Host office supervisors waving around giant cutouts of Haley’s face and Assemblymember Mike Fong walking on stage to “We are the champions” by Queen were definitely not on my 2024 Bingo card. To give a bit more context, these were some of the gems I was able to witness at this year’s Summer Soirée.
The cohort and staff were thrown into a frenzy in the weeks leading up to the main event, juggling the mock campaign, group sessions, and venue set-up. During such a tumultuous period of the summer, I am grateful to have been grounded in such a strong support system.
Interns Haley Ku and Emma Tom celebrating their victory
Working with my campaign team, I was overwhelmed with love and appreciation. Not only were we compatible as partners but we were also inseparable as friends. While everyone had tasks and responsibilities to uphold, I believe our greatest strength was how flexible we were in our roles, maximizing our skill sets to help each other out in areas where we were weaker.
As one of the communications directors, I was painfully aware of how critical my role was in depicting Haley’s image and brand to our intended audience. I was afraid that my reach would fall short or I would not be able to accentuate all the key aspects of our platform. However, reiterating what I mentioned earlier, I was not alone and my team mitigated the burden on my shoulders. From crafting social media content and developing a website to filming the campaign video and canvassing at the soirée, I cultivated a newfound expertise in political communications— something that I never imagined obtaining and will be sure to safekeep for my future endeavors.
The audience peppered with red and gold heart pins, glistening with support for our cause and campaign evoked a sense of enormous pride and gratification. We were able to witness the tangible fruits of our labor which eventually led to our victory.
Intern Emma Tom sharing her candidate’s platform with CLA alumni
This mock campaign was more than simply a competition within the cohort; it was an opportunity for us to simulate running for an elected office— a reality well within reach for some of our interns. In each role, whether it be the candidate who got to experience the pressure and attention from being the face of the campaign or the finance director who had to conceptualize the necessary budget and expenses applicable to a real campaign, we were able to test our potential. Each of us are more than capable of advocating for salient issues that we are passionate about and proposing policies to benefit our most treasured communities. While the stakes were not high, the reward of this experience was infinitely irreplaceable.
My favorite part about this entire project was the respectful camaraderie between the teams. There was never a moment where tensions split our cohort. Reflecting back on my mildly cynical previous blog post, I now have hope for the future of politics. If this generation of new leaders, including some of my dear friends in this cohort, end up in positions of power to propel change, I have faith that we are headed on the right path.
Interns Anais Sornkatetin and Emma Tom pose with Haley Ku fans
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 Emma Tom, 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.