Before I begin this blog, I would like to sincerely thank all those who have provided funding for me. Funding from SALDEF, CU Boulder, IIGS, as well as donations to my GoFundMe allowed my dreams to become a reality.
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| The White House after the SCOTUS decision on Marriage Equality (Photo courtesy of the White House) |
This summer, I had the great prestige to be an intern at the
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, as well as a
SALDEF SikhLEAD intern. I never thought I would have the opportunity to spend my summer again in DC ( I was a Summer 2014 intern at the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), let alone at one of the most prestigious internships in the country.
I was the only Sikh from the State of Colorado to intern in DC this summer (no pressure!), and I knew this would be my platform to speak to policymakers and federal officials about my unique identity. I was scared, nervous, and anxious for what new things this summer will bring. I partially blame that on my recent obsession with House of Cards. But more importantly, I was passionate about making tangible change. With 4 large suitcases, an empty notebook, and my mother in tears, I was boarding my flight to DC.
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| Screenshot of the White House Blog on my E3! Capstone Project |
As an Intergovernmental Affairs and Strategic Partnerships intern at the White House Initiative, my duties centered around the youth engagement portfolio and the
AAPI Bullying Prevention Task Force. As a former E3! Ambassador, I focused my term on bullying so I couldn't wait to intertwine my ideas into the task force. My first day, I decided to wear new high-heels, and ended up leaving the office with more blisters than I can count (#girlproblems)! However, I knew it would all be worth it. But before I could begin any office work, I needed to complete my capstone project for the E3! Program-- a Google Hangout about bullying to Sikh youth.
It even got featured in a June White House Blog (eek!)
I had so many opportunities this summer, but here are a few of the highlights!
White House AAPI Youth Forum
I attended the
White House AAPI Youth Forum last year as a participant, but I got to help organize and speak on a panel at it this year. My role consisted of managing over 300 RSVPs, coordinating speaker information, creating materials, etc. I probably stayed at the office till 9 PM each night and would walk home feeling like there was still so much work to do. On July 9th, I woke up praying everything will work out okay- and it did! I gave a presentation to about 40 young AAPI leaders about my journey as a Sikh American and how it related to my work as an E3! Ambassador. Although I was the only Sikh in the room, everyone connected with me and understood my fight to be their own. I have never been more inspired in my life than at the Youth Forum. The best part about the White House Initiative is how much they
value their interns. I am so used to watching movies like
Pitch Perfect 2 (I still love you)
that portray the image that interns should get coffee and can be seen, but not heard. The Initiative broke down that barrier, and my advisers made it a point to thank all the interns. Each of our voices played a significant role in this event, and I am so thankful to have been a part of it.
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| At the White House AAPI Youth Forum |
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| Outside the West Wing of the White House |
Make Progress Summit
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Pictured with Aditi Hardikar, White House Liason to AAPI's
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I signed up for an event I saw on Facebook (story of every DC intern's life) called the "Make Progress Summit." I had no idea what it meant, but all I knew was that key speakers always come to it. As the date got closer, I decided to begin reading on what the summit seeked to highlight. The day of the summit, I attended breakout panels on LGBT equality, diversity in the government, and immigration reform. I even got to squeeze in a question about what can be done to improve the image of Sikhs when entering the government! Throughout the day, I got to personally meet many key federal officials, but what stuck out the most was meeting Vice President Joe Biden. Whenever I say this, I like to point out the fact I had to argue with about 20 students for a seat in the front row, and jump about 50 chairs to shake his hand and have a quick conversation with him. The VPOTUS is an extremely caring individual, and he took the time to work his way around the room to meet "fan-girling" students.
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| Sharing conversation with VPOTUS |
Me: It is so nice to meet you Mr. Vice-President. Thank you for taking the time to be here with us today!
VPOTUS: Thank you. What's your name?
VPOTUS: {attempts to pronounce it}. That's a beautiful name!
Oh, and I made it to the highlights video.
No big deal.
Langar on the Hill
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| Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) |
If there is one event I can pin-point to being my "pride and joy" for the summer, this definitely takes the cake.
LOTH provided me a second time around a voice and it was a SikhLEAD team effort. Yes, there were heated discussions and chair throwing (
just kidding- it wasn't that intense), but the end result was the largest Sikh event to ever be hosted on Capitol Hill in terms of attendees and 18+ congressional speakers. Students I met at the Make Progress Summit were coming up to me and telling me this inspired them to do more for their respective communities, and I have never felt more humbled. All those late nights came together to form a beautiful celebration of Sikh Americans and our contributions to America. I felt power, something not too many Sikhs can say they feel very often. I didn't feel power because of how successful the event was though, I felt power because I saw an American community come together as one. Congressman Bishop took the time to eat the meal and talk to us about Mango Lassi, and congresswoman Judy Chu remembered me from last summer. All in all, every speaker came as a friend for Sikhs, and a voice of support. Thank you to SALDEF and my fellow SikhLEADers.
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| Giving Closing-Remarks on behalf of SikhLEAD |
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| Representative Judy Chu's Social media post |
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