The International Leadership Foundation (ILF) San Francisco Branch held its annual exchange meeting in Cupertino on April 26th last Sunday, attracting professionals, business representatives, and community leaders from the Bay Area and Southern California to attend enthusiastically. The event combined recognition, networking, and experience sharing, showcasing the continuous impact of the Asian community in professional development, public engagement, and community leadership.
Renowned Bay Area host Le Zhou hosted the event. Lin Meilian, President of ILF San Francisco Branch, expressed gratitude to all attendees for their support and stated that ILF, under the leadership of Ms. Dong Jiling, has been nurturing outstanding Asian college students for over a quarter of a century to intern in Washington, D.C., expanding their horizons and leadership skills, hoping that they will contribute their strengths and give back to society in the future.
During her speech, ILF Founder Dong Jiling thanked the long-term support of advisors and friends from various sectors for ILF San Francisco Branch and shared her current involvement in promoting the National Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Asian Pacific Islander American Museum, and the ILF Youth Leadership Development. She emphasized that ILF is her most beloved cause, and the advisory team is like a big family where everyone supports each other and grows together. Especially seeing the younger generation joining the team has been inspiring for her. She also thanked the San Francisco community for their generous support over the years and looked forward to more people participating in the ILF annual meeting on July 23 to continue advocating for Asians in mainstream American society and nurturing the next generation of leaders.
Joel Szabat, husband of Dong Jiling and co-founder of ILF, reflected on the 27-year journey of promoting youth leadership development at ILF. He mentioned that the Civic Fellowship Program, which had only 6 students in its early years, has gradually gained recognition from Washington, D.C. government agencies. This year, it is expected to have 30 to 35 students participating in federal agency internships.
Wu Zhixiang, Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco, praised ILF for assisting Asian youth in entering US government departments for internships over the years, cultivating leadership, and integrating into mainstream society. He looks forward to more exchanges and cooperation with ILF in the future to jointly enhance the influence of the Taiwan-American community in mainstream society.
Additionally, representatives from the advisory team of the Orange County branch in Southern California also attended the event. Representing Advisory Chairman Lai Shuna, Chen Chaoquan stated that ILF is not only a regional organization but also a cross-regional, cross-sector leadership platform, looking forward to more cooperation opportunities in the future.