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“Local community associations help immigrants and their children gain social mobility.”

Naimah Hares, SAST Major, C’16 talks about her summer Governor’s Internship with the Commission of Asian Pacific American Affairs in Pennsylvania.

"Last summer, I received a rare opportunity to intern under Tiffany Lawson, the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission of Asian Pacific American Affairs (GACAPAA). After reaching out to Mrs. Lawson and introducing myself as a Penn student interested in studying law, together we designed an internship to enrich my understanding of the working of the Pennsylvania State Government.

Governor Tom Wolf was elected in 2014, and the three main goals for his term were “Government that Works, Schools that Teach, and Jobs that Pay”. GACAPAA supports this broader mission, while functioning as an advocacy group for all Asian communities state-wide. My work with the Commission involved updating a service directory of support organizations that assist the Asian communities.  Through this, I learned about grassroots organizations that I previously had no knowledge of, and their advocacy, advice and assistance role in supporting communities. Some groups deliver English language classes to refugees which developes their communication skills and also helps them to adjust to American culture. The South Philadelphia-based Bhutanese community for example, invests in both the long-established community and new arrivals to help improve their standards of living. My personal experience of growing up in an immigrant family in West Philadelphia reminded me of the hardships that many people face when initially migrating to the United States. I truly appreciate the existence of these community associations and organizations and believe their work goes a long way in helping immigrants and their US-born children achieve social mobility.

During the times that I was not focussing on the directory, I shadowed Mrs. Lawson as she attended meetings and events. I quietly observed her interactions with leaders of communities, businesses, and government staff, and learned about the social and policy issues effecting specific communities. In 2010, for example, the issue of deportation among the Cambodian community came to a fore, which gave rise to a national grassroots organization, the 1Love Movement, being established to help empower communities to gain autonomy. I also learned what helps shape the decisions that foreign businesses make when they invest in parts of Philadelphia.

A memorable experience for me was attending my first fundraising event, which supported and promoted the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. During the event, which was hosted at Ocean City Restaurant in Chinatown, I was also lucky enough to meet City Councilman, Minority Whip David Oh, and other important leaders --and also saw Mrs. Lawson deliver Governor Wolf’s greeting for the fundraiser. Seeing so many community leaders present in the same venue highlighted the connections between the various Asian communities, organizations, municipal and state representatives. Overall, it was one of the most impressive Asian American Film festivals to be hosted on the East Coast -- its organization was excellent and Chinese fare delicious –which also offered me the opportunity to try jellyfish for the first time. My summer internship, while very enriching and fun, was unfortunately also very short. I am happy, however to say that Mrs. Lawson has provided me the wonderful opportunity to be a commissioner for the current term. As the youngest person on the Commission, I am grateful for her investing time to mentor and support me to develop important social skills; to enable me to meet admirable and influential leaders; and to inspire me to do all I can to assist my local Asian community, the Bangladeshi Community of Pennsylvania."