsthand how beneficial this help can be—people who were previously unable to travel are now able to attend important meetings and events or attend to important family situations abroad. So many people are greatly benefited by the work that is done within these offices. But so many people have no idea that these offices even exist, much less what they do.
It’s no secret that passports are a huge hassle to get, often taking weeks, months, or more to complete. And because they are so small, they are so easy to lose track of in our busy and hectic lives. For those of us who aren’t aware that the office of our US Congressperson is able to help us get our passports in a quick and timely fashion, we may be stuck in the endless bureaucratic limbo of the various passport agencies within our nation. Even my own family has had trouble getting passports in a timely manner. We had no idea that this resource was available to us, and we spent so much unnecessary time, energy, and effort trying to figure out our passport situation that we could’ve spent much better elsewhere.
CAUSE students take a walking tour of Little Tokyo.
This is just one level of government. There are so many different people and offices that are meant to represent us and our interests, and to remember which offices have jurisdiction over which issue is virtually impossible. I think that this is a big reason why many people shy away from reaching out to their representatives when they need assistance with any issue—since there’s so many of them, how can we be sure that we are contacting the correct one? In reality, it is really difficult, especially for those of us who may not have access to solid civic education—immigrants, non-English speakers, first generation students, among others. It is these people that often need help with these issues the most! And yet, it feels like our systems of educating them about the roles of the government and what resources are available to them are just falling short.
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 Coby Nguyen, 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.