Over the course of approximately 35 hours, the cohort explored the city of Sacramento and future professional paths with the help of many active members of its political scene. From young rookies to experienced veterans, many members of the CAUSE network gave us a first-hand look at some of the career paths Asian Americans have taken to political success in California’s state capitol. In being given an idea of where one might be at each phase of the career path, I’ve come away from this year’s trip to the capitol with a different perspective on where I want to be five, ten, or twenty years from now.
On Tuesday we began our morning with a tour of the capitol building with Assembly Staffer Erika Ngo. It was a really fun time, highlighted by our very rare opportunity to actually step foot on the Assembly floor. I didn’t learn too much during the tour in terms of my potential career path, but it was definitely one of the most entertaining parts of the trip. After the tour, we got the chance to speak with Erika and Charmaine Mills, both of whom are currently serving as legislative directors in Assemblymember offices. They told us about their rise from Assembly Fellows to legislative aids and finally legislative directors, teaching us about how one climbs the ranks of an office and learns along the way. Following them, we were lucky to hear from three recent CLA Alumni who are currently working in offices in the Assembly. As the youngest speakers we’ve heard from this summer, it was really refreshing to hear from the perspectives of individuals who are barely one step ahead of us in their career paths. All three are definitely people I will be looking up to going forward, and I’ll be using their stories as inspiration for my own career exploration in the next three or so years.
CLA Interns pictured with Annie Pham and Bill Wong.
On Wednesday our afternoon began with a meeting with current Chiefs of Staff Sophia Kwong Kim and Allison Lim. Both of them were incredibly knowledgeable about life in Sacramento. Ms. Kim in particular aligned with my experiences and interests very well, and hearing from her about getting to final goals through trial and error was a great learning experience. Finally, we ended our trip with the chance to speak with API leaders Bill Wong and Annie Pham, both of whom are critical players in the API pipeline to political work in Sacramento. As probably the most experienced speakers from the trip, ending with their perspectives was both sobering and enlightening. I look forward to striving for the success they’ve achieved and giving back to the API community as they have.
When I consider my future plans going forward, I think our trip has changed my ideas of what I want to do in the short term. While I’m still young and energetic, I now think I want to explore positions as a legislative worker in Sacramento or Washington D.C. Previously I thought I might explore private or institutional research and consider going to law school after a few years, but the appeal of the Sacramento lifestyle and work has become greater following last week. Things will likely still change over my next three years in college, but for now, I can confidently say things have shifted for me.
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 Liam Chia, 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.