The Asia Pacific Public Affairs Alliance Greater Fremont Chapter (APAPA-Greater Fremont Chapter) held the closing ceremony for its summer interns in Union City on August 31st. Several elected officials and community leaders attended the event to encourage young people to engage in public affairs and become future leaders.
Every year, the APAPA summer internship program selects outstanding high school students to intern in various officials’ offices for two months, completing a minimum of 100 hours of service.
This year’s program included 21 students who worked in the offices of 11 elected officials and community leaders, gaining valuable internship experience. The offices they interned at included California Assemblymember Evan Low, Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee, Alameda County Assessor Phong La, Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert, Cupertino City Councilmember Hung Wei, Saratoga Mayor Yan Zhao, Fremont Councilmembers Yang Shao, Teresa Keng, Raj Salwan, Stanley Kou of the Fremont Unified High School District Board, and APAPA National Director Henry Yin.
During the ceremony, Vice Chair Yang Shao of APAPA-Greater Fremont Chapter presided over the event. Fremont Mayor Lily Mei and APAPA National Director Henry Yin presented certificates and medals to the summer interns. Representatives from the offices of Evan Low, Phong La, and Otto Lee also awarded recognition certificates to the interns, encouraging them to further engage in community service activities in the future.
As the keynote speaker for the event, Fremont Councilmember Raj Salwan emphasized the values of setting clear goals and hard work, stating that diligent effort is the most important quality. He encouraged all students to wholeheartedly pursue their goals if they have a clear vision.
Peggy Chiou, Chair of APAPA-Greater Fremont Chapter, mentioned that since 2016, the East Bay has organized high school students to participate in the summer internship program annually. This project has not only had a profound impact on the students but has also attracted active participation from many parents. These experiences are highly beneficial for the students’ future development.
One of the interns, Andrew Dong, who interned in Councilmember Raj Salwan’s office this summer and participated in his mayoral campaign, shared his learnings. He mentioned that during the internship, he learned how to collaborate and communicate with others, including making phone calls to voters, discussing their concerns, and personally visiting them. He realized that besides convincing voters, understanding their needs is equally crucial.