This past week was a whirlwind of events as I was able to see a spectrum of ways to advocate and serve the community, from serving as elected official to direct service. On Friday, we had the opportunity to visit the West Covina City Hall and meet elected officials and staff as well as explore the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center (ESGVJCC) with Executive Director Pearl Omiya.
When we sat down in the morning for a Q&A with West Covina City Councilmember Tony Wu and Brian Tabatabai, I found it to be an interesting experience to witness two elected officials who carry opposing political views discuss an issue and how to best address it. As I sat watching their debate, I began thinking how difficult it is to agree on an issue on the local scale – I couldn’t even imagine this same situation on a state or national scale. While it is understandable that such debates can make the legislative process slow since these decisions affects a wide range of people, I questioned if I had the mental stamina to endure such a process. Watching them made me commend them for maintaining both a public face and professional dialogue during disagreements.
When we later visited Pearl at ESGVJCC, her direct service of planning, running, and overseeing Camp Chibiko and the other 29 programs was immediately impressive. As we toured the area, she explained how she thought of running a food program to serve the community and decided to go for it and start cooking meals. One distinction that was immediately clear between West Covina City Hall and ESGVJCC was the efficiency of getting things done and also the breadth/depth of impact. I remember Pearl saying, “If I can dream it, I can do it.” I found her words and ability to be so gratifying and empowering. In contrast to Councilmember Wu and Tabatabai where their power affects a larger body, I found Pearl’s power to affect a smaller group of people on a deeper scale to be so impactful.
While being in both spaces, I was able to picture myself in their shoes and which one I would enjoy most and where my skills would fit. As someone who has been interested in pursuing a career in policy work and the legislative field, I do see myself staffing bills by researching and speaking to stakeholders and experts on a certain issue. I find this suits me more as I want to create solutions and amend existing ones to establish justice. While I am still exploring different professional routes I am interested in pursuing, I appreciated receiving the opportunity to see both spectrums of advocacy.