#apicommunity

Entry 1: Presenting the Intern Fams of 2015

From left to right, then top to bottom: Carlangelo Viray (just your typical LA local), Johnson Nguyen (my first buddy), Jimmy Tang (GQ everywhere he goes), Trisha Hongcharti (THE east coaster), Andrew Hua (my city neighbor), Nathan Lee (clean, crisp, and chill), Avalon Igawa (epitome of a USC Trojan), Maikoua Vang (future partner on stage), and Ronia Aeulua (loud in the heart).

I would like to start off by saying how blessed I feel for being chosen to be a part of this prestigious internship. My reasons of applying for this internship was to grow up as a person and gain the necessary leadership skills to help me progress in my life. I never really challenged myself up until I joined college, and from there I still didn’t make the most of every opportunity I had. Coming into this internship I was nervous because I was surrounded by students in my age group that had good heads on their shoulders. They were from all around America and had their own unique stories as to how they became the wonderful people they were. I met a lovely young woman by the name of Meredith at the LEAP office before my interview and she told me a quote that she heard from someone else, that I just really live by now:

“Approach everything with a beginner’s mindset. You may know a lot about something, or maybe even a little, but if you treat it as if it’s your first time doing it, you’ll always end up learning something new.”

I did just that. Instead of always trying to take charge of every situation, I followed behind others’ lead at times and learned what it meant to be in a team. I learned that I should always make my points quickly to save time, but strongly so others get my tone and message. I learned I should always be specific in what I say, and that everybody has their own style as to how they work or communicate. I learned that having a strong foundation before reaching for the sky is way more important than being the tallest building in the world. I learned that plans are something, but planning is everything. I learned that if we’re scared of running out of time, we have to face the truth that it’s going faster. I learned to always speak for myself because I don’t represent the entire API community. I learned that real friends tell you what you don’t want to hear at times. I learned that even if we do have the ambition to pursue success, we should humble ourselves down for others and realize that we can accidentally lose our way. I learned that we should always hold true to our values and brand. It’s all about the bigger picture. Just like the community. Did I mention we went grocery shopping in three different ethnic communities, worked together, finished and delegated our tasks on time, bonded with each other, and gained an extra $20 for our impact project? [=

My favorite part of this internship is that everything is interactive, not your typical classroom lecture. Our scavenger hunt, team exercises, team challenges, hell, even our lectures were interactive. I’m a people person and I adapt to everybody so I can always be that all around friend, and all this interaction really helped me in connecting with everybody. I apologize for my goofiness. I just love everything!

I’m definitely going to make the most of this family. The fact that I’m writing this blog right now instead of cuddling with my girlfriend (who is right next to me, and I haven’t seen in a while), and knowing I always procrastinate is saying something. This internship is changing me for the better.