As the CAUSE program winds to an end, the culmination of our efforts in our mock assembly district campaign came to a head this week with our mock endorsements panel and our mock fundraising event. Both were entirely planned and carried out by the cohort and with the help of some very experienced players in the field, we were able to successfully attain our goals for mock PAC endorsements and campaign fundraising.
On Monday, before our mock fundraiser event with members of the CAUSE board and guests playing characters, we had the chance to speak with a group of Asian Americans in the finance scene who gave us financial advice apart from our mock campaign. As young students making our way through and out of college, it was a great hour and a half of looking ahead in our lives and learning more about how to prepare for true adulthood financially. It’s something I’ve actually thought a lot about recently and it was good to hear about where I’ve been right and wrong in my previous research.
In the afternoon, we hosted about ten CAUSE board members and individuals from the network at our mock campaign fundraiser. With food, drinks, and music, the cohort engaged with our guests posing as fictional characters in an attempt to encourage them to donate fake contributions to our campaign. It was a worthwhile experience that taught us how to effectively cater our message to specific audiences as we tried to put the campaign in the best light possible. We ended up nearly reaching our very lofty fundraising goal of $20,000. Things could have gone better, but overall it was a great performance from our host Phong, and our candidate Meghna.
CLA Intern Liam Chia during a networking session.
Friday was a very fruitful day, featuring another group of successful members of the CAUSE network who came to the office to advise us on career matters. Steve and Shanahan were able to invite many members of the legal, higher education, and health scene who took turns sharing their paths to success. In addition to the panel, Jason Song (a graduate of CAUSE’s CLI) hosted us in a resume workshop. Similar to the financial advising meeting, the resume workshop was very helpful to us as we transition from the academic to the professional world. Together, the career panel and the resume workshop made us feel better about the state of our professional development and also gave us a lot to think about.
Finally, our last friday at CAUSE ended with our mock endorsements panel, where three highly influential members of the local political scene in greater Los Angeles came to assess the state of our campaign and determine whether a real PAC would support our candidacy. Meghna was able to answer some very difficult questions from our panel, and together with the group’s preparation, we were able to satisfy them and earn an endorsement as well as another campaign contribution. It was a great way to see our campaign come to a close, and I’m really grateful to have worked with my amazing cohort over the last eight weeks.
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.