CAUSE on Campus (CoC) is a leadership program for California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) students, produced in partnership with the CSULA Asian and Asian American Studies Department and in collaboration with Associate Professor Dr. Juily Phun.

This program provides students with the opportunity to develop leadership, advocacy, and civic engagement skills while working on a hands-on voter engagement project.

History and Impact

In 2021, CAUSE partnered for the first time with California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) Asian and Asian American Studies and Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) to host a semester-long civic leadership training  and  paid “on campus” internship for 20 students. Through this program, participants: 

  • Engaged with Asian and Pacific Islander advocates including Angela Oh, Dr. Rika Houston, the Honorable Melissa Ramoso, and the Honorable Sasha Renee Perez.

  • Practiced leadership skills that would shape their future careers and civic participation like team building, values based leadership, and networking. 

  • Led a virtual, public town hall, titled “Uniting Against Anti-Asian Hate Crimes”, where they shared the history of Anti-Asian hate and strategies to prevent hate in their communities. 

In 2022, CAUSE will be the lead nonprofit partner for this paid civic leadership opportunity with Dr. Juily Phun, 
Assistant Professor, Asian/Asian American Studies and Director, Asian American Oral History Project.

2025 CAUSE ON CAMPUS, CSULA

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SELECTIVE COHORT

The CAUSE on Campus internship course brings together a small, selective cohort of CSULA students to explore leadership inside and outside the university. Students gain firsthand experience working on civic engagement initiatives, professional skill-building, and advocacy training.

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VOTER ENGAGEMENT PROJECT

Each cohort will produce a final civic engagement project. Interns will work in a team setting, each with a different role, to create a project related to the topic of the course.  

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CAPITOL SUMMIT

Interns will travel to the State Capitol to engage with elected officials and legislative staff advocating for API communities. This experience provides insight into government careers, policymaking, and the role of API leaders in public service.

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Stipend

To ensure accessibility for a diverse group of students, this is a paid internship opportunity.

Meet the 2025 CAUSE on Campus Interns

  • Ada Ng, Asian and Asian American Studies; Minor in Marketing

  • Angelica Baranda, Asian and Asian American Studies; Minor in Korean, Child Development

  • Antonion Gutierrez, Mechanical Engineering

  • Athena Ruiz, Computer Science

  • Aung Tun, Music

  • Caitlin Jane (CJ) Calica, Criminal Justice

  • Christian Mendoza, Civil Engineering

  • Daniel Williams, History

  • Diane Tabilas, Computer Science

  • Giovanna Calderon, Chicana(o) and Latina(o) Studies; Minor in History

  • Jeannette Calderon, History; Minor in Asian and Asian American Studies & Chicana(o) and Latina(o) Studies

  • John Gonzales, Asian American Studies

  • Karen Perez, Anthropology

  • Raenelle Irons, Anthropology

TRAINERS AND SPEAKERS

(Current 2025 List as of 3/11) 

  • Emma Chen, 2023 CLA Alum 

  • Erik Takayesu, CEO, Monarch Energy, LLC

  • Stacia Kato, Senior Operational Excellence Analyst, Capital Group

  • Valentine Angeles, East West Bank, AVP Global Corporate Affairs

  • Emmanuel Chan, Plug and Play Tech Center, Program Manager

  • Kevin Fang, Children's Hospital Los Angeles , Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, CAUSE Leadership Institute Alumnus

  • Kaitlin Geballe, Deloitte Tax LLP , International Tax Principal

  • Stacia Kato, Capital Group, Senior Business Analyst

  • Denise Luu, East West Bank, Vice President of Global Policy and Public Affairs, CAUSE Leadership Institute Alumnus

  • Kathy Pham, Capital Group, Digital Channel Marketing Specialist

  • Heather Sit, CAUSE, Director of Strategic Operations

  • Jason Song, Ernst & Young, Portfolio Lead, CAUSE Leadership Institute Alumnus

  • Joshua Toenjes, Starbucks, Regional Operations Coach

  • Stacy Toyota, Starbucks, Senior PRO Human Resources Business Partners

  • Amy Wantanabe, NakatomiPR, Vice President

  • John Yi, Korean American Democratic Committee (KADC) , Board Member, CAUSE Leadership Institute Alumnus

  • Shengxiao “Sole” Yu, Nectar, Founder and Social Justice Educator, CAUSE Leadership Institute Alumnus

WHAT ALUMNI SAY

 
“Despite the circumstances of a fully virtual spring program with CSULA and hybrid fall internship, CAUSE was still successful in not only fostering an environment meaningful for leadership development but also friendships among like-minded students who care and work to elevate the communities they represent”
— Hannah Wong, CAUSE on Campus, CSULA 2021

The 2025 CAUSE on Campus is supported by

 
 
 

California State University, Los Angeles Asian and Asian American Studies

 
 
 
 
 
 

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