I envisioned my first day at the office of California State Senator Ben Allen to be like the scene from Mean Girls where Cady brings her tray to the bathroom and sits inside a stall, eating alone.
Week 9: Looking Beyond the Western Point of View
Week 9: Farewell Reflection
Week 8: Cherished Community Traditions
Week 8: Your Vote Matters
Week 7: The Bigger Picture
This week, one of my Lyft drivers told me that he has lived in Echo Park for his entire life. Because I have only stayed in Echo Park for a little over a month, I was curious to learn his opinions on how the area has changed over time. I have heard a lot about gentrification and development issues in the area and wanted his take.
Week 7: Thinking About the Whole Person
Week 6: It's All About Communication
Week 6: The Meaning of Public Service
Week 5: A Common Thread
Week 5: Bringing It Home
At the CAUSE Leadership Academy Kickoff, I told the audience that I was proud to be placed in the office of my state senator, Dr. Ed Hernandez. While the Senator represents a lot more than just my hometown, this week in the office really drove home the idea that I was working right with the beliefs and issues that I grew up with—including some that I didn’t even realize existed until now.
Women in Power Leadership Conference
Week 4: An Encouraging Experience
Week 4: Yes, I Can
Week 3: Learning Beyond the Office
Week 3: Informative & Inspirational
Week 2: Stronger Together
This Monday was our very first Civic Leadership Workshop of the internship program. To start off, we met at the Kizuna office in Little Tokyo. Like CAUSE, Kizuna is an organization that works to create a APA leadership pipeline through their programs. Kim, who is on the Board of Directors, introduced us to Kizuna and used the opportunity to emphasize the importance of supporting other community organizations, with both our time and our money.
Week 2: New Opportunities
This was my first week at Assemblymember Chris Holden’s Office and it was very exciting! This week has been full of new opportunities, such as press releases, meetings with organizations, inputting constituent comments, and brainstorming outreach and social media campaigns for the Assemblymember. With the help of the immensely supportive staff at the District Office, I have learned a great deal about the inner workings of an elected official’s district office.
Week 1: First Steps
This week was orientation week for the CAUSE Leadership Academy and we learned a lot about what is expected of us from this program and how we are going to grow over the next few weeks. On the first day, I was nervous, partly because it was one of the first times I had driven in LA traffic and also because I had already been on summer vacation for a month and now I had to refocus and resettle into a professional environment.
Week 1: Orientation Retreat
In the short time that we spent in the Temecula heat, tightly packed in the confines of a beautiful Airbnb, I spent hour after hour reflecting on the lessons I was learning. These lessons not only came from the workshops, but also from the personal anecdotes shared by the CAUSE supervisors and my fellow CAUSE interns.