My name is Samantha Solemnidad, and I’m a California native born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area but currently living in Los Angeles where I’m a student at UCLA. There I’m a rising third-year double majoring in Political Science and Asian American Studies. When I first heard about US-Asia Institute’s IMPACT! Program for Filipino-Americans, I knew I wanted to apply but honestly did not think I was qualified enough to get into so I applied simply hoping to be considered. When I received the letter detailing my acceptance, I was overwhelmed with happiness and so excited for the summer to come.
Even though the summer in DC had to be a virtual one because of COVID-19, IMPACT! was everything I thought it would be and more. Starting off the summer with our Orientation was really like diving headfirst into everything DC and politics. For the rest of the cohort and I, it felt like really getting a crash course into what Washington DC was like even if we weren’t physically there. We got to meet so many different people from all over DC and from all different types of sectors to try and understand every aspect of the political process. Not only was Orientation week super informative for me, but it also was when my amazing cohort got really close. I can say with full confidence that IMPACT! would not have been the same without Kathleen, Clarissa, Tiffany, Shekinah, and Isabelle.
As a part of USAI’s IMPACT! Program for Filipino-Americans, I got placed in an internship with Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA)Vote, a non-profit organization focused on increasing civic engagement in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. There, I was lucky enough to also have an amazing intern group and staff who helped me learn and grow so much in the 10 weeks I spent with them. Working with APIAVote I got the amazing opportunity to work on projects that exposed me to the nationwide AAPI community but also work in proximity to many AAPI leaders in the community and in politics.
My favorite project I got to work on as an APIAVote intern was assisting with the Presidential Town Hall and National Leadership Summit which are two of APIAVote’s biggest events of the year. At first, I was surprised that we as interns were trusted to help with such a big event, but I’m so glad we were. I got to see exactly what it takes to bring AAPI leaders together to discuss very important topics and also how we got actual presidential candidates to speak on AAPI issues. Not only do I get the opportunity to now say I worked on a Presidential Town Hall where Joe Biden himself spoke but also I gained skills I wouldn’t have been able to gain in any other internship.
I'm extremely grateful to have spent my summer in DC with the US-Asia Institute, APIAVote, and my amazing IMPACT! Cohort. Getting fully immersed in the AAPI non-profit and DC political world was an amazing experience for me as a Filipino-American. There are not a lot of us in government or politics, but seeing just how much my fellow Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are fighting for representation makes me confident that the future will bring a new wave of representation. This program and my internship made me feel more connected to my national Filipino community and also so excited about what the future can hold for me. Thank you to USAI, APIAVote, and to everyone who made my time in DC unforgettable.
