By Natalie Bray, 2026 CLA Intern
Orientation week at CAUSE provided me with experiences I will never forget. Throughout the various activities, events, and travels we undertook, our cohort built a strong connection with one another that helped me feel more at home with the inspiring young adults I saw around me. Each of us shared different backgrounds, which we discussed with one another, and got to learn about everyone and what personal experiences we all brought to the table in various discussions. Right off the bat, everyone was openly communicative and friendly, and genuinely wanted to understand each other. That instantly created a welcoming environment, and made me excited to spend the summer with this cohort.
At CAUSE, my cohort and I explored various conversations regarding topics I had previously less knowledge on. One discussion that particularly impacted me was learning all about AAPI historical events and learning how these historical events shaped people today, and how the cohort’s own families were embedded within these historical events. This made me realize that AAPI history is severely underrepresented in the education of today, and this made me understand the importance of AAPI representation in the modern era, so individuals within this community get the recognition they deserve.
When my cohort and I traversed to the California Capitol for our Capitol Summit in Sacramento, I was extremely excited because I had never been. We hit the ground running when our flight landed, and we went straight into meeting with people of different political positions, staffers, and CAUSE alumni. I got to watch my own representatives at work, as well as communicate with other representatives about their own platforms and goals within their work. For the first time, I got first hand experience conversing with people who are hard at work within the Capitol to handle California’s political issues and legislation. This made me feel heard, and made me feel glad in knowing that there are so many people working for Californians and hearing their issues.
It was really impactful to see just how important network is within various political spheres, and was touching to see CAUSE alumni take time out of their days to meet with us and genuinely want to support us throughout our Leadership Academy journey, and further. Because I am the first in my family to have any sort of interest and involvement in American politics, it made me feel empowered to see so many of my peers share this interest and also want to collaborate with me about our shared beliefs. I have since realized the vast reach that the CAUSE network has, whether that be in Sacramento or Los Angeles, and how grateful I am to now be a part of it. I have never felt more genuinely supported by an organization, and have never been able to make so many new friends within such a short amount of time. This first week made me look forward to the rest of the summer with my cohort, my supervisors, and everyone I will be able to meet!