By Rachel Nguyen, 2025 CLA Intern
Displayed on the walls of Terasaki Budokan—the venue of our graduation ceremony—were posters from our first week of CLA that described the various communities we were part of. Looking at them months later, I realized how much my definition of community had expanded.
As someone fortunate enough never to fear the act of speaking, but often unsure whether my words carried weight, CLA reminded me that my voice didn’t come from speaking the loudest, but from knowing I carried others with me. Now more than ever, I remembered that I was rooted in the knowledge that I spoke from, with, and alongside the people who made me. With that grounding, I owe so much of my growth, success, and joy this summer to my placement in Governor Gavin Newsom’s Office of External Affairs. My office made sure I understood the stakes — who was at the table, what they represented, and how each conversation fit into the Governor’s broader priorities. And more than that, they never treated me as just someone shadowing at the table; they brought me in as an extension of the team, trusting me to contribute my voice and judgment as someone who is profoundly affected by the legislation signed 400 miles away in Sacramento.
Simultaneously at CAUSE, I witnessed firsthand what people-first politics could look like. Over the past nine weeks, I found myself saying “I’m down if you’re down” often. At first, it was casual, something that we’d say when deciding whether to grab boba after programming or testing out a risky campaign strategy. But over time, it grew into something more profound: a way of affirming our commitment to one another. It meant, “I will keep showing up because your struggle is bound up with mine.”
For now, I’ll gladly carry the title of CAUSE Leadership Academy alum—and, more importantly, your friend—because nothing makes me prouder than knowing I belong to this community—your community. Wherever the 15 of us end up, I know we’ll keep choosing to move together, to imagine together, and to fight together.
