Rina (she/her) is a rising junior at Vanderbilt studying Economics & Public Policy Studies with a passion for AANHPI advocacy and building bridges between communities! She has thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her CAPAL cohort who are just as enthusiastic about a future career in public service. For her career, she is considering legal studies with an international scope. She loves reading romance novels, drinking coffee, and wasting her day away at cafes!
Internship Placement: USDA APHIS Legislative and Public Affairs
As a CAPAL scholar/intern, what does CAPAL mean to you?
CAPAL means a sturdy bridge connecting me with other brilliant AANHP individuals from around the nation. To me, it also means a community of genuine, candid, and authentic mentors.
What is an issue or topic within the AANHPI communities that you feel passionate about addressing?
The umbrella term AANHPI seems to imply a uniform, homogenous identity group. Yet, this could not be further from the truth. AANHPI individuals come from various ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds with distinctive histories. Hence, it is important that AANHPI data, intended to capture their circumstances and needs, is properly disaggregated. In other words, only through effectively disaggregated data can institutions attempt to provide resources that meet the needs of such a diverse AANHPI community. Although federal standards for data disaggregation have not been much help in this regard, I have hope that through recent federal changes and the voices of AANHPI leaders within the public service sphere, proper data disaggregation standards will be implemented at all institutions in the future.
What are your main responsibilities at your position? What are some of your big projects?
As a summer intern at the FDIC, I have the opportunity to help around with various projects within the Division of Insurance and Research. This ranges from data collection and drafting reports to performing administrative duties.
How does this internship fit with your professional and career goals?
As someone considering a career in public service, this internship has given me the opportunity to explore this field in a professional setting. Furthermore, as an economics major, I am confident that I can apply what I have learned in school to assist the institution this summer.
What does public service mean to you? What sparked your interest or desire to get involved with public service?
Pubic service means serving your community. Community is definitely a personal term that can indicate different things for different people, but I believe working in public service means a commitment to bettering the community around you and recognizing its needs. My desire to get involved with public service sparked during my freshman year of college, where I worked to raise awareness of AANHPI issues within my student body.
