Blog 3: A Shakespearian Saturday

By Gabriel Molina-Kong, 2026 CLA Intern

Election night gave me a feeling that I hadn’t felt since my days playing Macduff in a high school production of Macbeth. It was the feeling of having weeks of preparation culminate in one night when you give everything you have for the audience, or in this case, the electorate. As a candidate, I had to memorize and give a speech, think about the life that candidate Molina-Kong had lived, and talk to people as if I were that man. It’s exactly the kind of character preparation that our director would have us do in my school’s theater program. And just like any high school play, some of the audience was receptive to our performance, and others just sat through it. 

At a certain point in the night, I was speaking with Vice Mayor Danny Hang and Councilmember Sabrina Bow, and I embodied my character so well they actually believed that I was the former city manager of Pasadena, had raised $1.8 million, and was really trying to take on the major players that intend to run for County Executive. They kept hitting me with questions that neither me nor my team had prepared in advance, and it was in that conversation (and many others like it) that I saw the positive impact that nine years of improv could have on a career in politics. My team and I had prepared ourselves for what we thought was every possible question and concern that could be raised in a room full of elected officials, but all that prep gets thrown out the window when someone asks you about a department you’re unfamiliar with or a policy you didn’t know existed. It’s like what General Eisenhower once said: Plans are worthless, but planning is essential. 

One thing the mock campaign did was give me a reason to talk to everyone in the room and introduce myself. In leading with the campaign, many people were intrigued and then turned their focus onto me because they were interested in knowing the kind of person that would participate in something like that. It made networking feel less stilted and more a natural byproduct of a task that we needed to execute for our campaign. It was an incredibly fun night, but I suppose that’s easy to say when you win.

BLOG 3: Network is a synonym for community

By Sophia Pu, 2026 CLA Intern

Feet: hurting. Makeup: sweating off. Mouth: tired of talking. And yet, there was a nightmare scenario on repeat in my head that kept me campaigning: someone telling me they didn’t vote for my candidate because no one reached out to them.

The time for hesitating to talk to people had passed hours ago. Whether it was reconnecting with people I hadn’t seen in months or forging entirely new relationships, I didn’t go five minutes without giving a spiel for my candidate, Gabriel Molina-Kong. When I got anxious over ensuring we spoke to each voter, I was comforted by seeing my team’s bright yellow leis scattered throughout the crowd and knowing each of them was giving their all. We didn’t stop until almost everyone at the event was wearing one of the yellow plumeria clips attached to our brochures.

The whirl of campaigning was exhilarating because I truly believed in the vision we were putting forward and I was confident that our ideas were well-researched. We spent dozens of hours wrapping our heads around county governance and crafting our platform. I laid out an hour-by-hour plan of where we would be, what we would be talking about, and how we were going to execute on election day. Of course, our plan went out the window as soon as we stepped into the AAPI LEAD Summit. As Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, plans are worthless, but planning is everything.

Not all of the campaign process was energizing. It was a struggle to approach people to network, let alone invite them to a fake election for a position that doesn’t exist yet. Where I expected to strike natural conversations at the AAPI LEAD Summit, I instead felt like a shark circling the lunch area, looking for prey. Gabriel faced detailed questions about positions he never actually held, while other members of my team overcame hostile confrontations.

What made it all worth it was the realization that “network” is just another word for community. I met leaders at the Summit who were fighting for AAPI representation in Alaska and Tennessee, reminding me that a seat at the table cannot be taken for granted. When I needed a break from pitching people who were only half listening, I took refuge in conversations with old friends like Alton Wang, PCC trustee, and new allies like staff in Assemblymember Al Maratsuchi’s office. At the reception, I got to see Kari Okubo, Karen Umemoto, and Chancee Martorell, the pillars of an Asian American studies class I took at UCLA. Seeing the strength of my network, or community, reminded me of Nancy’s lessons on networking being a team sport. I was surrounded by people I could lean on because they had paved the way before me and are walking alongside me now.

The highlight of election night for me was after Gabriel won and I ran to the other team with arms outstretched. We ended up in a giant group hug, jumping in a circle to Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright”. After all the blood, sweat, and tears we put in together, it was the perfect moment of catharsis.

Blog 1: Policymakers Are People Too

By Sophia Pu, 2026 CLA Intern

I’ve been to California’s capitol three times as a student at UCLA, but my visit with the CAUSE Leadership Academy was unlike any other. I was able to go beyond advocating for bills and resources to see legislators and their staff in action and have detailed conversations about their work.

One of the most meaningful experiences for me was speaking directly with my own representatives – Assemblymember Mike Fong and Senator Sasha Renée Pérez – and asking them about my primary concerns as a constituent, including supporting undocumented students and regulating data centers. When we visited other cohort members’ host offices, I saw how proud each legislator was to represent their constituents, even as they were hundreds of miles away from their home districts. The time and attention legislators and senior staff gave us made me feel that Sacramento as a place where ordinary people can come to make their voices heard. 

Attending Assembly and Senate floor sessions – courtesy of Senator Ben Allen and Assemblymember Jessica Caloza’s office – allowed me to see myself in their shoes, speaking for the communities they care about in front of some of the most powerful people in the state. Speaking to members of the CAUSE network who were once in my shoes demystified the legislative process and the path to shaping policy for almost 40 million people.

After a long day of meeting with offices and networking, I almost felt too tired to explore Sacramento with my cohort – but I’m so grateful that I did. Leaving the hotel to get dessert, take silly photos, and walk 30 minutes to see the capitol building at night turned us from coworkers separated by walls of professionalism to friends going through the same journey together. A stranger on the street would have seen a group of raucous young people disturbing the peace. But if I learned anything from my conversations with CLA alumni and political stars, it’s that those loud, laughing college students will one day champion change in California and beyond.

Blog 1: A Spark, A New Journey

By Kaitlan Sakuma, 2026 CLA Intern

Reflecting over Orientation Week and especially the Capitol Summit, I was reminded of the time we all sat together in the State Assembly Chamber, moved by the diverse weight of everyone gathered in that room. From politicians championing critical bills across the state to waving at the honorable Victor Glover on the assembly floor, being physically present in Sacramento – where change is actively being made – gave me genuine hope. Although it has only been a week at CLA, the knowledge, experience, and bonds I have already gained have been transformative. I am so grateful to be part of an amazing cohort and community of inspiring leaders.

Coming into the Academy, I knew I wanted to deepen my understanding and contribution to an organization that does incredible work to enact change in our communities. Though I thought I understood what CLA was about, actually being part of the program reshaped that understanding into something I couldn’t have fully grasped beforehand. It is to connect with people, to be community-oriented, and to—ultimately—be present. While spending time at the Capitol during our Summit, I saw the importance of not only working for your community but also connecting with your community.

I felt especially inspired by Assemblymember Fong and his way of balancing his work on the Assembly Floor with his drive to continue to connect with his community. Despite the demands of his role at the Capitol, he remains a member of the communities he represents – and he shows up for them. When he stopped by our dinner for a few minutes and answered our questions, it reminded me of how powerful humility is – his physical presence, even briefly, spoke louder than words. I think that this was one of the most significant takeaways from the past week; I strive to be a leader who enacts change within the community and is also one with the community.

Furthermore, in discussing CAUSE and its commitment to Asian Pacific American (APA) empowerment, I was amazed to see how expansive the API and AANHPI networks are in the political atmosphere. In Sacramento, listening and talking to other motivated API leaders in the field was empowering. In particular, having conversations with past CLA Interns and other CAUSE alumni allowed me to visualize myself in this line of work as an individual part of the APA community. Because there still exists a lack of representation in the political space, seeing a growing APA community at the Capitol—a space where change and policy is being made—and how that representation is being celebrated, gives me genuine hope for future AANHPI leaders to continue to emerge and grow in the political field.