To describe orientation week at CAUSE with one word, I would use the word comprehensive. Every activity, workshop, and excursion evoked the sense that orientation was designed not just to prepare us for the summer ahead, but also to prepare us as growing students and soon-to-be professionals and fill in the natural gaps that we have as young adults. It felt as if the components were carefully chosen to make us ‘whole’ and help us to imagine ourselves as complex, capable leaders in our communities.
Interns Eliana Kim and Nathan Yeung share about the communities they are a part of
Whether it was beginning our orientation week by discussing important API-related historical events in our personal or family history or discussing various communication styles in different spheres of our lives, this week was filled with various growth opportunities that contained rare lessons. I particularly appreciated the workshop we received on branding and values-based leadership––both concepts are tightly intertwined, and together, they gave me the understanding that awareness of your values, and making choices so that such values are reflected upon you allows you to become a comprehensive person who is known for those values in and out of the workplace. Instead of putting a front, we learned that branding yourself means doing so in all aspects of your life.
CLA interns taking part in a printmaking activity at PIEAM
I was also able to explore this motif of wholeness in our excursion to Long Beach, where we connected with community leaders like the Pacific Islander Ethnic Art Museum (PIEAM) and folks from the UCLA NHPI Data Policy Lab. I felt wholeness in learning that, despite the difference in medium––art and data––there are community leaders who utilize their strengths and passions to uplift their communities in the ways that are most natural for them. I found myself connecting this understanding with the previous days’ lessons, realizing that the leaders we had the privilege of speaking with were living examples of people who exude their values in all that they do, professional or not. Opportunities like these continuously induced questions to myself about what I want to do with my values and talents, and how I would want to make that a part of myself.
CLA interns and CAUSE staff commemorate the last day of their orientation week retreat at CSULB
I also found that our cohort getting to know each other also emphasized wholeness. In our short week, it was clear that my cohort members are driven by similar goals and care about similar things despite distinct individuality, character, and values. This was evident in the way we organized so swiftly when put with our mock campaign teams and the way that we listened to each other and shared our own cultural experiences with care. Moreover, vulnerability and honesty in front of somewhat strangers proved to be a bold, but necessary step towards improving and making oneself fuller, since without vulnerability and facing sensitive topics, there is a limit to true growth. Although our collaboration is bound to come with some disagreement, I am sure that I will find wholeness in the process of sharing and learning from one another.
In these ways, all of the parts of orientation meshed beautifully and complemented each other to be an extensive preparation session for our host office work, the mock campaign, and even beyond our time at CAUSE. For this, I am immensely grateful to the CAUSE team and am eager to learn, see, and hear more throughout this summer to become a fuller version of myself.
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 Eliana Kim, Leadership Academy 2024 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.