How did you get this job?
- The Senator asked me to join his team.
When did you decide you want to work for an elected official?
- Senior year of college. I was offered an internship, which transitioned in to full time work upon my graduation
Why did you choose to work in this office?
- Senator Becker’s background and policy goals were exciting to me.
Are you a dog or a cat person? or other? and why?
- Cats 4 life. I have a 20 year old cat named Rani, and truly, I work full time just to make sure she has a good life.
Do you consider yourself a mentor to other AAPI staff? In what ways?
- I didn’t always think of myself as a mentor, but after working for 4 different legislators and just having some time in the political arena, I realized that my experiences were valuable not just to myself – but younger. A few younger politicos come to me for advice. I appreciate that.
Do you have any mentors? how have they helped?
- Yes, I have mentors, but ironically they are white men who are committed to seeing women of color boosted in the political sphere.
What is the most difficult challenge of a job where policy and politics cross each other all the time?
- Getting your personal politics caught in your boss’ crosshairs. My boss encourages us to be political and have our own opinions – but it becomes difficult when my opinion differs from his, or when I’m mentioned in context of working for my boss.
What is a typical day at work for you?
- There is no typical day at work for me – that’s why I love working for the Legislature.
Please share your thoughts on the representation and number of Asian Americans working as staff in the California State Legislature
- It seems to me that there is a large swath of AAPI individuals working in Capitol and District Offices, but whether we are coalesced and supporting each other is another matter. In the Capitol, staff is centralized under APICA. In the district, it is harder to feel connected to other AAPI staffers because we all work for different Members in different geographies.
How close are we to having the interests of the AAAPI community adequately represented in California State policy making?
I don’t think we are close at all. We AAPI’s are only NOW shedding the “model minority” myth and have not been organized nor advocating for ourselves nearly as long as our Latinx and Black counterparts.