Internship
25 Years of Building a Base of Advocates:
The OCA Internship Program
Kendall T. Kosai | Development Associate
D
eeply rooted in a rich history, OCA – Asian Pacific
A merican Advocates continues to stand at the
forefront to developing the next generation of Asian Pacific
American (APA) leaders. No program has demonstrated this
commitment more than the OCA Internship Program, now
in its 25th year, which aims to empower the next generation
of community leaders by providing opportunities to APA
students across the United States. Founded in 1989 with a
single intern and a strong backing by OCA’s national network
of chapters, the OCA Internship Program was born.
Since its establishment, not much about the OCA
Internship Program has changed. The driving principles of
leadership development and equal opportunity continue to lie
at the heart of the program and the impact of the internship
has opened doors for participants in all fields. Hundreds
of Intern Alumni continue to do inspiring work for their
communities and new generations of leadership continue to
emerge to tackle some of the most pressing issues of our time.
One change in the past 25 years is that the internship was
initially backed by OCA’s national network of chapters and
members— the program’s funding model has since shifted for
sustainability purposes.
“In order to have adequate resources, the Internship
Fund was established 20 years ago,” says Michael C. Lin, past
OCA national president and former executive director. “Over
the years, the overwhelming generosity of our membership
allowed the expansion of the OCA Internship Program by more
than 10-fold and it became what it is today.”
Now funded by the William & Sinforosa Tan Kaung
Internship Endowment Fund, Mary Ann & Paul C. Yu
Internship Fund, the Walmart Foundation, and the Comcast
Foundation, the OCA Internship Program has evolved over
time to become one of the strongest and well-respected APA
leadership development programs in the country.
Indeed, the Internship Program has been able to rapidly
grow from offering a single internship in 1989 to over 25 each
year, stemming from the tireless support of OCA’s chapters,
members, and supporters.
“The Internship Program would not have been possible
without the generous donations of OCA chapter, members
and friends from throughout the country who contributed
financially for the internship stipends,” says Daphne Kwok,
OCA executive director from 1990-2001. “This is the most
impactful OCA program that has been running for 25 years.”
Building a Base of Advocates
While OCA offers internship opportunities year round, the
OCA Summer Internship Program has become one of the
organization’s cornerstone programs. Each summer, talented
and high-potential college students are selected and given
the opportunity to come to Washington, DC, where they are
placed in high profile Congressional offices, Federal agencies,
national non-profit organizations, corporate offices, and the
OCA National Center.
“This program is personally very gratifying in that, as the
National President in 1993 when the first summer class of
interns came on board, I have had the opportunity to interface
with many OCA interns over the years,” says Ginny Gong,
OCA past national president.“They are wonderful reminders
to me of OCA’s mission and why I’ve been so committed to it
over the years.”
Throughout the 10-week period, with a combination
of substantial workplace experience and networking
opportunities, OCA interns develop into productive and highly
desired workforce ready employees with skills that allow them
to excel in their careers and communities.
“It is gratifying to see many exceptional young people
already emerging from the program and contri