From the Desk of OCA’s National President & Executive Director
Dear OCA Friends and Family,
OCA has always been a home for those who believe in the power of community, advocacy, and representation. For decades, our “old guard”—the leaders, trailblazers, and long-time members who carried OCA forward—have given us the strength and wisdom to be where we are today. Their dedication is the foundation upon which new generations stand, and we owe deep gratitude to them.
As we honor the past, we must also face the urgency of the present—unprecedented changes that undermine the rights and dignity of our communities across the nation; policies that limit opportunity, foster division, and silence our voices. These threaten the very progress we have fought so hard to achieve. These actions remind us that representation and advocacy are not luxuries—they are necessities.
At the same time, our youth are stepping forward with passion and creativity. They bring fresh perspectives and an urgency shaped by today’s realities. As an organization, we must ensure they have the mentorship, training, and platforms to become strong advocates for justice. That is why OCA’s new strategic plan is centered on the development of young advocates, strengthening chapters, and community building and partnerships. By investing in leadership programs, expanding mentorship opportunities, and building pipelines into policy and public service, we are equipping the next generation to carry our mission forward.
It is fitting, then, that this edition of our publication is dedicated exclusively to the OCA National intern alumni. For decades, our internship program has shaped future leaders who have gone on to make extraordinary contributions in every sector. This issue features interviews and written profiles of dozens of former interns—including none other than former U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su—whose journeys remind us of the transformative power of advocacy, mentorship, and community.
The challenges we face are real, but so is our strength. The only way we move forward is together—rooted in history, united in purpose, and unrelenting in action.
I call on each of you to recommit to OCA’s mission: to defend the rights of our communities, to lift up the next generation of leaders, and to ensure that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders remain a vital and visible force in the fight for justice.
This is our moment. Let’s not shrink from it—let’s rise to it.
With gratitude and resolve,
Sharon M. Wong
OCA National President
Dear Advocates,
Have you been holding your breath? I have, too. Is that breath holding your anxiety about the world around you? Or is it in anticipation of when the course of history rights itself back onto the path of humanity?
Join me in letting out that big breath. Now, was that a sigh of resignation? Or was it a sigh of relief? In the final months of being 29, and as I turned 30 in October, I was finally able to accept that it is possible to feel all of the above at the same time. More importantly, I allowed myself to actually feel all of the emotions. This manifested as a lot of heavy crying sessions, which either fueled new personal records on a 5k run or took me into deep, healing sleep. In the past 5 years as Deputy and then Executive Director, I’ve honed my skills of compartmentalizing my emotions. While in many ways, this helped me make complex decisions or survive a long workday, this stunted my ability to accept and sit with uncertainty. Now, uncertainty is the world we live in for the foreseeable future.
One thing that I’ve held on to, despite all of these emotions I’ve experienced, is my hope. As Mrs. Potts (Beauty and the Beast) says: “You don’t lose hope, love. If you do, you lose everything.”
In a world where hope is hard to find, allow me to remind you where we universally find hope: children, or for the purposes of this letter, the next generation. At OCA, we are so privileged to be the host to a premier program that develops the next generation of leaders. The OCA Internship Program has been, and continues to be, a critical stepping stone for personal and professional development for young adults to grow into their roles now, as leaders across the country (and world!) With this issue of IMAGE, we want to share with you the hope we cultivate at OCA through these leaders who have been carrying the hope of generations past through their lives now.
Warmly,
Thu Nguyen
OCA National Executive Director