As my time in the CAUSE Leadership Academy draws to a close, I reflect on the volume of growth I’ve experienced professionally and personally. CLA has truly changed my life not just in the academic or career sense, but in almost all aspects of my life. The people who have shared their passions, support, and thoughtfulness with me may be dispersing all throughout the state to go back to their normalcy, but my admiration and fondness for my network will be fervent. To celebrate all of our accomplishments, we concluded CLA with a graduation ceremony and the annual Summer Soirée.
Erika Au (left), CLA intern turned Alumni, with CAUSE Director of Programs Steve Lin (right).
Since I never had a proper high school graduation, this celebration felt like the graduation I never had; especially as we laughed and cried at the realization that this chapter of our life was ready to transition to the next. It was also heartwarming to see my cohort’s families and biggest supporters in attendance. Seeing the guests made me extra optimistic that our work and passions were appreciated and important to the closest people in our lives. Looking at my fellow interns interacting with their families was extremely special, as I got to witness the guardians and role models of the group of people who inspire me most. While my family was not able to attend and I had no other guests to invite, the CAUSE staff themself were enough of a stand-in family to me that I was never upset about it.
As the night carried on, the celebration continued as we honored elected officials and heard directly from important AAPI voices currently in office. While I knew the CAUSE network was valuable, hearing from all of the highlighted speakers was just another affirmation that the work CAUSE is doing is truly impactful and beneficial to all AAPI communities. The space to coalesce, debate, agree, mobilize, and empower is essential towards moving forward, and the nurturing of this space is work that is not so easily accomplished.
From my time at CAUSE, I learned that intention is key to everything you do. The end result or goal does not matter unless the intent is clear and well thought out. Being able to understand the process of change by first understanding intention was extremely helpful when thinking about CLA programming. Examining our program’s aims helped me better prepare for sessions and interpret my experiences. In the same vein, understanding CAUSE’s intent is imperative in how I interact with its network. Seeing the number of guests and passionate individuals at the Soirée assured me that building a generation of intentional leaders will only make the future generations’ transition into our trailblazing positions more accessible.
The 2023 CLA cohort together at graduation.
The result of my time at CLA, CAUSE, and LA is simply happiness, gratitude, and a fresh sense of purpose. As I said to my supervisor, CAUSE Marketing and Communications Manager Farrah Su, I am confident in my leadership skills moving forward, and I can’t wait to go back on campus and lead because they need my leadership. From CLA, I am ready to serve as a leader and actively support my communities.
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 Erika Au, 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.