On August 18th, the 2023 CAUSE Leadership Academy program officially came to a close. As my cohort and I said our tearful goodbyes to newfound friends and mentors, it struck me how fast nine weeks could pass. It was bittersweet to say the least. But, in our Director Steve Lin’s famous words: “This is just the start of the conversation”. The end of CLA was a fitting one, and as I look back on the night of our graduation and CAUSE’s Summer Soirée, I am reminded of the countless memories made and lessons learned in my time with the organization.
CAUSE had the great honor of celebrating our CLA graduation with family, friends, and distinguished members of the CAUSE network. CAUSE staff Steve Lin and Shanahan Europa reminded us of the themes we set out to explore nine weeks ago and the steps we’ve taken to not only touch on each base, but deepen our understanding and investment of them all. Their speeches were followed by a message from CAUSE Board Chair Charlie Woo. He explained to the audience more about CAUSE’s mission and origins before turning to the CLA cohort to inspire us with his own hopes for our future places of influence in that mission. Next, our keynote speaker, California Deputy Treasurer Stephanie Tom, came to the podium to share with everyone where our paths lead us next. As someone with a somewhat unconventional path to political work, she shared a great example of the wide diversity of journeys into public policy, inspiring us to follow our own true callings in hopes that it will someday lead us to make a difference like Deputy Treasurer Tom. Lastly, our cohort’s own Angel Yuan, the intern speaker for the night, delivered a strong tribute to our hard work over the summer, giving everyone insight into the cohort’s experience from our lens. From there, it was a mix of joy and sadness as we accepted our certificates for completing the CLA program.
Following our graduation, the CAUSE Summer Soirée allowed us one last chance to interact with the CAUSE network as a group. Seeing the many powerful faces related to CAUSE in some way or another, I was reminded of the many amazing places those who look like me have gone. This is ultimately a major component of the CAUSE mission: to inspire Asian youth by showing them a collection of some of the country’s finest Asian public servants under one umbrella. As someone who went into this summer oblivious to the influence that Asian-Americans held in the United States – even in California – this was one of the most influential takeaways I had from nine weeks of working with CAUSE. From top to bottom, in all sorts of industries and public offices, Asian-Americans not only have a voice but are rapidly expanding the size of our seat at the table. I’m incredibly thankful for the experiences granted to me by Congresswoman Judy Chu’s Pasadena district office, the entire CAUSE team, my fellow cohort members, and so many more this summer. It has undoubtedly been a life-altering time for me, and one I will not forget to involve myself with and give back to as I go on.
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.