This year’s annual giving campaign, “Ignite the future: 35 Years of AANHPI Youth Empowerment,” celebrates the remarkable milestone of 35 years of the OCA National Internship Program!
This anniversary is a celebration of our past achievements and a testament to the continued importance of our program in shaping future leaders from the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities, and we invite you to participate in this celebration today!
With the generous support of our donors like you, the internship program continues to improve. Over the last five years alone, OCA has…
Increased the summer internship stipend from $2,500 to $5,250 to ensure fair compensation for full-time work.
Provided housing scholarships to assist low-income interns with living expenses in Washington, D.C. during the 10-week program.
Purchased bedding and business professional clothing for interns who were unable to afford it themselves.
Provided paid internships to immigrants, non-citizens, and undocumented students who faced challenges in securing paid internship opportunities elsewhere.
We invite you to contribute to sustaining this vital program. Follow the inspiring examples of our past national presidents, who are contributing to the Past National Presidents’ Legacy Fund—which gives additional scholarships to select OCA interns. Any donation, no matter the size, helps us continue transforming the lives of AANHPI youth.
P2P FUNDRAISING COMPETITION
We are hosting a peer-to-peer fundraising competition to support the OCA National Internship Program. P2P fundraising is when individuals, OCA chapter members, and individual OCA chapters can create personalized campaigns and mobilize their community to help fundraise for causes and initiatives they believe in. Using CauseVox, you can create your own fundraiser to sustain the OCA National Internship Program.
Individuals participating in OCA’s P2P fundraising competition will have a chance to receive a full ride to the 2025 OCA National Convention in Seattle, Washington! The grand prize includes:
Round-trip travel to and from Seattle, WA
4-day/3-night hotel stay
Full-package registration to the 2025 OCA National Convention
Grand prize total estimated value: $2,580
OCA Chapters who wish to participate in P2P fundraising can do so and create their own fundraising page, but only one grand prize winner must be selected by the chapter. All questions may be directed to the Senior Development Associate at caroline.buaron@ocanational.org. Learn more and join OCA’s P2P Fundraising by clicking the button below.
ONE-TIME DONATION
If you would like to contribute to the OCA National Internship Program but do not want to participate in P2P fundraising, you can still make a direct donation by visiting our donation portal using the button below.
“OCA’s internship is life changing. It informed my lens into Asian America and it gave me the tools to interrogate the intersections of my identities and how I could be a better advocate for my community. I fully believe that OCA’s internship is one of the best programs around and is producing the world leaders of today and our future. I and other colleagues have gone onto work in some of the highest levels of our government (like Acting Secretary Julie Su), others have gone onto earn PhDs, work at mainstream news outlets like Politico/USA Today and MSNBC, and many continue to be advocates and experts in both nonprofit and for profit organizations. OCA’s internship program is the premier program that every AAPI student wants to be part of it. It will be OCA’s enduring legacy if only there is a way to sustain and expand it.”
— Pajouablai Monica Lee, 2014 Intern
Summer Internship Stipend $5,250
Sama Sama (Leadership Development)
Speaker Honorariums $1,000
Food $300
Activities $300
OCA National Convention (Professional Development)
Food $650
Travel $800
Lodging $1,700
IT COSTS $10,000 TO HOST A SINGLE INTERN
“The OCA internship program was the best decision of my life :)”
— Muyi Zhang, 2018 Intern
For 35 years, our program has empowered interns to become influential leaders on their college campuses and beyond. Our alumni have made significant strides, enhancing the presence of the AANHPI community at various levels of government and beyond, including serving as a Cabinet Member of the United States, and Executive Director of The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians.
OCA intern alumni have collectively held over 380 top management positions at hundreds of organizations across a wide array of industries, including…
OCA intern alumni have served on over 150 government commissions, and boards and chairs, including…
OCA interns have also gone on to serve on the OCA National Executive Council as well as OCA Chapter Boards, including: OCA-East Bay, OCA-Greater Houston, OCA-Greater Seattle, OCA-Greater Washington D.C., OCA-New York, OCA-Northern Virginia, and OCA-San Francisco.
“Professionally speaking, the OCA internship program put me on a path of success because, after that summer, I had the ability to envision myself doing the type of work that I could only imagine in the classroom. I heard from people my own age, mentors who had years of experience, and visionaries who devoted their entire lives to the work of advocating for tangible change. To this day, I keep in mind the work I did over that summer, and I think about how my current work can and does influence the communities about which I care. From a personal standpoint, the internship program was incredibly validating, and I left feeling more confident in myself, my abilities, and my future goals. I developed friendships, some of which have lasted to this day, and found mentors that provided invaluable advice and counsel throughout the years.”
— Anthony Tran, 2012 Intern
Interns are placed to work full-time for ten weeks at OCA National Center or various external offices, including federal agencies, congressional offices, nonprofits, and companies.
“The OCA internship program has been beneficial professionally as I was able to secure a full-time job as a policy associate with NAPABA, which was my OCA placement, after graduating. I was able to prove my ability to be resourceful and hardworking at NAPABA through the internship. I also gained more crucial skills in adapting to the specifics of working at NAPABA through the internship, which made me a more competitive applicant for the policy associate position.”
— Aalaya Gurram, 2023 Intern
“OCA's internship program is unique in its entirety: from weekly Sama Sama sessions to the annual convention, interns form incredibly strong bonds with one another. Most other similar internship programs in the DC area don't have these features. I would say that my success and standing today as a nonprofit Data Analyst is largely due to what I learned and experienced as an OCA intern.”
— Ashley Rajavadee, 2019 Intern
Interns attend weekly sessions called “Sama Sama,” to discuss AANHPI issues, hear from guest speakers, participate in leadership and professional development workshops, cohort bonding and personal enrichment activities, and intern presentations on topics of their expertise.
“Sama Sama sessions were eye-opening for me as an intern. These sessions were the first all-AAPI political spaces I had ever encountered. I learned about each of my peers' lived experiences, how their identities shaped their politics, and what it meant to be an advocate.”
— Olivia Zalecki, 2018 Intern
“I think the most impactful experiences for me were the weekly intern presentations. What struck me is how clearly everyone's identity, heritage, and personality shone through their presentations, even if it wasn't explicitly shared. The fact that all these people were here, sharing their stories and advocating for change, was really powerful. Some parts of our cohort presented on academic topics I didn't know about before, like Madison on 'copaganda' or Amanda on early Chinese immigration. I also got to learn more about the Philippines' language diversity from Grey, about Sikhism from Kirit, and about Hmong shamanic practices from Gaomomee.”
— Alex Lee, 2023 Intern
Interns participate in an Advocacy Day, in which they split into groups and meet with their respective members of Congress to advocate for AANHPI causes, such as AANHPI history and curriculum, anti-Asian hate crimes, immigration, mental health, voting rights, and gun safety legislation.
“I remember distinctly my intern group walking down the hallway from our last congressional office on Advocacy Day. We were bursting with excitement but wanted to wait until we were far enough to begin celebrating. All of us had been nervous before, and today we had seen our hard work come to fruition. It had been a complete success, and we felt we had contributed to real change that would positively affect our community. I don't think I will ever forget the way we felt that afternoon.”
— Jay Moran, 2022 Intern
Interns attend and staff the annual OCA National Convention, providing logistical support to OCA National staff, and networking with fellow attendees.
“When I was working as a stagehand during the 2023 National Convention Awards Gala, I stood backstage with powerful figures from the AANHPI community, from actors to news broadcasters. Chatting with these leaders and then seeing them address the Convention floor moved me to tears. It made me feel more connected to this community and to the work of advocacy than I had ever felt before, and it’s all because of the opportunities I was offered through OCA’s internship program.”
— Jack Trowbridge, 2023 Intern
“Attending the OCA convention was a very memorable experience The interns staffed the convention over three days and assisted with registration, facilitated workshops, and acted as guides in the venue. It was eye-opening to see everyone in the AANHPI advocacy sphere coming together into this one space and getting to talk to people like Commissioner Glenn Magpantay and other achieved OCA-affiliated individuals. I learned a lot about what it means to be an advocate. Whether advocacy is done through grassroots organizations, public policy, law, or the arts—you can always find the good work to be done somewhere.”
— Iris Liu, 2024 Intern
“This internship has left me with an incredible experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. OCA has facilitated an incredible community among its interns, and we have formed deep bonds that stretch across the country. Professionally, I have a greater understanding of both the political and corporate space.”
— Alethea Franklin, 2024 Intern
“The OCA internship program changed my future direction and dedicated my professional career to minority health and addressing health disparities.”
— Stephen Chao, 2001 Intern
