Some Asian American leaders and residents of the San Francisco Bay Area gathered in Los Gatos on April 20th to present awards to winners of a youth talent competition.
The talent competition was jointly organized by two organizations, The International Leadership Foundation and Impacter Pathway. The competition included categories such as arts, essays, and video creation, with first, second, and third place prizes in each category. Winners received scholarships of $500, $250, and $100 respectively.
The International Leadership Foundation, established in 2000, aims to provide leadership training to young Asian American students and offer scholarships to those with potential. The foundation’s founding president, Jiling Tong, who is also the executive director of the Asian American Business Association, co-founded the foundation with her husband Dragon. The couple attended the award ceremony together.
Tong spoke at the ceremony, highlighting the sacrifices made by first-generation Asian immigrants to ensure a better future for their offspring. She emphasized the unique and valuable spirit of sacrifice within the Asian American community, noting that despite holding purchasing power of $1.6 trillion in 2024, Asian Americans are underrepresented in leadership roles in many sectors.
Encouraging the participants, Tong noted that while their aspirations today might be to become doctors, teachers, or lawyers, they have the potential to reach higher positions, such as hospital administrators, school principals, or committee members in the future. She stated that the International Leadership Foundation’s mission over the past 25 years has been to help Asian Americans become leaders in American society.
One of the services provided by the International Leadership Foundation is to facilitate internship opportunities for Asian American students in the White House, Congress, and various federal government agencies. Tong urged the participants to actively engage in public service and contribute to the future prosperity of America.
Deputy Consul General Chu Yongchang from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco congratulated the award-winning students as a guest at the event. He expressed that Taiwan is an ally that America can trust and hoped that Asian American students will continue to uphold and promote Asian cultural heritage in the future.
Chinese American Mayor Zhao Yan from Saratoga, Chinese American Mayor Gusta Gao from Fremont, and San Francisco chapter chair of the International Leadership Foundation Meilian Lin, along with co-chair Junya Chen, were present to award the winners.