The White House Initiative Lacking Campus Initiative (cont'd)
by Pauline T. Nguyen, special contributor

Speakers from all occupational and economic fields were invited to testify in front of the 15-member committee on various subjects, from health to economic development. The testimonies were not broad suggestions about how to improve the API community in general. Rather, some of the testimonies represented specific cultures and concerns. Controversial topics, such as AIDS, the mentally ill, and youth gangs were not excluded and were, in fact, discussed at length. The diversity of the cultures and issues all clarified one point: the API's fear of bringing shame to their community. Many viewed the stigmatization of these controversial issues as the backbone of the problem in the community.

It gave a new vitality to hear my own thoughts and feelings echoed in the testimonies in the community. For all the times that the student population has promised to give back to the community, it is saddening to see that it was the older generation who were more passionate about our promise. It seems that students are too busy studying to be the financial consultants or doctors of the generation to realize that the future is now and at the control of the students. There is a need to try to save the API community. So, why are there not more scholarships for API students? How does the idea that APIs are no longer perceived as minorities affect the Asian student population? These questions are personal and affect our lives. Why aren't there more people to address these concerns and get answers? Why keep on wondering when we could have gotten our answers from the controllers of our futures?

After all the times that we have heard that we are the future, it still seems to be so far away. Instilled with the goal of succeeding and making our families proud, we fail to realize that our salaries are not the only ways to make them proud. I am a lay person. I had no secret connection that allowed me to participant in this event. Rather, I received an open email that informed me of their purpose and goals. I could also be more than a bystander. I was encouraged to participant by sending questions through email to the organization or request to testify. I was intrigued to see if they could conjure this "your voice counts" atmosphere and I was not disappointed. When I first walked into the auditorium, I could already feel the sincerity of the Commission and their purpose. They did not merely half-heartedly listen to the testimonies. They were allowed to ask questions to the testifier for clarification or advice. This was no whine-fest like I had initially anticipated. There was respect shown between the testifier and the Committee. It was not a continuous slew of people complaining about their community. Rather, each person had a valid point and solution to the problems that were being voiced. With live feeds from other data conferencing sites, everybody that spoke had extraordinary feasible ideas to correct the problems. The last two hours of the day was solely dedicated to public comment from either the audience or through email inquiries.

For anybody who claims to be interested in the future of APIs, there was no excuse to miss this opportunity. Whether through email or live presence, whatever thoughts and feelings an individual had could have been expressed to the people directly linked with creating the future. One does not need to be neither a lawyer nor a businessman to enjoy the meeting. Being a concerned student may certainly be more than enough.

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