2023 Summer Interns

Tanumafili AhHing

Tanu AhHing (He/Him) is a Sophomore at the University of Utah who is currently double-majoring in Information Systems and International Studies with an emphasis in Foreign Affairs, with a minor in Finance.

He is of Samoan descent from West Valley, Utah and currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. Being a first generation college student and coming from a low income family, Tanu continuously pushes himself to empower the AAPI community. He is the current president of the Samoan Club and is part of the leadership council for the Pacific Islander Student Association on campus.

In his free time Tanu loves to play the ukulele while singing with his family and friends. He also likes to learn new languages and build computers.

Tanu is an intern placed at U.S. House Representative Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen’s office.

Andy Feng

Andy Feng (he/him/his) is a first-year student at Georgetown University in the College of Arts & Sciences, intending to double major in Government and Justice and Peace Studies. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Andy is the son of Chinese immigrants and is at Georgetown as a low-income international student. He has also done work around increasing educational equity, supporting youth empowerment, and dismantling public health disparities. In high school, he founded the Toronto Youth Vaccination Advisory Committee (TYVAC) as the main youth body to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in underserved—majority Black, brown, and AAPI—communities in his hometown.

His current advocacy and research focus revolves around workers’ rights and labor law. At Georgetown, he is a Research in Action Intern at the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. In this role, he works on publicizing the advocacy of unions and organized labor across the nation, while also increasing the institute’s outreach and impact on workers. After undergrad, Andy hopes to attend law school and eventually serve as general counsel or legal advisor for a major American labor union.

In addition, he also centers his extracurricular involvements around social justice and community impact. He serves as an Advisory Board member for Georgetown’s Center for Social Justice where he redistributes institutional funding to student organizations focused on advocacy and activism. Finally, he is a Marketing Specialist at DCivitas Consulting, a Georgetown club dedicated to providing pro bono professional services to social impact nonprofits in the DMV area. In this role, he is currently consulting OneDC, a racial and economic equity nonprofit in the Shaw district of Washington, DC.

Outside of school and work, Andy loves listening to podcasts and Taylor Swift’s Vault tracks, and he is always on the hunt for the perfect iced matcha latte.

Andy is a Political Program Assistant placed at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

Stanley Fie’eiki Jr.

Stanley Fieʻeiki (he/him) is a sophomore at Salt Lake Community College earning an Associate of Arts degree in International and Globals studies. He plans to transfer to the University of Utah where he will continue his education and pursue a BA in International Relations. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to a Tongan family and raised in South Jordan with his 5 other siblings. Stanley is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and, after graduating from Bingham highschool, he served as a volunteer missionary in Taiwan Taipei for two years.

During those two years in Taiwan, Stanley gained a great understanding of their culture and political relationship with China. One specific interest was the lack of religious rights China had compared to Taiwan. Upon returning home, Stanley has lived in different states to learn more about less recognized cultures and their religious backgrounds. Stanley has since received a service scholarship from the Religious Freedom Institution (RFI) because of his advocacy and involvement with different religious organizations. To be more civically engaged with his own community, Stanley joined the Polynesian Unification Association (PUA) to bring more resources to young-polynesian adults with the help of OCA Utah. He is interested in combating the negative expectations placed on the Tongan culture to either excel only in sports or fall victim to gang violence.

Currently, Stanley works at Salt Lake Community College as the Student Senator of Humanities and Social sciences to act as an advocate for students facing academic-based issues or discrimination in any way. He also established the Political Science Club and now presides as Vice President. Stanley also works as a general-service aide in the State of Utah’s Attorney General office. He volunteers weekly at the Asian Association Utah refugee center (AAU) to help refugee immigrants improve their English and understanding of American history. Recently, Stanley worked closely with board members of AAU to create a partnership with Utah Transit Association (UTA) to provide free transportation services to the individuals served at AAU. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and is currently learning Japanese.

In his free time, Stanley enjoys reading, skiing, cooking, discussing philosophy and religions, and hiking with his friends.

Stanley is a Policy Intern placed at OCA National Center.

Aalaya Gurram

Aalaya Gurram (she/her) is a second-year student at American University in Washington, D.C. She grew up in Dallas, Texas, and is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Aalaya is pursuing a Political Science major with a minor in Justice and Law and a certificate in advanced leadership. After college, she plans to attend law school and train to become a human rights lawyer. She wishes to return to her hometown of Dallas, Texas, to become a prosecutor or defense attorney and work up to become a congressperson for the 32nd congressional district.

Aalaya is very passionate about promoting the voices of Asian American communities in all capacities, and this can be seen through her on-campus work. She is currently the head of events at the Asian American Student Union. She gets to help organize and oversee various events for the AAPI community at American University, ranging from social to advocacy events. She is also working on founding a South Asian Connections Club, which aims to connect South Asian students with professionals in their fields in the D.C. area. She is also a part of the SPA Leadership Honors Program, where she gets to tackle injustice within the local D.C. area through projects. One of her projects consisted of creating a mini library in a local D.C. public school to promote academic resources to the community and tackle educational inequality within low-income black communities. The current project she is working on for the leadership program consists of creating an AAPI mental health panel in which we invite AAPI mental health speakers to talk to the APPI community about mental health and destigmatizing it.

In her free time, Aalaya enjoys spending time in the kitchen baking endless treats for her family and friends. She also loves to watch anime and Marvel movies, with her favorite character being Spider-Man.

Aalaya is a Policy Intern placed at the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

Sunny Hu

Sunny Hu (she/her) is a rising senior at Williams College pursuing a double major in American Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies along with a concentration in Asian American Studies. Raised in a Chinese American immigrant household in central New Jersey, Sunny is interested in the intersections of the Asian diaspora, queerness, and racial melancholia. She aspires to pursue a career in civil rights litigation dedicated to serving BIPOC communities and amplifying voices around disability and intergenerational trauma.

During her time at Williams College, Sunny has been largely interested in civil rights work. During the summer and fall of 2022, she interned with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in the Communications Team and Economic Justice Project, respectively. She created social media toolkits, spearheaded research on BIPOC occupational segregation, and worked on documents regarding worker misclassification and the Restaurant Workers Bill of Rights.

On campus, Sunny is dedicated to fostering the Asian American community at Williams. She is passionate about amplifying Asian and Asian American voices and advocating for Asian American and Ethnic Studies programs on campus. As the Co-Chair to Asian American Students in Action (AASiA), she collaborated with faculty on developing an Asian American Studies program proposal, which was passed this December.

Sunny is also committed to increasing solidarity with cross-racial student groups and building an empowered Asian American community. As a Chinese American, she remains connected to her heritage and enjoys planning cultural events like Dumpling Wrapping Night and the Lunar New Year Gala as the Senior Advisor to the Chinese American Student Organization (CASO).

In her free time, Sunny enjoys exploring local coffee shops, napping to her favorite podcasts, and crafting skincare regimens for friends and family.

Sunny is an Outreach & Training Intern placed at the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (A/PI DVRP).

Alexander Lee

Alex (he/him) is a rising junior at Brown University double-majoring in Engineering and International & Public Affairs. Alex grew up near Boston in a multicultural family; his parents were born in Korea but grew up in France, Germany, Iran, and the US. Alex is interested in how disparate identities and experiences intersect to create something new, and he’d like to use his background in STEM and languages to find interdisciplinary solutions for challenges facing the Asian diaspora. 

In high school, Alex learned to use his writing and speaking to advocate for Asian American classmates, and he served on his State Student Council as the only student of color on the executive board. Now at college, Alex is a managing editor for the Brown Political Review, where he helps students from across campus share their stories and opinions on US and world affairs. Last summer, Alex served as a Communications Intern for the Massachusetts Trial Court Executive Office, where he helped expand access to justice and teach about racial inequality in the courts. Across these positions, Alex has tried to speak out against unfairness and elevate other people’s stories, which he would like to do someday through a career in public service.

In his free time, Alex writes music, practices his Italian skills, plays a lot of Cities: Skylines, and probably drinks too much coffee. 

Alex is an Environmental Crimes Section Intern at the U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental and Natural Resources Division (ENRD).

Jenny Ye Eun Lee

Jenny Ye Eun Lee (she/her) is a sophomore at Yale University double majoring in Economics and Ethnicity, Race, & Migration. She is a proud 1.5-generation Korean American immigrant who grew up in Seattle, where the crux of her ethnic-racial identity development began and took root. Straddling the weight of racialized and gendered violence in her hometown and its beautiful histories of diasporic foodways, interracial solidarity, and artistic expression, the multiplicities of Seattle are central to her identity.

Jenny is interested in tracing the intergenerational trauma that lives within Asian American families and (feminized) bodies to histories of imperialism, colonialism, and war, asking questions of what it means to heal in community after these inflictions of violence. Her work is anchored in the power of communities learning from Black feminists and disability justice activists to embody ethics of care, kinship, and radical love.

Jenny’s love for community brings her to the Asian American Cultural Center at Yale where she works as a Political Action and Education Coordinator, developing programming and ad-hoc events to engage the Asian and Asian American student body. She also serves as Co-Moderator of the Asian American Students Alliance, mobilizing a community of Asian American students under the mission of building political consciousness and fostering intercultural solidarity. In addition, Jenny works as a research assistant at Yale Law School, studying the criminal legal system in Atlanta and New York City. She hopes to carry her work into a career path where she can honor the generations that came before her and create more expansive, safe havens for generations to come.

You can always find her hunched over in long laughing fits, perusing new books on her Goodreads feed, binge-watching K-pop videos, or convincing her suitemates to accompany her late-night pizza runs.

Jenny is a Research Intern placed at NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Ranen Miao

Ranen Miao (he/him) graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Sociology, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. He is from Edison, NJ and spent the last four years in beautiful St. Louis, Missouri. The child of two Chinese immigrants, Ranen is proudly Asian and queer and plans to dedicate his life to public service. He is passionate about advocacy and policy which centers economic justice, racial equity, labor rights, and environmental justice.

On campus, Ranen was elected student body president at the end of his first year and served two terms leading over 250 student leaders across 13 branches and managing a $3.9 million budget. In his role, he secured $50,000 to fund a menstrual products program across his campus, founded and fundraised $74,000 for the Food Security Fund to combat food insecurity, and lobbied for a $500,000 investment in Telehealth mental health services for undergraduate and graduate students. Working with over 150 student governments across the United States, he authored national letters about educational equity for pass/fail grading, student loan debt cancellation, Title IX reforms, and mental health access which were featured in the Washington Post, Forbes, and the Chronicle of Higher Education and recognized by nine higher education consortiums across the United States, national advocacy organizations, and political leaders including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Outside of student government, Ranen served as co-president of the Asian Multicultural Council his junior year, representing 20 Asian interest organizations on his campus in advocacy and programming; led the Pride Alliance his senior year, working to tackle misinformation and create inclusive spaces for queer and trans students; and served as president of the debate team for two years, where he designed a curriculum about argumentation and public speaking and served on the national APDA Diversity and Inclusion committee to improve the inclusion and representation of women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ students in collegiate debate.

Outside of his campus, Ranen has worked on civil rights, legislative lobbying, and policy research. Previously, he has interned with two Congressional offices, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the State Department, the Missouri and national American Civil Liberties Union, Pro-Choice Missouri, and multiple Congressional, statewide, and local campaigns. He also works as a research assistant for Washington University’s Social Policy Institute, where he has conducted research on the Child Tax Credit, food insecurity in schools, evictions, and non-sectoral training programs. For his work, Ranen has been named a Truman Scholar, Udall Scholar, Point Scholar, and Prism Scholar and received university-wide awards for academic excellence, research, intersectional advocacy, and leadership.

In his free time, Ranen enjoys having conversations with friends over a meal, watching a documentary or Netflix show, or singing with his Asian-interest acapella group, the WashU Sensasians.

Ranen is a Legislative Intern placed at U.S. House Representative Barbara Lee’s office.

Kirit Minhas

Kirit Minhas (he/him) is a rising senior at Georgetown University majoring in English Literature and double-minoring in journalism and French. Born and raised in the small state of Delaware, his parents are Indian immigrants who hail from the northern state of Punjab. Growing up as the member of an exceptionally small group of turban-wearing Sikhs in the state of Delaware and across the country, Kirit developed a passion for the importance of AAPI representation, religious awareness, and the political communication required therein.

Kirit’s experience as a turban-wearing Sikh has committed him to raising Sikh awareness and combating antagonistic misrepresentations of the community in the post-9/11 era, and he would also like to apply it to the important task of grassroots organization and political participation in the AAPI community. On campus, Kirit has honed his social media skills as the Communications Chair of the English Undergraduate Council and the Director of Community Media for GU Eating Society. He currently works with Susman Godfrey L.L.P. and the Georgetown Law Civil Rights Clinic as a volunteer social media consultant on their pro bono education disability rights case in Virginia. Additionally, Kirit is a blog writer for the Georgetown University Undergraduate Law Review and a former staff writer for The Hoya student newspaper.

In the past, he has worked as a press intern for his home state’s Senator Chris Coons, a reporting intern for Delaware State News, and a communications intern for the Delaware chapter of the non-profit Interfaith Power & Light, which works to harness religious communities to combat climate change.

When he isn’t working, Kirit enjoys finding the perfect turban color to match his ties, attempting to imitate the impeccable taste of his mother’s Indian cuisine, and creating the best playlist to complement a long run.

Kirit is an intern placed at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

Jhanak Mittal

Jhanak Mittal (she/her) is a rising Junior at Virginia Commonwealth University, currently majoring in Interdisciplinary Sciences with a concentration in Professional Sciences and a minor in Chemistry. She is also an undergraduate researcher for the school’s biology department. She was born and raised in India and is a first-generation Indian immigrant in the US. Currently, she resides in Richmond for her studies. After her graduation she plans on attending medical school and pursuing a career in surgery. Along with medicine, she is passionate about healthcare reform.

Apart from school, Jhanak is an active Emergency Medical Technician, and volunteer at the Center for Trauma and Critical Care Education. She is also involved with the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps and volunteered at vaccination pods during the COVID-19 Pandemic. She believes that being part of the healthcare system is the best way to approach the underlying issues with quality of care.

In her free time, Jhanak enjoys horseback riding, learning languages, and watching or reading science fiction.

Jhanak is an intern placed at the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO).

Gremarianne “Grey” Mosquera

Gremarianne Mosquera (she/her) is a first-generation college rising sophomore at New York University Shanghai (NYUSH), pursuing a double major in International Relations and Humanities, as well as a minor in Chinese. Gremarianne spent most of her adolescent years traveling between the United States and the Philippines, before settling in Chicago when she entered high school in 2018. Her travels enabled her to experience and witness first-hand how society's conceptions of another nation stereotype minority groups. Thus, consequently impacting their mental health. Those stereotypes motivate Gremarianne to engage in dialogues that align mental health with multicultural identity - especially in the current globalizing society.

Prior to university, Gremarianne spoke as a keynote speaker for a variety of events within the Chicagoland area. Her journey as an active advocate for the AAPI community began when she spoke at the 2020 Conversations Summit, hosted by the non-profit movement HopeForTheDay, where she addressed the question of culture and how it affected her upbringing, highlighting the role of stereotypes in her identity as a Filipino American. Since then, she has appeared as a presenter for the 2021 Illinois Suicide Prevention Alliance sponsored by Northwestern University. She also continuously acted as a guest speaker for the Talk4Life AMA series by the Alive Center.

Continuing her passion for advocacy, Gremarianne currently serves as Section Leader for her university's DeanServiceCorps' Health and Wellness group. She helps plan and organize events, from fundraisers that help support non-profit organizations within Shanghai to workshops regarding the unspoken issue of mental health within Asian communities. Her most recent event centered on how matters at a global scale could affect those on an individual scale, such as the impact of COVID-19 on societal perceptions of Asians.

Outside of academia, Gremarianne enjoys singing, reading, and getting lost while traveling as she plays the "ride-public-transportation-to-a-random-location" game.

Gremarianne is a Chapter and Membership Development Intern placed at OCA National Center through the US-Asia Institute’s IMAPCT! Filipino American Internship Program.

Edith Philip

Edith Philip (she/they) is a rising FGLI junior at Tufts University majoring in English and Economics and minoring in Asian American Studies. Born in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, and moving to the swampy state of Louisiana at a young age, she began learning English after the rest of her classmates. This determined her to catch up to her peers, and subsequently made her fall in love with reading and writing in the process. She has an affinity for the art of storytelling as she believes that it is one of the few places where marginalized people are able to keep a written history true to themselves.

Edith also loves statistics and hopes to use it to pursue a career in quantitative public policy research. She aims to provide insights about issues affecting Asian American communities, such as gentrification, domestic violence, and caste inequity.

At Tufts, she spends her time outside class in various APIDA-related campus groups. She is a part of the Tufts Observer, where she edits and writes about issues and passions close to her heart like the surveillance state and coming-of-age movies. She is also a returning intern at the Tufts Asian American Center and member of the inaugural cohort for the Asian American Resource Workshop C-SALT program, which provides leadership training for South Asian youth in the Greater Boston area working towards caste abolition. She cherishes these opportunities to build community with other Asian Americans at Tufts and in Boston.

Most recently, through the Tisch Scholars program, she worked as an intern at Saheli Boston, a non-profit which supports South Asian and Arab families that are survivors of sexual and domestic violence. At Saheli, Edith organized data on DV clinics and facilitated discussions on DV at multiple college campuses.

When she isn’t battling the Boston weather, Edith enjoys being outside in the sun and/or water, reading Substack essays, searching for the best dosa in Boston, and watching A24 films.

Edith is an Asia Program Intern placed at the Rights and Resources Initiative.

Kiwa Shinoda

Kiwa Shinoda (she/her) is currently a sophomore at Brandeis University. Her passion for social and environmental justice has led her to pursue a double major in Sociology and Environmental Studies and a minor in HSSP (Health: Science, Society, and Policy). She was born in Belmont, Massachusetts where she grew up with her two Japanese immigrant parents and three older siblings, until moving out for college. Through her education and experience as a first-generation Japanese American in predominantly white spaces, she has found a passion for discussing systems of power, racial solidarity, and AAPI empowerment.

On campus, Kiwa finds value in committing her time and effort to support AAPI and BIPOC communities through her school work and non-academic involvement. As an event coordinator for the Brandeis Japanese Student Association (JSA), she utilizes her position to organize campus events that further a sense of community, cultural pride, and cross-ethnic solidarity. Most recently, she organized an event in collaboration with the Brandeis Black Student Organization titled “The Intertwining Histories of Black and Japanese Americans”, bringing in speakers to engage in conversation about the often unspoken history of solidarity and unity between the two communities. Outside of JSA, Kiwa also volunteers through the Teaching Assistants in Public Schools (TAPS) program at a local preschool and is a mentor in the Roses in Concrete program where she connects with local BIPOC high school students. In the future, Kiwa would like to gain experience centered around her passions through research, community engagement, and non-profit organizing.

During her free time, Kiwa enjoys doing yoga, rock climbing, experimenting with makeup, and watching Korean dramas. This summer, she is excited to connect with other AAPI youth who are passionate about AAPI justice and empowerment.

Kiwa is an intern placed at the Office of Children’s Health Protection at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Elizabeth Sweet

Elizabeth Sweet (she/her/they), is a graduating senior at the University of Washington in Seattle, earning bachelor’s degrees in neuroscience and political science. Transracially and internationally adopted from South Korea into a rural town in Washington state on S’Klallam land, she was raised outside of Asian American community and culture. She has since worked to reclaim her Asian identity and reconnect with Korean culture, advocating that there is no singular way to be Asian American.

Elizabeth identifies as a queer woman of color whose experiences before and during the rise of antiAsian hate in the global pandemic have shaped her vested interest in mobilizing around racial justice, progressive and inclusive politics, and intersectional advocacy. She is a model minority denouncer, who lived under the control of this deeply problematic stereotype for years until realizing her value existed outside of it.

Elizabeth aims to balance scientific understanding and sociopolitical awareness and policy, passionate about converging issues at their intersection such as climate change and (mental) health. She is on an ongoing journey of active learning and relearning to pursue informed AANHPI and BIPOC advocacy, aspiring to study public policy in graduate school and one day run for public office.

Elizabeth is involved with Asian creative spaces on her campus, works as a research assistant in a social policy lab, and is passionate about drawing attention to adoptee issues and visibility. She has been a student lobbyist, a member of a grassroots student nonprofit organization, and an intern with a national AAPI mental health nonprofit. She is passionate about increasing accessibility to, combatting elitism in, decolonizing, and organizing around increasing the political representation and visibility of underrepresented groups.

In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys hiking, biking, paddleboarding, discussing Asian representation in media, and reclaiming and wearing Korean traditional dress (hanbok).

Elizabeth is an intern placed at U.S. House Representative Pramila Jayapal’s office.

Liam Tanglao

Liam Tanglao (he/him), is a sophomore at Amherst College studying a B.A. in Economics. He grew up as a low income immigrant from the Philippines, and is interested in how economics can be used to shape government policies and programs.

On campus, Liam is the chair of the Amherst Asian Students Association, where he coordinates events to bring AAPI students on campus together. He enjoys events ranging from facilitating discussions and holding spaces for conversations regarding Asian identity, to holding large cultural celebrations that bring students together around Asian food, games, and traditions. This past summer, he interned at Amherst Community Connections where he helped individuals in the Pioneer Valley find employment and housing. He is interested in helping solve the housing crisis, especially as it relates to AAPI communities, one of the most vulnerable communities that face housing insecurity.

Outside of work, he enjoys playing the cello and piano, and listening to Filipino music!

Liam is a Chief of Staff and Staff Success Intern placed at APIA Scholars.

Jack Trowbridge

Jack (he/him) is a rising third-year student at Wesleyan University pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Government (concentrated in American Politics) and the College of East Asian Studies (concentrated in Political Economy). He was raised in Irvine, California and comes from a Filipino/biracial background. He has lived in Manhattan for the last ten years with his parents.

Jack is interested in many professional sectors that advance democracy and the public good, including policy advocacy, activism, and education. His most meaningful professional experience has been as an Information Technology Assistant at Leaders in Our Neighborhood charter school in New York City’s South Bronx, where he assisted with computer repairs, office organization, planning for summer school, and addressing support requests from staff and students. At Wesleyan University, he engineers sound for concerts, dance shows, comedy showcases, and more with the Wesleyan Sound Co-operative and also leads review sessions as an Economics 101 Course Assistant. His work in the classroom and with the Wesleyan Media Project’s DELTA Lab has largely examined political communication, such as government propaganda and election campaigning. Jack has been learning Mandarin Chinese since his first semester at Wesleyan, and he hopes to study abroad in a Chinese-speaking region in 2024.

In his spare time, Jack loves to analyze film and television shows and play drums in rock bands with his friends.

Jack is a Development Intern placed at OCA National Center through The Fund for American Studies - Academic Internship Program.

Vinze Joshua Valeza

Joshua Valeza (He/Him) is a rising junior at New York University studying Economics and Mathematics. Joshua is a Filipino-American who was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the US when he was just a child. Every since Joshua was a child, he dreamed of becoming a math elementary school teacher. However, growing up in Baltimore, Josh found himself in the epicenter of major issues from poverty, political corruption, and racial injustice. With this environment, Josh found himself enthralled in social justice issues, especially addressing racial disparities.

At New York University, Joshua is very involved. Joshua writes for the Economics Review at NYU as well as the Undergraduate Law Review at NYU. For him, this is an outlet to write about political and economic issues that he’s very passionate about, from writing about how the CFA Franc is a tool of imperialism to the legal implications of Trump’s 21 Tobacco bill. Joshua is also very passionate about his Filipino heritage, being an Executive Board member for the International Filipino Association at NYU.

Previously, Joshua had worked for organizations like the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union, OpenSecrets, the Urban Justice Center, and other organizations. Joshua also currently works as a paralegal for the Migrant Center at St. Francis of Assisi.

Joshua is an Office of Public Engagement Intern placed at the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor.

Madison Xiao

Madison Xiao (they/she/he) is a current student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in Political Science and pursuing certificates in History and Political Economy, Philosophy and Politics (PEPP). Madison was born and raised in Wisconsin to a family of Chinese immigrants and grew up straddling multiple identities. As a staunch believer in interdisciplinary education and historical materialism, Madison studies the intersections between economics, history and politics, specifically interested in how they interact with and inform sexuality and culture.

On campus, Madison is an active member of UW-Madison’s APIDA Heritage Month Committee, working within the Social Justice & Education Subcommittee to plan and organize events that center around AAPI issues and experiences. Through the APIDA Student Center, Madison hopes to strengthen the solidarity between all of UW-Madison’s multicultural organizations and create a community where BIPOC students can flourish.

Outside of the classroom, Madison enjoys scrolling through Letterboxd for movie recommendations, watching hour long video essays and cooking new food to share with friends and family. They are looking forward to forging new friendships and communities this summer with other AAPI’s that share a passion for education and AAPI advocacy in any form.

Madison is a Communications Intern placed at OCA National Center.

Gaomomee Yang

Gaomomee Yang (she/her) is a first-generation Hmong-American from Conover, NC. Daughter to immigrants, she is the second youngest child of seven. Despite being part of such a large family she was lucky to be raised not only by and with her immediate family, but her extended relatives as well. This was Gaomomee’s first sense of a community and explains her passion for community building. Additionally, growing up in a rural and predominantly white county she often provided translations for her parents due to the language barrier present. Noticing this accessibility issue has increased her interest in language accessibility advocacy – specifically in the healthcare industry where she hopes to find herself after college

As a rising fourth-year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) pursuing a major in Biology and a minor in Medical Anthropology, she has been heavily involved with the Asian American community. The summer before entering UNC, she took part in North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) first intern cohort. There she participated in civil advocacy for Asian Americans issues and created a personal project amplifying Asian American writers in the South. Throughout her time at UNC Gaomomee has been a part of the Asian American Students Association (AASA), the Hmong Student Association of Carolina (HSAC), Asian American Center (AAC), Asian Health Advocacy Alliance (AHAA), and the Campus Y’s First Year Council. Gaomomee has been on the executive board of AASA since her first year at UNC. The organization has played a critical role in her undergraduate career by connecting her with like-minded peers interested in Asian American advocacy and community building, and expanding her viewpoints and beliefs. She served as a First Year Representative, Special Events Chair, and is currently one of the Cultural Chairs. With her Co-Cultural Chair, she worked to plan an Asian cultural showcase for Asian identifying students on campus to come together and express their creativity by sharing their culture with the UNC community through dance, songs, and spoken word. Performances ranged from East, South, and Southeast Asian cultures and garnered over 600 attendees. While AASA helped Gaomomee connect with Asian American peers, Gaomomee joined HSAC to get closer with her Hmong identity and culture. She is the Treasurer of HSAC and budgets for the organization to properly host fun and engaging programs educating others about Hmong heritage. Finally, Gaomomee is involved in Greek life at UNC, as a Sxster of the Alpha Eta Chapter of Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. – an Asian interest not Asian exclusive sorority under the Multicultural Greek Council. She joined because of the three pillars – Sisterhood, Service, and Cultural Diversity – which deeply resonated with her and the

individuals in the organization who worked to foster a community not only within themselves but outside of it as well. Through her participation in so many different organizations, Gaomomee has been privileged to explore her intersectional identity as a first-generation Asian American woman and uses such experiences to further discover other interests and passions.

Outside of home life and school aspects, Gaomomee enjoys her newly picked up hobby of crocheting, exploring new cuisine in the Research Triangle, baking and cooking, online shopping, spending time with her golden retriever, and consuming media through online streaming services.

Gaomomee is a COVID-19 Response Summer Intern placed at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF).

Amanda Young

Amanda Young (she/her) is a rising junior at Washington University in St. Louis. She is double majoring in History and Educational Studies and minoring in American Culture Studies with a concentration in Race and Ethnicity. Amanda was born in Dayton, Ohio and grew up in Lafayette, California. With parents from Hawai‘i and Singapore, she identifies as a fourth-generation Chinese American on her father’s side and second-generation Chinese American on her mother’s side.

At WashU, Amanda serves as Social Justice Chair for the Asian Multicultural Council, where she organizes speaker panels, educational events, and workshops. She also helps coordinate discussions with Asians Demanding Justice, performs with the Tinikling dance group, writes for the student newspaper, and conducts research on the history and education of Chinese Americans in the Jim Crow South, inspired by her family’s experience. In addition, Amanda works as an intern in the University Marketing & Communications department and a tour guide and interviewer for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Previously, Amanda served as an intern for the Stop AAPI Hate Youth Campaign, where she interviewed AAPI youth about their experiences with COVID-19-related racism, contributed to policy reports, developed workshops, and designed social media graphics. She is passionate about educational equity, racial justice, and civil rights and Asian American history. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and baking, hiking, visiting museums, doing yoga, working on her blog, watching college gymnastics, and searching for the best vegan almond croissants.

Amanda is an intern placed at the 1882 Foundation.

 2022 Fall Interns

Melinda Samaratunga

Melinda Samaratunga (she/her) serves as a Policy Intern at OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates. In this capacity, she supports OCA’s policy, strategy, and campaign work to advance organizational goals. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota into a family of Sri Lankan immigrants, she is dedicated to magnifying AAPI voices in a multifaceted manner. Melinda is passionate about empowering the AAPI diaspora with regards to immigration policy, gender equality, and civic engagement.

Prior to joining OCA, Melinda attended and graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University. She completed a major in Political Science and a minor in English. On campus, Melinda was the President of CU Sur, Columbia University’s premier South Asian fusion a cappella group, and was also a Writing Fellow at the Barnard Writing Center. In 2021, she was placed at the US Environmental Protection Agency through OCA’s 2021 summer internship program. She cherished her college experience in New York City, where she strengthened her own cultural roots in addition to learning about other diverse cultures.  

In her free time, Melinda loves reading, singing, learning languages, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.

Melinda is a Policy Intern at OCA National Center.

 2022 Spring Interns

Buna Poeng

Buna Poeng (he/him/his) is a senior at UCLA majoring in Psychology with a minor in Asian American Studies. Born in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, CA and raised in East Oakland, CA, he comes from a family of Cambodian refugees. 

At UCLA, Buna was an intern at UCLA's Southeast Asian Campus Learning and Retention (SEA CLEAR) helping the organizatio’s college retention efforts. He was also part of the first ever annual Southeast Asian Students for OrgaNizing (SEASON) conference that brings together Southeast Asian students from around the country together at UCLA to attend workshops and bond with one another. Currently, Buna is the President of the United Khmer Students at UCLA where he and his staff put on programming aimed at Cambodian American college students and allies such as Cambodian Genocide Remembrance Day. He has also been involved in various outreach projects such as the Higher Opportunity Program for Education (HOPE) and Khmer Outreach Retention and Education (KORE). Buna hopes to use all of these experiences to guide his future endeavors of becoming an educator back home in Oakland, CA. 

During his free time, Buna enjoys playing and watching basketball, going on hikes, exploring big cities, and watching cooking videos (despite never attempting to cook them).

Buna is a K-12 AANHPI Curriculum Development Intern at OCA National Center.

2021 Summer Interns

Hunter Akiyoshi

Hunter Akiyoshi (he/him) was raised in Downers Grove, IL in a Japanese-Ukrainian/Rusyn American family. He is a junior undergraduate student at North Central College in Naperville, IL majoring in Global Studies with a focus in ethnic & minority policy. He chose to major in Global studies due to his deep interest in culture, history, and politics.

In December 2020, Hunter graduated with his Associate of Arts degree from the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL. At the College of DuPage his studies were focused on International Relations. As the world becomes increasingly globalized, it’s vital to study the interconnectedness between our planets many cultures and the issues that face them. At the College of DuPage, he worked as a writing, reading, and speech tutor where he communicated and collaborated with a diverse group of students and staff. He’s grateful for the cross-cultural communication skills, which are essential for my major, that he developed while working in the writing, reading, and speech assistance center, specifically from working with our non-native English students. His active memberships in the Japanese American Association, Carpatho-Rusyn Society, and United Nations Association help him advocate for oppressed ethnic & religious groups worldwide.

During his free time Hunter enjoys traveling, exploring nature, and interacting with different cultural groups in the Chicagoland area. On campus he is a member of Asian student Konnection (ASK), Japan club, international club, and Phi Thatta Kappa Honor’s society. Through these organizations he has gained critical leadership and communication skills that strengthen his ability to be an active and positive team member. He is looking forward to studying abroad in Berlin, Germany for the Spring 2022 semester. After undergrad, he’d like to go abroad and obtain his graduate degree in ethnic and minority policy from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary.

Hunter is a Policy and Programs Intern at the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL).

Zeta Atoigue

Zeta Atoigue (she/her) is a rising junior attending the College of William and Mary. She is majoring in Asian Pacific Islander American Studies with hopes to minor in Gender Studies. She was born in Agana Heights, Guam and later moved to the United States at the age of 5. Moving from the small village of Talofofo, her background has been pivotal in fostering my passion of learning and understanding AAPI history.

This year, Zeta has been given the role as one of the culture chairs in the Filipino American Student Association, a cultural club on campus that promotes the understanding and appreciation of Filipino-American history and culture. Through her role as culture chair, she has been able to hold events such as Isang Kuwento, meaning “one story”, that encourages new and current members to share their experiences as Filipino-Americans through different art forms. In addition, she and her co-chairs have worked hard to produce and direct their cultural play called Kamariitan which explores different themes of the Filipino/Filipino-American experience. She has also been involved with the Arts & Hatsuye magazine which is a cultivation of stories that highlight the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on and off campus.

Overall, Zeta is interested in poetry, learning more about AAPI issues beyond the scope of her college courses, binge-watching Supernatural, and meeting new people who are involved in this program!

Zeta is a Chapter and Membership Development Intern at OCA National Center.

Alfred Barrion

Alfred Barrion (he/him) is a rising third-year traditional student at UCLA majoring in Psychobiology and minoring in Asian American Studies. Born in Chula Vista, Alfred was raised by first-generation Filipino American parents in a diverse and vibrant community. He is passionate about advancing educational equity among AAPI students, interethnic solidarity, health equity, and dismantling systemic barriers for BIPOC students.

On campus at UCLA, Alfred is a Peer Advisor for Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community Empowerment, an organization that helps underserved students reach their postsecondary goals and empowers them to be critically and culturally conscious members of society. He enjoys watching his students follow their aspirations and different pathways in every session that he has. Outside of UCLA, Alfred is a Research Intern with the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and works closely with the National Filipinx/a/o COVID-19 Response Team in order to address important health inequities that have been magnified due to the pandemic. In this position, Alfred worked as a part of a comprehensive health survey made by FilipinxAmericans, for Filipinx-Americans.

Alfred hopes to work together with members from diverse communities in order to advance AAPI issues and awareness. When he is not working on peer advising or health research, Alfred loves to cook and bake in his free time. While it is unknown if Alfred is the next Julia Child or Barefoot Contessa, he knows that he definitely wants to work in health policy in the future.

Alfred is an intern at the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA).

Resty Fufunan

Resty Fufunan (he/him) is a first-year student at Yale University double majoring in Statistics & Data Science and Ethnicity, Race, & Migration. Having grown up in Chicago, he was fortunate to have access to thriving authentic Asian communities, and much of his work is dedicated to cultivating spaces that allow young adults to explore and interrogate their identities. Resty’s past and present projects include organizing anti-displacement efforts in Chinatown, researching identity formations in ethnic enclaves, combating the school-to-prison pipeline within public schools, and investigating queerness in Asian cultures—particularly within early Filipino societies.

At Yale, Resty serves as a First-Year Coordinator for the Asian American Cultural Center, which helps support over 50 affiliate Asian-interest groups in creating events for the wider community. In addition to curating virtual programming for his peers, he is also helping to digitize the Center’s archives in preparation for its 40th Anniversary. Resty also serves as Social Chair for KASAMA: the Filipinx Club at Yale and Political Chair for the Asian American Student Alliance, a student organization that seeks to build political consciousness and foster intercultural solidarity. After college, Resty aspires to become a lawyer to defend the rights of migrants and help preserve longstanding cultural neighborhoods within cities.

In his free time, you can catch Resty dancing with his cultural groups, running down Chicago’s lakefront, or collecting new earrings. He also loves exploring neighborhoods and has a particular fondness for riding the train with his friends!

Resty is a Policy Intern placed at OCA National Center through the US-Asia Institute IMPACT! Program.

Rosario Joaquin

Rosario Joaquin (she/her) is a fourth-year student at New York University with majors in Politics and Asian/Pacific/American Studies. Born in Manila, Philippines, Rosario and her family moved to Oahu, Hawai’i when she was six years old. Her experiences as a first-generation immigrant shapes her passion for social justice and the political mobilization of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. During her time at NYU, Rosario sharpened her skills as a leader and a storyteller. She organized and moderated interviews with foreign diplomats through the United Nations Initiative, a student-run platform on foreign policy. In 2019, she joined the Asian/Pacific/American Institute and was later promoted to Senior Public Programs Assistant. Rosario leads the Institute’s social media strategy and assists with developing events that uplift the art, history and scholarship of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Rosario is also a devoted peer mentor. As a Resident Assistant (RA), she curates academic and service-learning programs for the “Inequality and Justice'' themed engagement community, encouraging firstyear students to understand and challenge forms of structural inequality in New York City.

As COVID-19 swept the globe in 2020, Rosario grieved its losses with her Filipino-American community, many of whom worked in healthcare. Through the A/P/A Voices: A COVID-19 Public Memory Project, Rosario began to conduct virtual oral history interviews with nurses, organizers, and other Filipino-American on the front lines. Her research culminated in a senior thesis project examining the legacies of U.S. colonialism in the Philippines, Filipino nurse migration, and networks of care and mutual aid within immigrant communities in times of crisis and uncertainty. She continues interviewing and will present her work at the Association for Asian American Studies Conference in April 2021. Rosario enjoys baking and photography in her free time and has future plans to attend law school.

Rosario is a Communications Intern at OCA National Center.

Rukmini Kalamangalam

Rukmini Kalamangalam (she/her) is a South Asian American student and poet from Houston, Texas, currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a junior at Emory University, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and English-Creative Writing. She currently works at Raksha, Inc, a Georgia-based non-profit that provides direct services to South Asian domestic violence survivors. Raksha aims to eradicate domestic violence in the South Asian American community. Determined to create equity as a condition for a better future, Kalamangalam is active in organizing for racial justice. In her work as a Writing Center consultant at Emory, she has contributed to building a more equitable and welcoming experience for students of color, and been designated an English Language Learner specialist. She is currently working on a research project with Dr. Florian Pohl, where she interviews Muslim Atlanta community members about their experiences with mosque construction. Outside of her academic pursuits, she is an active poet and performer, with most recent work being published in Luncticket, SAND magazine, and Jet Fuel Review, among others. She was previously the Houston Youth Poet Laureate and a finalist for National Youth Poet Laureate. A proud Texan and resident of the deep South, she is interested in how people of color from the South build community through art.

Rukmini is a Programs Intern at OCA National Center.

Thavry Khun

Thavry Khun (she/her) is a 2nd Generation Cambodian American student at California State University, East Bay majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Technology Management and minoring in Political Science. Her family members are refugees from Cambodia, having escaped the atrocities of war to make a new beginning for themselves and their children in the United States. Being told of the traumatic events that led to their exile, those stories have always been the source of Thavry’s strength and limitless work ethic.

Since their resettling in the United States, Thavry’s family have sacrificed their leisure, comfort, and health so that the younger generations never came close to experiencing their past sufferings. She is the product of this courageous group of people and strives to break intergenerational trauma and improve the refugee experience.

On campus, Thavry was the President of the Asian Pacific Islander Club (APIC) from 2020 - 2021. APIC focuses on raising awareness for social justice issues that affect the AAPI community and actively works to build solidarity with other multicultural clubs. During the same academic year, Thavry was the Socio-Cultural Programming Advocate for the Transfer Asian Pacific American Student Success Program (Transfer-APASS). Organizing events, mentoring students, and directing them to essential campus resources, Thavry provides aid to transfer students so they might find success both in academics and in their own personal lives.

Outside of academia, Thavry is an Operations and Administration committee member for People’s Collective for Justice and Liberation. She helps organize town halls hosted by the collective where information is made accessible for public consumption so that the organization as a whole can help build cross-racial, transformative solidarity between various communities.

In her free time, Thavry loves to play board games with friends and family, hiking along the California Coastal region, and practicing Khmer communications.

Thavry is an Online Strategy Intern at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

Damon Ngo

Damon Ngo (he/they) is a graduating senior at the University of Utah. He is currently double majoring in Marketing and Political Science. Born to two Vietnamese refugees, he was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. Spending a lot of his life carving out space and finding an identity for himself in a predominantly white community, he has grown a passion for helping others do the same. Finding pride in standing out, he has tried to be a champion for racial justice and equal representation for all marginalized communities.

As a student, Damon served as the Senate Chair and Assembly Treasurer of the Associated Students of the University of Utah, working toward creating a safer campus community amongst much controversy surrounding the lack of measures accommodating students of color and women. Additionally, he oversaw the distribution of $260,000 to hundreds of student organizations. Pursuing a love for sports he also worked as the Marketing Chair and President of The Might Utah Student Section, or The MUSS. Improvement of diversity in gender and race was a priority for him. His passion for sports also led to his work with K-Ute Radio, reviving a podcast with his roommate. In the community, he worked with the Salt Lake County on opening new resource centers to serve those experiencing houselessness, as well as assisting small business in applying for federal COVID-19 relief grants.

Damon looks forward to the opportunity to work with like-minded individuals who look to make a positive impact in their communities and in the world. He hopes to make life-long connections and to bond over commonalities, such as hobbies in sports or music, or over a shared passion for civic engagement. He likes to keep an open mind and hopes to learn just as much from his internship as his peers.

Damon is a Political and Organizing Intern at the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

Khang Nguyen

Khang Nguyen (he/him) identifies as a first-generation Vietnamese-American Immigrant. He is a rising third-year student at the University of Washington, where he majors in political science and international studies. He is passionate about increasing civic education to combat the model minority myth, advancing public policy that elevates the immigrant and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, and building and maintaining the political pipeline for AAPI representation at all levels of government.

On campus, Khang is a member of the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA). He is a frequent participant of VSA's political corners where they discuss relatable political issues stemming from different politico-economic structures to discussing politics in the Vietnamese community. Off campus, he served as the volunteer manager for Cynthia Delostrinos' Tukwila City Council campaign (elected as the first AAPI Woman), interned for the Tukwila Fire Department, and served as a Fuse Washington Fellow where he helped contact 200,000 voters through GOTV events to win key races. Additionally, Khang is currently the Secretary and Chair of the Civic Engagement Committee for the Vietnamese-American Community of Seattle and Snohomish King County. Along with other board members, Khang identifies strategies and organizes community events to uplift and preserve the Vietnamese American cultural heritage through civic engagement, cultural promotion, and intergenerational healing. Last January, he coorganized the first Vietnamese-American Legislative Day in Washington State, lobbied legislators to advance his community's legislative priorities, and secured a state-wide proclamation from Governor Jay Inslee. Recently, he coordinated and managed COVID-19 relief projects that served 375 struggling families.

This summer, Khang is eager to learn and engage in national politics alongside his incredibly talented cohort! While the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed our global landscape, it is now more important than ever to increase our civic engagement to advocate for equitable public policies and protect our AAPI communities.

Khang is a Community Outreach Intern at the Washington, D.C. Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA).

Arnav Patra

Arnav Patra (he/him) is a rising sophomore at Tufts University where he is studying Economics. He grew up the child of Indian immigrants, in Buffalo, New York before going to high school in the DC Area.

He is passionate about inclusivity in Asian American spaces, as well as understanding the disparate issues affecting the broader AAPI community and increasing awareness and involvement of Asian Americans with efforts for social change in Asia.

In 2018, Arnav interned in the office of his hometown congressman, Brian Higgins (NY-26), and worked on projects to improve constituent communications and services as well as initiated a greater analysis of federal investment in the district. He has served as a national-level volunteer for the North South Foundation, coordinating academic competitions to fund scholarships for underprivileged students in India. He has also conducted research at the University of Maryland, where he studied the information needs of small businesses, especially minority-owned ones.

On campus, Arnav works at the Tufts Asian American Center as an intern, where he has the ability to innovate efforts for inclusion and social good for the pandemic and help ensure first-year students of all Asian backgrounds can find their place on campus. He is also involved in 180 Degrees Consulting, a student group that helps consult for nonprofits and social impact ventures where he is currently consulting with the College Scholarship Application, a platform for students to discover and easily apply to scholarship opportunities. Arnav is passionate about inclusion, equality, and student leadership. He hopes as an OCA intern, he can help AAPIs find solidarity in difficult times and connect with the diverse OCA community.

In his free time, Arnav can be found reading, following the news, or exploring Boston.

Arnav is a Government Affairs Intern at T-Mobile.

Nabila Prasetiawan

Nabila Prasetiawan (she/her) is a rising Senior at the University of Maryland double majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and Women’s Studies with a minor in Asian American Studies. She is originally from Frederick, Maryland but is a proud daughter of two Indonesian immigrants. Nabila is interested in the intersection of justice, equity, race, and gender. She hopes to pursue a career in civil and human rights to continue advocating for marginalized communities and survivors of violence.

On-campus, Nabila is the Student Body Vice President. In her role, she represents over 30,000 students and has led initiatives in the creation of an Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Caucus, a Land Acknowledgement for the university, and a Police Advisory Committee which attacks systematic issues and rethinks community policing. Her love of public service, equity, and inclusion motivate her to do the work in campus advocacy. Nabila also serves as the Vice President of External Affairs for the Asian American Student Union and as the Lectures Director at Student Entertainment Events. In the Fall of 2020, Nabila worked with APIAVote (Asian Pacific Islander Vote) to increase the Asian voter turnout and hosted a campus-wide GOTV effort. Through Student Entertainment Events, Nabila hosts events for the campus. In her Freshman year, Nabila programmed a Drag Show with over 600 attendees and actively hosted diverse and educated women of color. Nabila also served as a Teaching Assistant for Federal Fellows and a CIVICUS Living-Learning Program.

She is excited about the opportunity to meet and work with other passionate and inspiring AAPI leaders. In Nabila’s free time, she’s most likely eating CAVA, playing Animal Crossing, or taking a workout class at her school’s fitness center.

Nabila is an intern at the U.S. Department of State.

Shahbano Rao

Shahbano Rao (she/her) is a rising senior at Mount Holyoke College studying Political Science and Sociology. She aspires to go to law school to become a public defender to serve those who are marginalized in her community. She was born in Pakistan but was raised in Connecticut. In her free time, Shahbano loves to try new food at local businesses, work out and listen to true crime podcasts.

Shahbano is passionate about ensuring that all individuals get equal opportunities in their educational endeavors and wants to work on eliminating barriers that minority students face in the educational system. This past spring, Shahbano served as a Policy Intern at OCA where she worked on the initiative to get AAPI history curriculums into classrooms. Last summer she was a Project Assistant at United Way where she received an opportunity to collaborate on an asset mapping project. She immediately took initiative to research educational resources and policies that could improve the quality of education for communities across Connecticut. She is extremely interested in understanding the different systemic barriers that affect the quality of education individuals receive. As the daughter of two immigrants, she wants to heighten the voices of the immigrant community and ensure that their concerns and needs are addressed. She hopes to continue this work by helping individuals from vulnerable communities understand the resources that are available to them.

On campus, Shahbano is actively involved in Kuch Karo: Pakistani Students for a Change to promote the visibility of Pakistani students on campus. Additionally, she is the community liaison of Mount Holyoke’s Pre-Law association and works to foster connections between prelaw students.

Shahbano looks forward to growing and learning in her new position this summer.

Shahbano is a Coalition for Community Schools Intern at the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL).

Melinda Samaratunga

Melinda Samaratunga (she/her) is a rising senior at Barnard College of Columbia University. She is majoring in Political Science and minoring in English. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she is the daughter of Sri Lankan immigrants. Melinda is passionate about empowering the AAPI diaspora with regards to immigration policy, gender equality, and civic engagement. She hopes to pursue a career in law to advocate for underrepresented minorities.

At Barnard, Melinda is President of CU Sur, Columbia University’s premier South Asian fusion a cappella group. She organizes events at which Sur performs music from around the world, including Bollywood, Spanish, and American pop songs, and fosters cultural curiosity through music. Melinda is also a Writing Fellow at the Barnard Writing Center, where she aims to preserve culture and dialect within academic writing. Additionally, Melinda is Chair of Barnard’s Honor Board. Through conducting hearings and promoting academic integrity on campus, she works to empower and support all members of the community. Off campus, Melinda chairs the Web and Technology team of the organization MN COVIDSitters, where she engages in website upkeep and data collection and organization. This position has allowed Melinda to link research skills to her commitment to serving those in need of support, namely frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This summer, Melinda is looking forward to engaging with others who are dedicated to AAPI advocacy and learning important new skills. She is excited to meet her fellow interns, though virtually, and learn more about their diverse cultures and perspectives! In her free time, Melinda loves reading, singing, learning Mandarin, and travelling (pre- and post-COVID-19).

Melinda is a Water Policy Analyst Intern at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water (OW).

Fine Tuitupou

Fine Tuitupou (she/her) is a rising sophomore at El Camino Community College. She is currently majoring in Ethnic Studies and is interested in double majoring when she transfers. Raised in Los Angeles, California in low-income ethnic minority communities, by two Tongan immigrant parents, she is passionate about increasing enrollment and retention of Pacific Islanders in higher education, racial equity, and sustainability.

On campus, Fine is the Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion of the Associated Student Organization. She is also the co-chair for the Student Equity Advisory Council and advocates and plans events that help educate the community on issues such as housing, mental health, and voting. Recently she was able to help advocate and obtain space for a Social Justice Center that would be a collective space for underrepresented groups to address the inequities on campus and in the community. She is a Student Ambassador for the office of Outreach and School relations and helps high school students from similar neighborhoods she grew up in enroll in college. She is also part of several campus committees such as the President’s Advisory Council and is determined to have a Pacific Islander representative to voice concerns of the Pacific Islander community on campus.

This summer, she is looking forward to meeting individuals who are passionate about issues in the AAPI community. She is also excited for learning more about how she can actively support and advocate for the AAPI community.

In her free time, she likes reading, playing and watching rugby, and watching Korean Dramas.

Fine is an intern at Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote).

Kenneth Vaca

Kenneth Vaca (he/him) is a fourth-year student at the University of Houston. He is majoring in Supply Chain Management and minoring in marketing. Born in California and raised in Texas, Kenneth is of Chinese and Mexican descent. He is passionate about improving access to metal health resources and music.

On campus, Kenneth has served on leadership for a campus ministry called Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. There, he learned about the intersections of faith, ethnicity, and justice, and he grew an interest in social justice. While on leadership he has helped to organize community events and programs to teach these things as well. In the summer of 2020, Kenneth took part in a faith and justice-oriented program where he was educated on justice issues relating to immigration between Mexico and the US. He was also connected with Redeemer Community Partnership and served as an intern to help virtually tutor K-6 children from under resourced neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California. Because of these experiences and relationships with others, Kenneth has grown an interest in learning more about AAPI issues and increasing AAPI representation in activism.

In his spare time Kenneth enjoys running, searching the depths of Spotify for cool new artists, and eating peanut butter.

Kenneth is a Summer Intern at the 1882 Foundation.

2020 Fall Interns

Cassidy Cruz

Cassidy Cruz is a recent graduate from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies - Political Science. He was born in Torrance, California to first-generation Filipino immigrants, where they later relocated to Sacramento, California. Cassidy is passionate about Asian American issues and representation in the political system in the United States and strives to help establish a platform to empower and engage Asian American and Pacific Islander within the process that impacts their community, both on the local and national level.

Cassidy spent his first year of college studying Journalism at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines where he was able to reconnect with his roots and become invested in the issues rooted in the Filipino-American and overall Asian-American diaspora. Afterwards, he relocated back to Sacramento City College to pursue a degree in International Studies. While at Sacramento City College, Cassidy became a founding member of the campus’ Model United Nations chapter and President of the Korean Culture Club. He later attended the University of California, San Diego pursuing a degree in International Studies- Political Science. During his time at UCSD, Cassidy became a founding member of the organization Tritons for Human Rights as well as the Internal/External Coordinator for his dance team, Alter Ego. After graduation, Cassidy later relocated to Washington, DC after obtaining an internship with the Political Violence Lab, where he worked as a Research Analyst focusing on Middle Eastern policy.

This summer, Cassidy is excited to work with the OCA National to further learn and engage with public policy that can help empower AAPI involvement and inclusion as he prepares to apply for law school next year.

In his free time, Cassidy enjoys dancing and creating choreography, reading novels on urban planning and racial injustices, meditating, and jogging.

Cassidy is a Policy Intern at OCA National Center.

Karen Im

Karen Im is a fourth-year student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She is majoring in English and aspires to attend law school in the near future. As someone a love for literature, she is interested in studying and engaging with the tangible structures of power that she reads about in different stories. 

Born and raised in New York, Karen loves to explore new places and fun activities, both on the West Coast and East Coast. She enjoys blogging, looking for new music on Spotify, and visiting new food spots with friends in her free time.

On campus, she is actively engaged as a journalist on the Daily Bruin and has served as the Director of Recruitment and Director of Membership for Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International. She is passionate about digital media and journalism and the harnessing of these platforms to drive positive and informative change in society.

Karen is particularly interested in the topics of educational equity within the AAPI community and its representation in media and professional spaces. She is excited to work on the Development Team and meet like-minded individuals this Fall who are similarly working towards the mission of advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of AAPIs. 

Karen is a Development Intern at OCA National Center.

Mendy Kong

Mendy Kong is a sophomore at the University of Southern California, where she is studying Political Science and Digital Studies. She was born and raised by Taishanese-Hong Kong immigrant parents in the unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires Nations and other Indigenous nations, also known as Chicago, Illinois. Mendy is passionate about racial justice and visual art and hopes to be able to empower and engage AAPI using both.

Mendy began her first year as a James Scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. There, she served as the Communications Chair for the Association of Minorities in Political Science. She also nurtured her love of art as an editor for on-campus literary art magazines and a member of the Asian American Association's graphic design committee. Currently, she is assisting professors on two research projects, one being the "Improving and Integrating Global Diversity Estimates Using Transparent Methods” project, which seeks to clarify global diversity statistics; and the other on American perceptions of citizenship.  

As an intern, Mendy is excited to learn more about AAPI advocacy and to utilize art as a tool for those ends.  In her free time, she relishes in lying down, kneading dough for pineapple buns, (poorly) altering clothes, and vibing to very cool indie music from all over the world.

Mendy is a Communications Intern at OCA National Center.

Amber Nguyen

Amber Nguyen is a junior studying English, Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST), and Performing Arts at Georgetown University. A daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Amber grew up in Houston, Texas before attending high school in New Jersey. While immersed in a diverse, well-rounded liberal arts education, Amber became interested in immigration policy, racial justice, women’s movements, and civic engagement. Since then, Amber has nurtured her interests through her coursework, extracurriculars, and internships.

Despite the absence of an Asian American Studies program at Georgetown, Amber continues to explore an academic, social, and political understanding of what it means to be Asian American both inside and outside the classroom. For example, she currently serves as the Internal Vice President of the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) to promote awareness of Vietnamese-American culture. Amber also worked as a policy intern with Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC during the Spring 2020 semester. This summer, Amber served as a programs intern with OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, where she helped organize OCA and CAPAW’s AAPI Womxn’s Conference; facilitated workshops on power and privilege for the Youth Advocacy Summit; and lobbied on the Hill during intern Advocacy Day.

This fall, Amber looks forward to empowering the AAPI community to fill out the 2020 Census and vote in the presidential election. In her free time, Amber can be found dancing, baking, editing zine submissions, and playing with her dog.

Amber is a Civic Engagement Intern at OCA National Center.

Nina Linh Nguyen

Nina Linh Nguyen is a freshman at the University of Southern California, studying global health in the Keck School of Medicine program. Born and raised in San Jose, California, Nina is a Vietnamese American interested in learning more about immigrant rights and health disparities within low-income communities of color. Her goal is to work with underserved populations to increase access to reliable health care, and bridge long-standing systemic health and social inequities through sustainable solutions/policies.

In her local community, Nina serves as a Stanford Allcove youth advisor, supporting the initiation of the nation’s first youth-integrated mental health clinics in San Jose and Palo Alto. Through her work with Allcove, she has fostered spaces of visibility and mental health support for young people. Nina is an immigrant rights fellow at SIREN: Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network, assisting with immigration clinic paperwork and encouraging people of color, immigrants and refugees, and young people to vote in the upcoming presidential election and complete the 2020 Census. Through her advocacy as the East Side Union High School Student Governing Board President, she has increased awareness for racial injustice and sexual harassment in her school district, working with members of her community to propose solutions.

On campus, Nina is a part of the QuestBridge Scholars Network -- a national community that promotes civic engagement on campus and empowers first-generation college students on their path to higher education. She hopes to further connect with fellow Trojans who are interested in public health, international relations, and AAPI culture & history.

In her free time, Nina enjoys listening to rap and R&B at the beach, or journaling at her favorite viewpoint. This fall, she is looking forward to her first time voting in the presidential election.

Nina is a Professional Programs Intern at OCA National Center.

Andrew Peng

Andrew Peng is entering his fourth year at Rutgers University—New Brunswick, where he currently studies political science, strategic public communication, and entrepreneurship. A San Diego, California native, he is passionate about amplifying AAPI voices and improving the public engagement capabilities of the federal government, nonprofits, and civic organizations. He is particularly interested in understanding the evolving relationships between tech companies, voters, and policymakers.

In 2018, Andrew served as an intern at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology, where he created materials for a convening with the Secretary of Education at the National Academy of Sciences and documented a youth summit organized by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. A year later, Andrew completed digital and news monitoring projects for a major U.S. government agency as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Virtual Student Federal Service program before moving to the civil rights nonprofit Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC as a communications intern. This summer, Andrew was a Legislative Assistant at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he conducted research on broadband access and adoption.

On campus, Andrew is an active member of Rutgers’ Chinese and Taiwanese cultural organizations. He recently completed a communications internship at the Rutgers Office of Leadership and Experiential Learning and will spend his last year as Public Relations and Sponsorships Captain at the Mark Conference, one of the largest student-run leadership events in the country. Andrew is also the co-founder of The Yappie, a weekly newsletter that covers policy news and activism affecting AAPI communities. In his free time, Andrew enjoys tweeting, photography, and eating soup dumplings. 

Andrew is a Civic Engagement Communications Intern at OCA National Center.

Ania Ty

Ania Ty is a rising third year at the Oregon State University Honors College, double-majoring in Political Science & Public Policy and minoring in Ethnic Studies and Public Health. She was born in Bulacan, Philippines but has spent most of her life in Portland, Oregon enjoying the eclectic culture of the Pacific Northwest. She is passionate about advocating for undocumented immigrants (especially within the AAPI community), victims of environmental racism, colonized peoples, and communities disproportionately affected by climate change.

During her first year as a college student she discovered her interest in serving the AAPI community and served as the Co-President and Political Chair for Isang Bansang Pilipino. They are her university’s first and only Filipino American Student Association -- originally founded in 1918, it predates the Philippines’ independence and she is proud to continue its long legacy of education and engagement. She continues to empower her API communities in Oregon by serving as a leadership liaison at Oregon State´s Asian & Pacific Cultural Center.

As a Youth Programs Intern at OCA, she hopes to provide young API's with tools of empowerment, including political and cultural education, and create a space with a strong sense of community and compassion.

Ania is a Youth Programs Intern at OCA National Center.

2020 Spring Interns

Chloe Novillos

Chloe Novillos is a sophomore at The George Washington University, studying Political Science and International Affairs with a concentration in Asian Studies. She was proudly raised in San Francisco, CA. She is passionate about issues pertaining to immigration, public policy affecting people of color, and providing Asian Americans and API communities safe places.

On campus, she is apart of the Philippine Cultural Society. She helps plan Tandaan, an annual cultural performance highlighting Filipinx and Filipinx American tradition. In October 2019, she was selectively nominated to present her research at The George Washington University’s Annual University Research Convention. At the convention, she interpreted the special relationship of Filipinx first generations, immigrant parents, and food. She also shared with the audience her journey of navigating cultural gaps, internalized racism, and ultimately finding empowerment with her identity as an Asian American. At the end of the convention, she facilitated a discussion with undergraduates to help strengthen research skills.

This spring, she is very excited to work with the Policy Department of OCA National. She is excited to further her research and professional development that are in line with OCA’s policy platform, as well as meeting others who are interested in advancing justice.

In her free time, Chloe loves reading, writing, cooking, and listening to music. She also loves taking and developing film photos and spending quality time with her friends and family. 

Chloe is a Policy Intern at OCA National Center.

Emma Shainwald

Emma Shainwald is a Senior at William and Mary majoring in Asian Pacific Islander American Studies. She was adopted from Vladivostok, Russia and was raised in Princeton, New Jersey. She is very passionate about adoption politics and immigration. Her interest in immigration began after she interned for Safe Passage Project, an organization which assigned pro-bono lawyers to children seeking asylum. On campus, she is a member of the Asian American Student Initiative, an organization which advocates for APIA issues, and Undocutribe, an undo-centered immigrant rights organization. She is currently researching the application of data disaggregation in the college admissions process, with a focus on APIAs. Emma is excited to work with OCA and to learn more about the ins-and-outs of APIA advocacy in the DC area. Her other interests include sustainable fashion and sewing her own clothes. Emma also enjoys drinking different kinds of tea, and cooking, and practicing her Mandarin.

Emma is a Policy Intern at OCA National Center.

 2019 SUMMER INTERNS

ALEXANDER LÊ

Alexander Le is a recent graduate of the University of Houston, obtaining his Bachelor’s in Biomedical Sciences. He was born in Houston, Texas to refugees from Vietnam. His interests center on medicine and cultivating community wellness through addressing the social determinants of health.

During undergrad, he worked in a cardiac pharmacology lab studying the effects of altered gene expression on heart failure. As the President of his Circle K International chapter, he helped organize community service projects in collaboration with local nonprofits, and began an annual initiative around refugee and immigrant outreach. He also co-founded a group called Student Nation, hosting on-campus letter writing workshops and civic engagement panels.

This summer, Alex looks forward to learning more about the AAPI community's long history of social activism, embracing the intersections of his own identity, and trying out vegetarian food places.

In his free time, he enjoys singing, photography, and traveling through time and space with his TARDIS plushie.

Alex is a Health Policy Intern at the Hepatitis B Foundation.

ASHLEY RAJAVADEE

Ashley Rajavadee is a rising fourth year at the Ohio State University, studying Human Nutrition with specialization in Industry as well as a minor in Pharmaceutical Science. Born in Columbus, Ohio, her interests center on health and nutrition equity across the US in addition to increased representation of Southeast Asian Americans.

On campus, she is the outgoing coordinator of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) peer mentorship Cohort, Events chair of the Asian American Association, a member of the Vietnamese Student Association, and an Ohio State Stadium Scholar. She is also a past student ambassador for APIAVote.

This summer, Ashley looks forward to connecting with similar-minded individuals and developing her professional skills.

Even though she’s (very) lactose intolerant, her favorite drink is black milk tea.

Ashley is a Development Intern at OCA National Center.

CHEYENNE CHENG

Cheyenne Cheng is a fourth year student at the University of Florida studying Psychology. She was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, which is a small hub for Filipinx Americans. She is passionate about AAPI advocacy, community wellness, intersectional organizing, and oral history.

On campus, she serves as the Project Coordinator for the Asian American Oral History Project, which seeks to document the experiences of Asian Americans in the South. She has also served as the Advocacy Chair for the Asian American Student Union and has worked with various organizations on campus to bring free hygiene products to campus as well as the first disability advocacy assembly, a welcome event for incoming students with disabilities. She has also been a former APIAVote ambassador and currently serves as the Mobilization Coordinator for the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU).

This summer, Cheyenne looks forward to meeting new people as well as connect with friends within the AAPI advocacy community. She also looks forward to finding new pastry and coffee shops to visit. In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, journaling, and watching shows on Netflix.

Cheyenne is a Communications Intern at the OCA National Center.

DARREN DE LEON

Darren De Leon is a 4th year undergraduate studying at the University of California, Irvine. He studies Political Science with a minor in International Studies, with a particular emphasis on AAPI civic engagement. Born in Los Angeles, California to hardworking, immigrant Filipino parents, Darren is passionate about social justice and public policy.

At UCI, Darren has an extensive background in teaching and conducting research. Through Global Connect@UCI & Saturday Academy of Law, Darren teaches high-performing high school freshmen at Laguna Hills High School & around Orange County. Vis-a-vis research, Darren is completing his honors thesis via UCI’s Department of Political Science. His thesis analyzes the efficacy of ethnic club organizations in mobilizing and civically engaging members at both University College London & UCI.

Aside from learning new things at both OCA and APALA, Darren wants to check out different boba places on the East Coast and do a tasting scale. (Did we already say he loves boba?) In his free time, Darren naps, makes detailed travel itineraries for trips that end up getting cancelled, and being called “baby.”

Darren is an intern at the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA).

EMILY NG

Emily Ng is a rising fourth year at Pitzer College, studying Environmental Analysis (policy track) and Sociology with a minor in Spanish. Emily is passionate about the intersections between environmentalism and public health in the environmental justice/racism area. She is particularly passionate about air quality and environmental justice and on advocating for those disproportionately impacted by emissions from a nearby factory or highway due to race or income. She believes it is a right to breathe clean air, and wants to educate and inform POC/immigrant communities on the issues they are facing and how to mobilize.

On campus, she is a Fellow for the Robert Redford Conservancy of Southern California Sustainability, which organizes environmental events that not only focus on conservation/preservation, but also bring in the local low-income community and indigenous tribes to foster connections and mitigate environmental injustices. She has helped revived Environmentalists of Color, Organized (ECO) on campus which acts like an affinity group to build connections and support for those pursuing a career in a historically and predominantly white field, at a predominantly white institution. 

In her free time, Emily likes to make foods such as bread, dumplings, and green onion pancakes. She also likes to try new food places, hike, go to the beach, thrift shop, or just stay in for a long Netflix binge.

Emily is an intern at the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water Intern at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

JENNY V. HA

Jenny Ha is entering her second year at the University of Southern California studying Sociology with a minor in Law and Policy. Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, she is passionate about educational equity and immigration reform.

On campus, she was the Legislative Affairs Committee Chair and the youngest-serving member on the Norman Topping Student Aid Fund's Governing Board. The Topping Aid Fund is a student-led and student-funded scholarship and retention program created to support first-generation and/or low-income students. This year, she will be the Fund's Governing Board Chair and will be in charge of strategic planning and restructuring to develop the Fund's Guidelines. She was also a policy analyst for the Roosevelt Institute's USC Chapter and developed a policy proposal outlining the next steps USC should take to raise retention rates by creating more resources for first-generation and/or low-income students. She has also been the Programming Chair for her dorm and has served as a writing mentor at local Title-I high schools.

This summer she is excited to learn more about immigration reform because it has always been a touchy subject in her family. Additionally, She wants to learn about the logistics and functions of  non-profit work and explore the intersection between AAPI issues and educational equity to combat the model minority myth.

In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and watching romantic comedies. She also likes to take walks and enjoy fresh air, hoping to see some dogs on the way.

Jenny is a Policy Intern at the OCA National Center.

JESSICA YAN

Jessica Yan is a first year student at Stanford University. Born and raised in Mesa, Arizona, Jessica is passionate about increasing representation of the AAPI community across all sectors, especially in the political and international arenas. She is also interested in international economics and its intersection with climate change policy.

Jessica’s interest in her AAPI identity emerged during her gap year in Beijing with the National Security Language Initiative for Youth, in which she was placed at a public Chinese high school. While abroad, she raised awareness about the diversity behind the word “American” and the role of AAPIs in American culture. She instituted a language partner program between local Chinese high school students and American exchange students to facilitate cultural understanding and language learning for both parties.

This summer, Jessica looks forward to learning the stories of the people in DC and exploring the city’s food scene. In her free time, Jessica loves to cook, play music, and meet dogs.

Jessica is a Programs & Communications Intern at the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). 

JULIA ZHONG

Julia Zhong is a rising third year at Emory University studying Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology with a minor in Sociology. Born in New York City, she is passionate about mental health within API communities and hopes to pursue a career in which she can work to not only provide mental health services for communities of color, especially the AAPI one, but also to destigmatize mental health within her community. She is also interested in immigration and LGBTQ+ rights.

On campus, she is a Chief of Staff of Emory's Asian Pacific-Islander Desi American Activists, a student organization that she and a few others chartered to raise awareness and discussion about Asian identity, issues, and politics. She is also an artist manager for Emory Arts Underground, a student organization dedicated to increasing the accessibility of arts education at Emory, and was also the music director for Emory's Ad Hoc Production's production of the musical Lysistrata Jones. This past year she conducted research in the Neuroimaging Lab at the Marcus Autism Center and investigated connections between eye-blinking and social behavior in infants with and without Austism Spectrum Disorder. She was also involved with Residence Life as a sophomore advisor and will continue to do so next year as a resident advisor for first-years.

This summer, she looks forward to learning more about the intersections of API identity and various social justice issues, getting to know the other cohort members, and to be able to explore the DC area!

In her free time, Julia really enjoy discovering new music (particularly classical because she’s a nerd) and musicals to listen to. She also enjoys playing piano and singing, practicing calligraphy and bullet journaling, and reading books by API authors.

Julia is an intern at the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP).

KATELYN MONACO

Katelyn Monaco is a rising third year at Ithaca College, studying English with minors in Education and Asian American Studies. Adopted from Shaoyang, China, she was raised in Washington state. She is passionate about educational policy and equity, data disaggregation, and community development.

On campus, she is the Vice President of the Asian American Alliance; a member of HEARD, an organization that does creative arts with youth in juvenile detention facilities; an MLK Scholar (with research on international educational policy); and an RA in Housing Offering a Multicultural Experience (HOME) doing events around ethnic and racial diversity, LGBTQ+ allyship and activism, and ableism.

This summer, Katelyn looks forward to learning more about the nonprofit sector and different approaches to educational policy, as well as meeting other interns around DC who are passionate about centering social justice in whatever field they go into.

In her free time she loves listening to podcasts and finding new R&B music. She also likes to watch recipe videos on YouTube, read as much as she can, and watercolor.

Katelyn is a Public Partnerships Intern at Teach for America.

KATHLEEN MIAO

Kathleen Miao is a rising fourth year at Franklin & Marshall College, studying Environmental Studies with a minor in Art History. Born in New York City, she is passionate about environmentalism/sustainability, public health, mental health, representation of AAPI in the US media, and racial discrimination.

On campus she is a photographer for the men’s rugby team, a student senator, member of the Asian American Alliance, and a Breakthrough New York and SEO Scholar. She has went abroad to Vietnam, Morocco, and Bolivia to study climate change and the politics of food, water, and energy.

This summer, Kathleen looks forward to connecting with new people and accomplishing a lot at her internship. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, swimming, biking, photography, writing in her journal, and going to museums.

Kathleen is an intern at the Office of Environmental Justice at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

KEVIN HA

Kevin Ha is a rising fourth year at the University of California, Davis, studying Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology. Born in Woodland Hills, CA, he is passionate about climate change's effects on wildlife and mental health in AAPI communities.

On campus, he has served as the President of the Asian American Association, a student organization that strives to build a welcoming community for all AAPI folks through weekly programming and cultural events. He now serves as their Senior Advisor.

This summer, Kevin looks forward to being super touristy, experiencing the professional culture in DC, and of course, getting closer to the others in the cohort.

In his free time, he sometimes learns the words to hip hop songs and raps them when alone to hype himself. He also enjoys baking and skateboarding.

Kevin is an intern at the Office of Tribal Relations at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

KEYLA HIGA

Keyla Higa is a rising fourth year at Lawrence University, majoring in Global Studies and German. Born in Connecticut, she is passionate about education access and quality. As a product of both the Indonesian and American education systems, she believes that a well-rounded education will engage students in diverse ways of thinking. This means providing multi-disciplinary fields and environments, emphasizing social problems, and advocating for the arts. A good education is where we can explore our interest and be passionate about the future. Over the course of six years, she has attended eight different schools.

On campus, she has served as the President of the Pan-Asian Organization as well as their Event and Publicity Chair.

This summer, Keyla looks forward to exploring DC, meeting new people and learning more about education access and leadership development through her internship placement. In her free time she enjoys travelling and exploring new places.

 Keyla is a Programs Intern at the APIA Scholars.

KYRA DU

Kyra is a rising second year at Wellesley College with a prospective major in Economics. Born in Maryland, she is passionate about extending legal and financial resources to AAPI folks who do not have standard accessibility, whether it be due to socioeconomic status, educational inequity, or nationality/ethnicity. She is also passionate about advancing the voices and ideas of LGBTQ+ AAPI youth, a minority often marginalized in national conversation.

On campus, Kyra was the Political and Legislative representative for the Wellesley Asian Alliance, a student organization that specializes in institutional change and advancing Asian American justice. She is also a part of the Chinatown Afterschool Program, which is a program that  provides students at Wellesley and the Boston area with the opportunity to be able to connect with the Boston Chinatown community and volunteer as counselors working at an after school care center.

This summer, Kyra looks forward to exploring DC and meeting the other interns. In her off time, she likes to play Bananagrams.

Kyra is an intern for the Asian Pacific Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS). 

MALAYA SIY

Malaya Siy is a rising fourth year at Saint Louis University, studying Anthropology with minors in Mandarin, Global & Social Justice, and Visual Communications. Born in Burbank, California, She is passionate about civil & human rights and would like to become a lawyer and defend these rights.

On campus, she is involved in the Filipino Student Association and the Atlas Program. With FSA, she has held the position of Social Justice Chair and has participated in their cultural dance performances. As an Atlas program intern for two years, she has helped host the Annual Atlas week, which celebrates international education/international social justice and all the places SLU students come from.

This summer, she looks forward to soaking up all she can learn at her internship while exploring DC and meeting all the people she can. She also plays the ukulele and loves to read.

Malaya is an intern at Futures Without Violence.

NOLAN BURDETT

Nolan Burdett is a rising fourth year at the University of Texas at Austin. Born in Houston, Texas, he is passionate about access to education and AAPI representation in politics, business and media.

On campus, he is involved in ice hockey, the Tejas Club, and the Texas Silver Spurs.

This summer, he looks forward to having fun with friends. In his free time he likes to read, play chess, watch basketball, and hike.

Nolan is an intern at the office of Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick.

PATRICK CANTEROS

Patrick Canteros is a rising fourth year at the College of William & Mary studying finance and Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies. At school, he is involved in the Asian American Student Initiative, the Filipino American Student Association, and Peer Diversity Educators.

Born in Davao, Philippines but raised in Richmond, Virginia, Patrick is passionate about a range of issues including: APIA healthcare, the environment, and immigration. In his free time, he loves to go rock climbing and other outdoor activities. He once hiked 200 miles on the Camino de Santiago.

This summer, Patrick is looking forward to meeting other like-minded AAPIs and transforming advocacy into action!

Patrick is an intern at the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA.)

WESLEY WEI

Wesley Wei is a rising third year at Vanderbilt University studying Human & Organizational Development and Public Policy Studies. From Danville, KY, he is passionate about AAPI government representation, the intersections of LGBTQ+ and AAPI identity, and equity in education.

On campus, he is the current Publicity Chair for the Asian American Student Association and was previously their Community Coordinator, putting together programming for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. He is also on Vanderbilt Student Government’s Academic Affairs Committee.

This summer, Wesley is excited to explore the food and coffee scene in D.C. (and subsequently spend way too much money). In his free time, he also watches (too much) RuPaul's Drag Race.

Wesley is a Policy & Research Intern at the Learning Policy Institute.

 2018 SPRING INTERNS

NATHANIEL NG

Nathaniel is a soon-to-be graduate from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is pursuing a major in History and minor in Education.  Alongside a group of friends, he operates the Bike Coop, an on-campus bicycle shop, which serves the students and under-served communities of Santa Cruz. He manages personal relations, facilities volunteer opportunities, and organize monthly bicycle rides, gatherings, and how-to workshops.  He also recently studied abroad in Tokyo, Japan.

Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Nathaniel was involved in park programs since his childhood. His involvement gave him opportunities to learn, mentor, and teach – ultimately leading to his discovery of a love for education. He aspires to be a high school teacher that guides and ensures students achieve a higher education. Working with the Young Writers Programs and the UCSC Education Department, he has shadowed teachers as well as work with middle school students to publish their poetry into a printed book.

His parents are first generation immigrants who followed stereotypical Chinese pathways to success. Their struggle and perseverance ties him to his AAPI heritage and inspires him to make critical changes for the Asian American community. As a history major, he studies Asian American history as well as the history of various foreign Asian countries.

In his free time, Nathaniel loves to travel, take photographs, and engage in forest meditation (or anything outdoorsy). He hopes to grow more connected and learn more about domestic Asian American issues as well as gain a scope into policy making through living in D.C. and interning with OCA.

HENRY XU

Henry is a graduating senior at the University of California, Santa Cruz majoring in Politics with an emphasis on International Relations and minoring in Legal Studies. Henry attributes his interests in technology, the environment, and immigration policy to his upbringing in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, California. At school, Henry was the Inter-Org Retreat Coordinator for the 8th Annual Inter-Org Retreat for the UCSC Sustainability Office and an Undergraduate Reader for the California Water Policy and Law course. In the past, Henry has interned at the office of Assembly member David Chiu, the Office of Assembly member Fiona Ma, and the Santa Cruz County Immigration Project.

As a second generation immigrant, Henry is accustomed to the hardships faced by immigrants of all backgrounds. With this humble background, Henry has developed a stalwart work ethic to persevere against challenges. With his ability work effectively in both independent and team settings, and his immersive experiences as an intern in the California Legislature, Henry is eager to apply and share the skills that he has accumulated at OCANational.

In his free time, Henry enjoys musicals, reading, exercising, hiking, and trying new restaurants.

 2016 SUMMER INTERNS

CARLO TUASON

Carlo, a Filipino-Chinese American, is a rising fourth-year at the University of Cincinnati, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in music performance and international relations. He currently serves as the Internal Vice President to the University of Cincinnati Vietnamese Student Association and maintains membership on the Student Diversity and Inclusion Council. He also has experience with the Vietnamese Interacting as One Conference (VIA-1) and the Accelerating Racial Justice Program. Through these experiences, Carlo hopes to create more spaces where dialogue about race and identity are not only allowed, but encouraged. His passion for AAPI advocacy and activism stems from being raised in a community that lacked diversity, and the consequent disassociation from his own culture. As a developing student leader and adult, he now sees the importance of acknowledging, embracing, and celebrating culture and how strongly it shapes one's identity.

Carlo hopes to ultimately become either a performing musician, work in cultural programming, or AAPI community organization. He heavily advocates not only for cultural awareness and arts education, but also, how they can be leveraged together. His musical talents include violin, piano, guitar, and singing. He has also participated in a number of music festivals that have brought him all over the country, as well as Japan. In his free time, Carlo enjoys photography, spoken word poetry, cooking, and studying Japanese.

CHLOE PAN

Chloe Pan is a rising junior at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she is double majoring in International Development and Asian American Studies with an academic concentration in East Asian development. As a 1.5-generation immigrant, she was born in Yongchun, China but grew up in the suburbs of Flint and, later, Detroit, Michigan. Her experiences of living in these metropolitan regions in conjunction with being an immigrant made her deeply aware of how categories like geography, race, and gender significantly impact access to public resources. As a result, she is highly passionate about the intersectionality of data-driven policy reform and social justice and intends on one day pursuing law school and entering public service.

As a junior in high school, Chloe was selected to represent the state of Michigan as a United States Senate Youth Program Scholar and had the honor of traveling to the White House to meet President Barack Obama. From there on, she fell in love with the city of Washington, D.C. and has returned on numerous occasions for student lobbying and advocacy efforts, including a trip with the UCLA Chancellor. Her passion for producing equitable policy reform—particularly in the fields of education, immigration, and healthcare—led her back to D.C. last summer, where she served under the Obama Administration as the youngest intern at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Currently, Chloe is the undergraduate student representative to the University of California Committee on Affirmative Action and Diversity, which develops policies to advance equity for women, ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ members of the UC system. She is also a Diversity Peer Leader with the UCLA Intergroup Relations Program, a Resident Assistant with UCLA Residential Life, a former competitor on UCLA’s nationally ranked Mock Trial team, and the incoming Co-Director of the UCLA Student Wellness Commission's Bruin Consent Coalition. She is an active member in both student government and Asian American student spaces on campus.

Chloe is highly looking forward to expanding her understanding of minority issues in a transnational context and incorporating a critical transpacific analysis to AAPI social justice movements. But mostly, she’s looking forward to trying out new coffee places in D.C. and adding to her backlog of food photos.

CHUHUE VANG

ChueHue is a Senior attending the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire studying Sociology with a topical minor in Hmong Studies. He is a Hmong-American born in Saint Paul, Minnesota and raised in the West Side Saint Paul projects in a family of 11. His parents landed in Saint Paul in the late 1980’s with many other Hmong refugees, trying to find a new home due to the secret war, the Vietnam War. His passion to understand his history and identity is an ongoing process in which he one day hopes to pass down to future generations to preserve and use as tools of empowerment.

On campus, ChueHue has been involved in many Hmong organizations to support collective action for Hmong students and students of color. White students account for more than 90% of the UW-Eau Claire student population so keeping the University accountable to students of color has been an ongoing process to dismantle systematic oppression and structural racism to create equity. He currently is the President of the Hmong Student Association organization in which strives to support and maintain a safe space for Hmong students at UW-Eau Claire. His passion is not only towards higher education but the community as well. He worked for the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association for 2 years as the Youth Coordinator for the Building Bridges youth program in which strives to offer tools of empowerment to Hmong youth in the community. His passion to better the world now and in the future is a dream he hopes to accomplish one day in life. He is excited to be interning for OCA and hopes the experience will open doors in the near future to better himself as well as better the lives marginalize and silence communities in the US.

In his free time, ChueHue enjoys playing his xbox, cooking, playing basketball and football, and spending time with family and friends.

DIANNE LE

Dianne currently pursues her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Rutgers University, New Brunswick in NJ. She also serves on eBoard as Event Chair for the Rutgers chapter of SASE (Society of the Asian Scientists and Engineers) and is co-founder of B³, established in 2010.  

Although born in Los Angeles, CA as a first generation Vietnamese American, Dianne moved to NJ with her mother and brother at the age of 12. At 14, she embarked on her journey by learning about social justice and challenging the status quo of youth being disengaged when she and her friend established a youth empowerment and breakin' (break dance) group, B³, under Boat People SOS. 

Dianne enjoys photography, hip-hop dancing, poetry, books, and playing the ukulele. She perceives art to be a therapeutic language which anyone can understand and respond to, and ultimately allows us to be more vulnerable with one other.  

She embraces her identity as a cultural and intergenerational bridge, and hopes to exchange, collaborate, and transpire ideas with like-minded and driven individuals at OCA to plant the seeds for positive community change. She is excited to grow and continue to bring beauty and unity to our communities, for future generations to flourish. 

 Dianne is most inspired by her mother. 

EMILY SHORT

Emily is a senior at Vassar College, majoring in International Studies with a focus in History and French and Francophone Studies. She has always had a great interest in studying other cultures. Growing up Vietnamese ­Caucasian in a predominately white community in Indiana, she has faced racial prejudice first­hand. This natural proclivity towards understanding different cultures led her to study in great depth Francophone cultures. She has studied the French language for ten years and has been able to study in France multiple times. Last year, she was able to intern at the U.S. Embassy in Paris and study at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle for a semester.

A key part of studying any culture is understanding its history and its foreign relations. She is curious as to how countries interact with each other and the role which history plays in these current interactions. Another one of her interests is the intersectionality of race, nationality, and gender.

She is passionate about combatting racial and gender inequality and is excited to become more engaged in the Asian Pacific American advocacy community this summer. At Vassar, she has been an executive board member of their Amnesty International chapter and is involved in the Multiracial/Biracial Student Alliance. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and cooking good food for her friends and family.

HANNA CHIPMAN

Hanna is rising senior at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine double majoring in Sociology and Women & Gender Studies. She is committed to fighting for issues including reproductive justice, AAPI and all minority rights, equality for all genders and sexes, and giving representation and voice to all intersections of identities. In her free time she enjoys watching the TV shows, Game of Thrones and Friends, wandering through the streets of New York City, visiting art galleries, and indulging in street food markets.

As a co-president last semester for the Bates Asian American Students in Action (AASIA) Club and dedicating a semester-long research project on the intersectional identity of Asian American adoptees, Hanna has been able to explore her personal identity as a Chinese adoptee as well as increase her knowledge and passion for furthering the social, political, and economic rights for the AAPI community. Her summer 2015 internship at the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) allowed her to better understand the issues surrounding the AAPI community in New York City, including Translation & Interpretation, foster care, and bullying in public schools. She hopes to continue pursuing her dedication to AAPI rights throughout her final year at Bates, as well as after graduation in areas of policy, advocacy, and leadership.

JENNIFER KAKU

Jennifer is a rising junior at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA. She is a Social-Cultural Anthropology/ Asian American Studies Double Major. She is heavily involved in AAPI community organizing on her campus. She is a program coordinator at the Center for Asian Pacific American Students and mentors first years AAPI students through the Asian Pacific American Coalition. This past year she has gotten into student of color institutional support advocacy and consortium wide AAPI community building. She is passionate about supporting under represented AAPI youth through knowledge exchange and empowerment.

She grew up in Arlington, VA and lived in Tokyo, Japan for two years. Through her various moves across the ocean and across the country Jennifer exhibits her love of change and movement. During her off hours, she enjoys weightlifting, eating food, hanging out with her community, especially all three combined.

JOY HAN

Joy Dohee Han is in her third year of communications studies at Irvine Valley College. She is pursuing an AA in social sciences with the hopes of transferring into a Bachelor's program for the University of California. During her time at IVC, she has participated in competitions with the nationally acclaimed Speech & Forensics team. As a novice debater, she was honored with the 4th place Speaker Award at the Mt. San Antonio College regional competition, and ranked silver in her category. In her younger years, Joy participated in competitive theatre. While in theatre, she noticed the lack of roles available for Asian Americans. Her time spent onstage and off with her teammates inspired her to pursue her current major, in hopes of one day correcting the misrepresentation of APA individuals in the arts. On her days off, Joy enjoys watching movies, visiting museums, and eating Indian food.  

Through her internship with OCA, Joy hopes to learn more about using her skills for Asian Pacific American advocacy. As a lifelong performer, she knows the importance of teamwork within communities. She firmly believes in speaking up for those without a voice. Joy is honored to participate in the organization's cohort program for 2016. 

KIMBERLY HALL

Kim is a graduating fourth year from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Religious Studies.

She hopes to pursue a career in Civil Rights Advocacy, inspired by both her coursework in African American Studies and her vast experiences outside the classroom. As a student at UVA, she was President of the Organization of Young Filipino Americans and served as the Asian/Asian Pacific American Representative for the Honor Committee. Through her experiences and academic career, Kim has further gained an interest in analyzing race, class, ethnicity, and other portions of our identity to better understand policies that can be implemented to help lessen the injustices minorities face. One day she hopes to attend graduate school for Public Policy, but in the immediate future, Kim is excited to gain experience working with AAPI issues. She hopes that her internship with OCA will help guide her towards her goals for the future.

In the rare moments of free time, Kim likes to explore new coffee shops, play with cats, and catching up on the Real Housewives series.

MAHAM SHAIKH

Maham is senior at the University of Michigan majoring in Sociology. She is currently also writing an honors thesis on South Asian cultural attitudes in order to help bridge a huge gap in literature. In her free time, she takes photos of mostly nature, but also loves taking pictures of people and architecture. She loves writing and is now active in performing her spoken word in shows such as the Asian/Pacific Islander American Monologues at the University of Michigan. Outside of school she is very involved the A/PIA community on her campus and also aims to be an advocate for all People of Color. She has spent all her life living in Michigan and this summer for the first time she will be living outside the state in Washington D.C. She never dreamed that she would be able to leave Michigan and is very excited to be coming to DC this summer for the OCA internship!

NICHOLAS WU

Nicholas is a rising junior at Princeton University majoring in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, with certificates in East Asian Studies and American Studies. He hopes to pursue a career in public interest law, particularly focusing on immigration law. On campus, he serves as the co-president of the Princeton Asian American Student Association and helps coordinate Asian American political activism. He also competes on the Model United Nations team and writes as a senior columnist for the Daily Princetonian.

Nicholas grew up in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. As a third-generation Chinese American, he is particularly interested in immigration issues and Asian American advocacy. He hopes that his involvement with OCA will give him a better understanding of the issues facing the Asian American community.

During his free time, Nicholas enjoys running, listening to music, and cooking.

NILES WILSON

Niles is a rising senior at Stanford University pursuing a degree in Psychology. Through his coursework in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, he has become interested in advocating and providing resources for immigrants and learning more about the challenges of non-English speakers. In his final year at Stanford, he hopes to take the lessons from the summer with OCA and to become more involved with the Asian and Pacific Islander community on campus. Born and raised in Southern California, Niles enjoys outdoor activities, crocheting, food adventures, attending football games, and watching hip hop dance showcases.

PENG XUE VANG

Peng Xue Vang is a first generation Hmong-American college student who recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison with a double major in International Studies and Languages of Cultures of Asia and a certificate in Asian-American Studies. During his time at UW-Madison Peng Xue was involved in various organizations, one that particular stands out is the Midwest Asian American Students Union (MAASU). He was a part of the 2015 MAASU Spring Planning Committee where alongside his peers, he helped coordinate a conference focused on Asian-American issues and topics in our community, which brought over 1000+ students from across the nation to the UW-Madison campus. In addition, Peng Xue was the Co- Communications Chair of the 2015-2015 Executive Coordinating Committee (ECC) for MAASU. The ECC is responsible for maintaining communication across its member schools, providing educational and political resources for those who seek it, and creating a sense of community among Asian-American students across the Midwest. He is excited to learn from AAPI professionals in Washington D.C. this summer and establish lifelong relationships with his intern cohort and colleagues.

Interesting facts about Peng Xue, he is an avid NBA fan and loves his hometown team the Milwaukee Bucks. He is a professional UNO player and last year was the manager of a football team which took first place in his league.

SAMANTHA NG

Samantha is rising sophomore at Binghamton University, with majors in Human Development and Asian and Asian-American Studies. Raised in New York City by two Chinese immigrant parents, Samantha’s activeness and involvement in the Asian-American community spurred early on in her childhood, accepting volunteer opportunities with Chinatown-based YMCA’s, as well as volunteering with local non-profit organizations serving the Chinese community of the five boroughs. She has been a youth advocate with the Coalition for Asian-American Children and Families in high school and found her calling for civil rights and youth activism while also taking courses at Hunter College regarding Asian Americans in the United States. Her decision to pursue a career in non-profit organization and public policy stems from her desire to be a catalyst for change and equality in the Asian and Asian-American community in the United States.At Binghamton University, she is the Events Coordinator for the Asian Student Union and an active member in the university-wide Student Congress. In her free time, Samantha enjoys watching Wes Anderson films, reading, and exploring her school’s Nature Preserve.

TEOFANNY SARAGI

Teofanny Saragi is a rising junior at Pomona College in Claremont, CA double majoring in Public Policy Analysis/Sociology and Asian American Studies. She is passionate about social justice and increasing educational access and equity for underrepresented minorities, particularly Southeast Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. On campus, Teofanny is a Student Coordinator at the Draper Center for Community Partnerships, an intern at the Asian American Resource Center, and the President of the Quest Scholars, the community of low-income, first-generation students on campus. Her other interests include: filmmaking and graphic design, fluffy dogs, and music.

THANH-TRUC VO

Truc is a rising fourth year at the University of Virginia studying psychology. She was recently accepted into the Accelerated Master’s Program at UVA’s Frank Batten School of Public Policy and Leadership. Being from Northern Virginia, where there is a diverse Asian American population, she was very fortunate to have many different opportunities to expose herself to Asian American culture.  She has been active in the Asian American community starting from a young age. Her parents founded a Vietnamese American Girl Scout troop while her mom was pregnant with her and she would attend meetings until she became old enough to partake as an actual scout. She remains active in her troop as a Leader-in-Training (LIT) now even while away at school. She also has been attending a Japanese temple since the fourth grade and became a Youth Minister’s Assistant her sophomore year of high school to help the temple out as needed. She has learned much about Japanese culture from immersing herself in the programs her temple offers and taking Japanese for six years.   

Truc continues to stay in touch with her Vietnamese roots as an active member and former officer for the Vietnamese Student Association.  She joined the Organization of Filipino Americans as well because she is very interested in learning about other AAPI cultures and the struggles they face in comparison to those Vietnamese Americans suffer. Her experiences with different cultural organizations has made her realize that there is still a lot of progress that can be made in the AAPI community. She hopes that through her internship with OCA, she will be able to become a more effective advocate for the AAPI community and learn more about the issues AAPIs face. 

In her free time, Truc enjoys spending time with friends and family, bouldering and playing football, singing and dancing, shopping, traveling and eating yummy food. 

VAIMALU VAIAU

Vaimalu Rosita Vaiau and is a sophomore at American Samoa Community College majoring in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Political Science. She is President of Student Government Association and Vice President of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She is very passionate about issues that affect the Asian American Pacific Islander community and a strong advocate for access to affordable healthcare, education, and social equity. She believes that Asian Pacific Americans are one of the most marginalized and misrepresented groups of people not only in the United States, but also on a global scale. Upon graduation at ASCC, she hopes to attend a four-year university in the mainland, majoring in English, and then gradually onto law school. She hopes to obtain the necessary information and strategies to give back to my little American Samoa community, to the very same community that helped raised me. She has always been in love with D.C. as she was one of the last batches of Congressional Pages before the program was discontinued. As President of Student Government, her focus is on providing educational opportunities, student centeredness, and respect for diversity and multiculturalism. She enjoys reading, writing, pizza, and binge watching shows on Netflix. She owes who she is to her parents, Kitara and Etevise Vaiau. When she dropped out of college the first time, she wanted to hide away out of embarrassment, but her parents stood behind her and encouraged her to strive forward, to never give up.

VICTORIA CHEN

Victoria is a rising senior at Washington University in ST. Louis with a concentration in Marketing and Design. She was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, but now lives in Mississippi. As a student at WashU, she is heavily involved in the Asian American community on campus. Since joining the Taiwanese Student Organization (TSO) her freshman year, she has gained a greater appreciation for her parent's roots and become an advocate for Taiwanese culture on campus (and can often be seen proudly donning a Taiwanese flag as a cape at events). Under her presidency, TSO held its first-ever philanthropy event, raising funds for victims of the recent earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan, and collaborated with other cultural clubs to facilitate discussions about important socio-political topics affecting Taiwan, Mainland China, and Hong Kong.

As a Summer Intern at OCA, she hopes to make an impact and learn more about the issues faced by the national Asian American community. Whether it be at a corporate or family level, she's also interested in helping the Asian American LGBTQ community. During her free time, Victoria enjoys embarking on Yelp food adventures, working out, and designing cool stuff.

 2015 SPRING INTERNS

SHEENA KAUR 

Sheena is a graduating senior at the University of California Santa Cruz, where she has majored in Environmental Studies. While in college, she has been actively involved with Sikh Student Association and other multicultural and environmental organizations. Her close ties to her cultural community and personal deep rooted interest with the social science aspect of environmental justice has helped her developed a future career path in policy surrounding multicultural issues affecting local communities. She is currently participating in the UCDC program and aspires to continue working with other social and advocacy groups, like OCA, to help improve the lives and protects the rights of young Asian Pacific Americans like herself. She hopes her involvement with OCA will reach out to other Southeast Asians and inspire a wide array of other Asian Pacific Americans to become actively involved and aware of similar cultural, political, economic and ecological issues facing all communities.  Her experiences have shaped her personal and professional goals and she would like to attend law school in the near future. 

Local to the Bay Area, Sheena enjoys the warm weather and outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking and paddle boarding. She has also ran multiple half marathons, and continues training in hopes to one day complete her first full Nike Women’s Full Marathon. 

Sheena is a Development and Membership Intern at the OCA National Center. 

YESENIA BECERRA 

Yesenia is an undergraduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles pursuing a degree in Sociology and minoring in both Global Studies and Public Affairs. Yesenia was born in Los Angeles, California and is the first in her family to attend a four year university. Her motivation to attain a higher education stems from her passion towards social justice and her willingness to alleviate social, political, and economic disparities that she has experienced first-hand. Coming from a neighborhood that is predominately Latino/a, Yesenia has felt the ways in which minority groups have failed to stand in solidarity towards similar injustices. As an intern at OCA, Yesenia seeks to expand her horizons in learning more about the Asian Pacific American community in hopes that it will serve as a stepping stone to bring awareness to her community back home and groups on campus. She strongly believes in the power of diversity and is excited to immerse herself in a different culture from her own that will give her the tools necessary to pursue her passion towards human rights advocacy and educational youth development throughout her time in Washington DC. 

During her free time, Yesenia really enjoys traveling, and spending quality time with her family and friends. 

Yesenia is a Program Intern at the OCA National Center.   

NAM NGUYEN  

Nam grew up in D.C. and went away for school in Easton, PA.  He majored in International Affairs and minored in Asian Studies. His focus within International studies was on the changing identities, cultures, and institutions in the 21st century. He spent a semester abroad in Yunnan, China where he immersed into Chinese language and cultural studies. Nam was involved with his school’s Asian Cultural Association and Intercultural Development. He is passionate about the Asian Pacific American community, food, and cars. Nam is most passionate about Dat Nguyen, chicken fried rice with mambo sauce, and Hondas.  

Nam is a Policy Intern at the OCA National Center  

TIMMY WONG  

Timmy studied Business Management Economics with an emphasis in accounting at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She was first interested in the field of accounting because she knew it is the foundation to getting to know about the language of businesses, but at the same time understood that there is more to a business and had an interest in the other areas that are important to a business including marketing and business development. Before arriving at Washington, DC, she has gained knowledge and experience related to marketing and event preparation of workshops and networking events for chamber members of the community during a quarter when she interned at the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce.  

Growing up in San Francisco, there has been an increase of diversity over time in the community, which she became educated in and interacted with. However, as she has become more aware of how most leadership roles are not fulfilled by the API community, she has been interested in why that is and how can there be changes. As a daughter of two Chinese immigrants, she seeks to learn more about the issues that affect not just her community but as much as possible of the overall API community as a beginning to understand where the community is at and where it can go to. She likes to incorporate some mix of what she enjoys every day, including cooking, listening to music, yoga and exercising generally, and recently watching more of Netflix. She hopes to one day travel more and live abroad in the future. 

 Timmy is an intern at National ACE. 

2013 SUMMER INTERNS

2011 SUMMER INTERNS

Jane Ahn (University of Illinois at Chicago); Betty Jin Jin Cao (DePauw University); Linh Chuong (Hendrix College); Jonathan Ho (UC Santa Barbara); Jennifer Kanjana (UC Riverside); Lena Khader (Oklahoma City University); Janice Kim (George Washington University); Nicholas Kor (St. Thomas University); Kendall Kosai (University of Washington); Ryan Kwan (Boston University); Amaris Leiataua (UC Berkeley); Cherry Lin (Tufts University); Johnson Lin (SUNY Geneseo); Maria Manalac (Loyola University Maryland); Monique Matautia (Cal State Long Beach); Bao Kou Moua (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire); Bao Nhia Moua (University of Wisconsin-Madison); Vi Nguyen (Yale University); Neha Raheja (University of Texas, Austin); Sereen Thahir (University of Virginia); Leona Thao (Oklahoma State University); Casey Tran (UC Berkeley); Xiong Vang (Stanford University); Jackie Wu (University of California, Irvine)

2009 SUMMER INTERNS

2007 SUMMER INTERNS

2005 SUMMER INTERNS

Rey Andrew “Drew” Austria (University of Virginia); Anna Cheng (University of California, Davis); Cindy Cheung (University fo Central Florida); Diana Chiang (Brandeis University); Elizabeth Chu (University of Virginia); Jacqueline Dan (Rice University); Darlene Gou (Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, University of North Texas); Pei-Chih "Peggy" Ho (Duke University); Evonne Lai (UC Berkeley); Annie Lam (UC-Davis); Su Luo (University of Miami); Ricky Quoc Ly (University of Cental Florida); Charles Ngo (Univ. of Michigan); Demeter H. Trieu (Mount Holyoke College); Matthew Tsou (UCBerkeley); Yu-ting Tina Wei (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); Nina Wong (University of Pennsylvania); Jian Zapata (George Mason University)

2003 SUMMER INTERNS

Alexander Chang (Temple University); I Fen (Tiffany) Chiang (University of Utah); Mai Dang (George Washington University); Bhavna Devani (Cornell University); Shana Fu (University of Michigan at Ann Arbor); Jane Kim (Brandeis University); Jennifer Kim (Brandeis University); Angela Makabali (Harvard University); Dana Nakano (University of Pennsylvania); Anthony Nguyen (Rice University); Mona Hasmukh Patel (University of Michigan at Ann Arbor); Claire Concepcion Rizalado (University of Texas - Pan Am); Margot Seeto (Wellesley College); Chuan Teng (University of Michigan); Marivic Tolentino (San Diego University); Andrew Tong (Tufts University); Bryant Tow (Cornell University); Natalie Truong (Wellesley College); Susan Woo (University of Arizona); Anthony Yuliang Wu (University of Washington in Seattle)

2001 SUMMER INTERNS

Felicia Chao (Tufts); Kenny C. Chao (U of Missouri-Columbia); Stephen Ken-Wei Chao (Rice University); LeeAnn Chen (University of Pennsylvania); Guan-Jen (Tammy) Chu (U of Michigan); Yu-cheng Jack Fan (Indiana University); Bonnie Kwon (Brown University); Ijun Lai (U of Michigan); Jason Lee (Temple University); Samson Lee (SUNY at Buffalo); Bethany Li (Ameherst College); Owen Li (Stanford University); Elaine Liu (University of Michigan); Lisa Wong Macabasco (UC Berkeley); Matthew Noeper (Pomona College); Daniel Suh (U of Michigan); Victoria Tung (University of Pennsylvania); Yimei Wu (U of Maryland, College Park); Michelle Mei Hsuan Yang (U of Arizona); Clifford Yee (University of California, Santa Cruz); Rudy Yen (University of Miami); Michelle Yeun (University of Pennsylvania); Susan Yoon (Pomona College); Mia Youhne (UNLV)

1999 SUMMER INTERNS

Jeannie Chan (Georgetown University); Judy Chao (University of Pennsylvania); Noelle Dong (Cornell University); Han Sui Fan (University of California, Berkeley); Ramey Ko (Yale University); Giles Li (University of Massachusetts Amherst); Chieh-Fang Christy Lin (University of California, Los Angeles); Celine Liu (Macalester College); Alexander Saingchin (University at Albany); Carolyn Wu (Pomona College); Yo Ann Yang (University of Michigan); Seng Dao Yang (Harvard University); Lela Yu (University of Utah)

1997 INTERNS

Michelle Amano (Goucher College); Grace Chen (Duke University); Katherine Cheng (Yale University); Emily Fan (Bryn Mawr College); Jane Kim (University of Michigan); Linda Lee (Cornell University); Jennifer Lin (North Carolina State University); Willy Lin (Yale University); Suzanne Miu (Pomona College), Yen Ling Shek (University of Virginia); Jean Shia (Cornell University); Michelle Sugihara (Claremont McKenna College); Michael Tran (Yale University); Christopher Tsou (University of Michigan); Ho-Shyuan Wu (Cornell University); Kathy Young (UCLA)

1995 INTERNS

Marie Alvarez (University of California, Santa Cruz); Regina Chang (Columbia University); Yi-Ru Chen (Smith College); Michelle Cheng (Stanford University & UCLA); Jane Lee (Ohio State University); Janxin Leu (Stanford University); Jason Liu (Stanford University); Jope Ortega (Ohio State University); Ada Quach (Smith College); Bonnie Shen (University of Michigan); Levin Sy (University of California, Los Angeles); Hoyin Tjio (St. Paul’s School)

1993 INTERNS

George Cheung (Brown University); Kathy Feng (Cornell Univeristy), Amy Kuo (State University of New York at Binghamton); Su-Ping Lu (Stanford University); Leyla Mei (Brown University)

1991 INTERNS

Vicki Shu (University of California, San Diego); Lily Tsai (Stanford University)

1989 INTERNS

Kathay Feng (Cornell University & UCLA), Julie Su (Stanford University)