Highlight of 2019 National Internship Conference
Cultivating Future Civic Leaders
CLUSA hosted the first National Public Service Internship Conference.
The total number of Asian Americans has exceeded 22 million since 2017, according to the US Census Bureau, and that’s more than six percent of the current US population of 329 million. However, Asian Americans only constitute three percent in the Senate and 0.03 percent (14 among 435) in the house. Statistics show how severely underrepresented Asian Americans are in the public sector. That’s a problem the nonprofit Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA) strives to solve. To cultivate future civic leaders of underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, CLUSA hosted its first National Public Service Internship Conference in Santa Clara from June 21 through June 23.
Day 1, June 21
The conference kicked off with a dinner event, where CLUSA founder and chairman Sandy Chau and Fremont Mayor Lily Mei spoke.
Mr. Chau said CLUSA sponsors 28 public service internship programs nationwide and expects to add eight more in the near future. He emphasized the importance of getting enough Asian American representation in the public sector, mentioning the wrongful indictment of scientist Wen-Ho Lee as an extreme example of how Asian Americans could be treated unjustly without breaking the perpetual foreigner stereotype.
Ms. Mei shared personal stories of growing up in Pennsylvania as an Asian American who was discriminated against, to illustrate how necessary it is for Asian American voices to be heard.
“I’ve been stuffed in lockers. I’ve had my tires slashed. I’ve had my car windows shot out, with BB guns, not rifles, thankfully,” Ms. Mei said.
Those hurtful experiences in Ms. Mei’s formative years made her a more sympathetic leader who would ensure everyone in the community is welcome, she said.
After Ms. Mei’s inspirational speech, CLUSA executive director Anthony Ng introduced staff members, including Qing Bai, director of education and administration, Chuck Ng, director of community outreach and development, Wen Yuan, director of IT and communications, and Joe Wong, editor in chief.
Mr. Anthony Ng also announced that CLUSA would hold a student essay contest, and those interested could contact Ms. Bai for details.
Next, as a warm-up for the next two days’ workshops, former Cupertino Mayor Michael Chang said attendees would be divided into two groups and he would lead the group of nonprofit executives, leaving the student group to Anthony Le, deputy director of the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute. Mr. Chang and Mr. Le both spoke briefly about what to expect of the workshops.
Day 2, June 22
The nonprofit executive workshop started with greetings from C. C. Yin, entrepreneur and co-founder of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA). Mr. Yin explained how difficult it has been for Asian American immigrants, the last ethnic group joining the country, to fit in. He encouraged nonprofit executives to help Asian American students become future leaders.
“The next generation is all in your hands,” Mr. Yin said. “You’re going to make our next generation real Americans.”
As Mr. Chang pointed out, the nonprofit executive group focused on building a community and sharing best practices. There were panel discussions on practical topics including Relations Building for Internship Replacements, Setting Up a Well-Organized Internship Program, Interns’ Training, Graduation Events & Alumni Network, and Community Empowerment and Public Office Pipeline.
While discussing intern selection, Mr. Chang and panelists advised nonprofit executives to give priorities to college students, because they usually have clearer goals, also because there may be more legal restrictions if an internship involves someone under 18. Internship organizers need to know all the related regulations before taking on a minor, Mr. Chang said.
More than 50 workshop participants all came from national nonprofit organizations that coordinate public service internships, some of them from the east coast, the Midwest, and Texas. They shared their experiences placing interns in their local government offices.
In the meantime, more than 50 students from all over the country were in another classroom learning how to be better interns. Their sessions included Asian American History Walk & Debrief, Public Service: Elected Officials & Legislative Staff, Making the Most of the Internship Experience & Networking, and Your Leadership Values – Barometer Activities & Discussions.
Staff members of elected officials talked as guest speakers and gave students solid advice on how to obtain a good internship and how to succeed as an intern. For instance, to prepare for an interview, the intern should do research on what the office does and be able to answer questions such as how the intern’s interests align with the issues the elected official advocates.
Guest speakers told interns to wear business attire to project a professional image of the office, finish all the projects by their deadlines, and show initiative instead of just meeting minimum requirements.
While answering a student’s question about how to remember everyone’s name, guest speakers provided practical tips such as attaching notes about people’s distinctive traits to business cards, emailing people right after meeting them, and even creating an Excel sheet to list names and organizations, plus matching photos if available.
Day 3, June 23
The third day of the conference was a day of reflection. In the nonprofit executive workshop, participants were divided into small groups to discuss their three-year plans for their respective organizations. In the student workshop, students exchanged ideas about how to improve their leadership skills.
Both workshops received very positive feedback. When Mr. Chang asked each of the nonprofit executives to give a one-liner to summarize the conference, all the remarks were full of praise. Some of the attendees showed their enthusiasm about cooperating by quoting Mr. Anthony Ng, “If you want to fly fast, fly alone; if you want to fly far, fly together.”
In addition, Johnny Lee from the San Diego Chapter of APAPA said he learned about how the government works and that will enable him to run more effective internship programs back home.
“This meeting we are having is very important to the future success and sustainability of our organization,” Mr. Lee said.
Students also expressed a lot of enthusiasm for the conference. Jason Zhang from Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio said he learned a great deal about identity and leadership in the past three days.
“One of the biggest things I’ve noticed is that we need to start thinking about how to improve not only ourselves but the community as a whole and help those who are in the minority and cannot help themselves,” Mr. Zhang said.
Another student, Matthew Junio from the APAPA Solano Chapter and Sacramento State University, said the conference was an eye-opening experience.
“We have to see where we come from, the commonality we have, and all the struggles we go through,” said Mr. Junio. “I’ve learned a lot, such as how to be successful and not to be ashamed of who you are or where you come from. Anthony taught us to be more objective about things as well as how to come up with a solution together and flourish as a community.”
Given the great success of the first National Public Service Internship Conference, CLUSA plans to make it an annual event.
The national internship conference is organized by Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA) from June 21st to 23rd at Santa Clara University. The program of workshops for those three days highlights the importance of Asian Americans in leadership and those community leaders and elected officials are going to train those leaders and students core fundamentals to achieve a successful internship program. In the welcome dinner, the CLUSA Founder and Chair, Sandy Chau, talked and shared the vision for CLUSA public service internship grants, also his expectation for those young leaders after they return to the workplaces and schools.
About Civic Leadership USA: Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA) is a 501(c)(3) organization that was founded in 2013 in Washington DC by Mr. Sandy Chau. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, CLUSA’s main objectives are to empower and connect the Asian-American communities, as well as to create a national network of civic-minded organizations and leaders who can work in unity. Through sponsoring Civic Leadership Forums, CLUSA aims to train and inspire young Asian Americans to participate in the political process and our civic life. The Forums are non-partisan and inclusive of all Americans regardless of ethnic group or country of origin.
Website: www.civicleadershipusa.org Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CivicLeadershipUSA