This week CAUSE Interns took a trip to the California State Capitol. We were so lucky to have Legislative Director Erika Ngo join and teach us about the general basics of the legislation process. Throughout this session, I was able to grasp a better understanding of how policies are made at the state level of government. In addition, I was able to understand the chain of position from an assembly member's office, especially in legislation.
Some of my highlights of this trip were our sessions with the Legislative Directors Panel, CLA Alumni Panel, and Chief of Staff's Panel. Within our session with Legislative Director Erika Ngo and Charmaine Albano Mills and CLA Alumni who are currently in a legislative position, they explained their daily experiences while being at the capitol. I enjoyed learning about the difference in workload between a legislative aide, legislative assistant, legislative director, and chief of staff. As each of our guest speakers explained their experiences, it seemed like the higher up position you are at, the more responsibilities you have. Throughout these sessions, it has been brought to my attention that many of the individuals who have huge responsibilities often start off as legislative interns or legislative aides at the State Capitol. As someone who would like to potentially work in the legislation, this has brought a clear roadmap.
The Field Team: Pa Houa Lee, Coby Nguyen, and Andrea Mac.
These sessions are my highlight of this trip because I felt that our guest speakers have set a background understanding of what it is like to work at the state capitol’s office in the legislative aspect. With my current experiences, the policy has been something I considered for a very long time. Now, my experience at the Capitol has encouraged me to pursue policy-making even more because I now understand what is expected. In addition, this experience has also given me a path and foundation of what I think I should do prior to getting to work in the legislative field.
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 Pa Houa Lee, 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.