The start of LEAP Emerge
“This was the beginning of me starting to think about leadership beyond student involvement and starting to apply leadership in a professional setting” - Lynna Vo
Lynna Vo, a rising senior at the University of Connecticut, heard about the LEAP Emerge program from her university’s Asian American Cultural Center. When looking into the details of the program, she recognized LEAP’s Emerge program as something unheard of in relation to the internship programs she had previously researched. With the positive reviews from her advisors, she decided to take the chance of challenging herself to apply for LEAP Emerge.
In the middle of June 2023, 12 juniors and seniors from around the country came together in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. For many of them, this was their first time leaving their homes without their families. They were anxiously awaiting to meet their fellow cohort members and the experience of LEAP’s leadership development.
Within a short time frame, these 12 aspiring leaders created relationships with one another through professional development, explored Los Angeles, and completed a cooking competition in Venice Beach. This experience is the foundation for the LEAP Emerge program as they go on to complete 8 weeks of an internship with LEAP training. The end of the program Lynna Vo created a video as her presentation of what she learned from the week together. Watch a snippet of Lynna’s video here.
“From the cultural perspectives, the internship experience, and the opportunity to build a community of leaders is one reason why LEAP Emerge is definitely a program that cannot be replicated”
To her the video is a representation of the inspiration she gained from being around other like minded individuals. The group had a wealth of knowledge and experience that gave Lynna a bigger picture of leadership as she moved forward both in the internship and life. Lynna is an intern with the Thai Community Development Center.
LEAP Emerge is an eight week paid summer internship program designed to empower rising young leaders by providing students with practical leadership skills and the opportunity to immerse themselves in the API community. This program is sponsored by The Coca Cola Foundation, Macy’s, Southern California Edison, and Southwest.
