Executive Director
June Kao, New York University ’12

Executive Associate Director
Nicole Fink, University of Connecticut ’10/’12

Associate Director of Advocacy
Diane Wong, Binghamton University ’12, Cornell University

Advocacy Coordinator
Juliet Shen, University at Albany ’15

Advocacy Coordinator
Christopher Tam, Virginia Tech ’13

Associate Director of Communications
Ting-Ting Zhou, Duke University ’13

Social Media Coordinator
Charmant Tan, Georgia Institute of Technology ’10/’13

Outreach Program Coordinator
Haesoo Cheon, Cornell University ’15

Associate Director of Development
Melinda Wang, Williams College ’14

Development Coordinator
Shayra Kamal, Cornell University ’14

Collegiate Fellow
Derrick Fu, Columbia University ’13

High School Fellow
Nisha Pradhan, Hopewell Central Valley ’13

Congratulations to the new National Board!

Love,

The ECAASU Board of Directors

Calvin Sun, Columbia University ’08/SUNY Downstate College of Medicine ’14

Andrew Lee, Cornell University ’08

Allen Pan, Yale University ’08/University of Pennsylvania Law ’11

Michelle Horikawa, George Washington University ’09

Hey all,

A couple more weeks until the end of the school year for many of us. Hope everyone has been going through the newsletters and looking at the amazing opportunities available for this summer. Enjoy the rest of the school year.
Your ECAASU Family

——————————————–
DIGEST HIGHLIGHTS:

Announcements:
1. APIAVote: ECAASU Summer Internship

Opportunities:
2. JACL 2012 Collegiate Leadership Conference
3. Voter Engagement Training in NYC for the Asian American Community
4. SEARAC: Leadership & Advocacy Training
5. Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund: Fall 2012 Internships
6. Asian Americans for Equality: Seeking Community Organizing Intern

  MID-APRIL DIGEST

1) APIAVote: ECAASU Summer Internship
Deadline: April 26, 2012
Looking for a paid internship with APIAVote in Washington DC? The APIAVote Internship Program strives to encourage and cultivate young AAPI student leaders to explore a career in the public sector or the political arena. This internship program will also provide hands on experience and training on how to organize and implement voter activities to increase the participation of AAPIs in the electoral process. Apply today for APIAVote’s ECAASU Internship Program. Learn how you can make a difference in ensuring that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a voice in this election. For more information, click here.

2) JACL 2012 Collegiate Leadership Conference
Date: Thursday, June 7 – Sunday, June 10, 2012 (Arrival by 4pm, Thursday, June 7, 2012)
Deadline: Friday, May 4, 2012

Applications are available through the JACL website or by request here. The 2012 JACL Collegiate Washington, D.C. Leadership Conference is an intensive three-day leadership development program that introduces Asian Pacific American student leaders to the national policy-making arena. Participants will be briefed on legislative issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community and examine the role Asian Pacific American civil rights organizations play in affecting public policy in the nation’s capital. They will also have the chance to meet and work with student leaders representing colleges and universities from throughout the country and learn ways to effectively address issues and create positive social change on their own campuses and beyond.

SEARAC is now accepting applications for their 14th annual Leadership & Advocacy Training. This training is open to any applicants who are Southeast Asian American or who work with Southeast Asian American communities across the country. The training will be held from July 15-17 in Washington, D.C. The application is available here. For more information visit the SEARAC Leadership & Advocacy Training page. Direct questions to Riamsalio (Kao) at riamsalio@searac.org or by phone at             (202) 667-4690      .

Born in Torrance, California to Hong Kong immigrant parents, Michelle Kwan began figure skating at 5-years-old, following the footsteps of her older sister. After only a year of skating, she entered and won her first competition. At 13-years-old, she finished 8th in the 1994 World Championships, earning an alternate position in the Olympics that same year. However, that would only be the start. Throughout her career, Kwan won 9 U.S. championships, 5 world championships, and 2 Olympic medals, taking the figure skating world by storm with her dazzling performances. In the United States and overseas, she has inspired millions of people. Despite her retirement or “break” from competitive ice skating, she remains the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, and one of the most influential and popular Asian American athletes. In addition to her stellar talents on the ice, she also studied in international studies and political science, most recently serving as a U.S. ambassador and diplomat internationally.

A California native, Amy Tan is an Asian-American writer who focuses her work on mother-daughter relationships. Born on February 19, 1952 to Chinese immigrant parents, her family moved around Northern California before settling in Santa Clara. Tan holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in English and Linguistics from San Jose University. In addition, she studied for a Doctorate in linguistics, first at UC Santa Cruz and then at Berkeley. When she developed an interest for the developmentally disabled, she left the program to pursue a job as a language development consultant and later directed a training project for developmentally disabled children. Since then, much of her energy is spent raising awareness about Lyme disease, promoting early detection and treatment, and advocating for patients’ rights. Her best-selling novel, The Joy Luck Club, enjoyed eight months on The New York Times’ bestseller’s list. That novel and her subsequent novel, The Kitchen God’s Wife, also had excellent sales. There more novels ensued, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, and Saving Fish from Drowning. She also authored two children’s books: The Moon Lady and The Sagwa.

Piyush “Bobby” Jindal is the first Indian-American governor in the United States. He is also the youngest to serve in this country as a governor. In 2004, Jindal was elected as the second Indian-American to serve in the Congress. After his parents immigrated to the United States from the northwestern Indian state of Punjab, he was raised in a Punjabi Hindu household, but later converted to Christianity. Jindal is a well-known opposition against race-based social entitlements and has voted against the distribution of race-based college grants. His belief that everyone should receive equal treatment, regardless of race, is a primary motivation behind his policies as well as a source of criticism within minority communities.

GRAND PRIZE:

• $1000
•  Opening Act for Clara C’s National Tour Show in NYC!
•  A chance to secure an exclusive spot at the Kollaboration Finale Show in November

2 ROUNDS OF AUDITONS
1  Online Submission - DEADLINE APRIL 30, 2012 (11:59PM)
Notification for Live Auditions will be made by May 3, 2012 if chosen.
2 Live Auditions - MAY 5, 2012 or May 12, 2012 (TBD)

SHOW DATE!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Skirball Center for the Performing Arts – NYU

Dalip Singh Saund was born in Amritsar, a city in the present day Punjab state of India. In 1919, he received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Punjab and moved to California one year later, attending Berkeley and received a doctorate in mathematics. In the 1940s, he formed the Indian Association of America and worked with the Indian League of America to achieve Indian-American rights to citizenship. His work came to fruition when Truman signed the Luce-Cellar Act, permitting citizenship to Asian Indians, in 1946. Dalip Singh Saund finally gained citizenship in 1949. Active in the Democratic Party, he was selected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1952, 1956 and 1960. In 1950, Saund ran for judgeship and won, but could not serve because he had not been a citizen for a full year. Still, he did not give up and served as judge from 1952 until he became a congressman in 1957. He served three terms, but suffered a stroke while campaigning for a fourth and died, ending his career. Dalip Singh Saund not only helped win citizenship for Indians, but also inspired other Asian-Americans to pursue careers in politics, something that seemed impossible at the time.

As one of the few Asian American and Pacific Islander members in Congress, Mike Honda has represented the 15th Congressional District of California in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than a decade. Honda was born in California, but during World War II, he spent his early childhood with family at Camp Amache, a Japanese-American concentration camp in Colorado. Honda earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and Spanish, and a Master’s degree in Education from San Jose University. Previous to serving as a House member, he was a science teacher and served as a principal at two public schools. Currently, Honda is serving his 7th year as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, addressing the needs of the community and coordinating with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucuses to further the causes of under-represented minority communities by promoting racial tolerance, civil rights, and social rights. He continues to be a prominent voice from securing compensation for Filipino WWII veterans to supporting the passage of comprehensive immigration reform.

Source: http://honda.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=20

Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye is the first Japanese-American to serve in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. As a Sansei Japanese-American, Inouye was born in Honolulu and raised by Japanese immigrant parents. During World War II, he enlisted in the decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team and lost his right arm in the air. As a result of his military service, Inouye was one of the first Japanese-Americans to receive the Medal of Honor. Currently, he serves as the highest ranking Asian-American government official in American history. He was ranked third in line to presidency after the Vice President and Speaker of the House as the president pro-tempore of the Senate. He continues to be a passionate advocate for Hawaiians as well as the AAPI community at large.

Source: http://inouye.senate.gov/Home/Home_1.cfm