An incoming first-year at Johns Hopkins SAIS, Sara is pursuing an MA in International Relations with a specialization in Korean Studies. After graduation, she is eager to begin her career in the field of diplomacy and foreign service. Sara is interning at USDA Foreign Agricultural Services this summer.
What are you excited to learn about during your internship this summer? 
Our history classes focus on white American stories, so I’m eager to learn more about the AANHPI community- our history, stories, current relevant issues, policies that have affected and continue to affect us, etc. I’m also enjoying learning more about the life of a civil servant, as this career is something I’ve been considering for a long time.
Why did you decide to spend your summer with CAPAL?
After completing my undergrad degree at a predominantly white university and then living in DC without almost any Asian-American role models, mentors, or peers, I realized it was affecting the way I perceive my identity. I knew I had a lot of internalized racism and sexism to unlearn, and was attracted to CAPAL because of the space it provides for young professionals to process these things.
What are the projects that you’re working on this summer and how are they connected to your interests in public service?
At the USDA FAS Office of Capacity Building and Development, one of my assigned projects is a master footnotes sheet of public-private partnerships within all FAS programs. The ultimate goal of this project is to increase public-private partnerships in order to help build trade capacity in less-developed countries- to look for and fill in the gaps. I am really impressed by the breadth and depth of USDA’s work- both domestic and abroad. The mission and goals are expansive, but the parts that motivate me most involve international food security and capacity-building.
What is something that people usually don’t expect or know about you?
I have the music taste of someone born in early-mid 1900s America.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
Be softer with yourself because you are deserving of the same empathy that you give to others.
Meet all of our CAPAL Scholars & Interns here.
Sharon Le is a rising third-year student at the University of Virginia, double majoring in Psychology and Spanish, on the Pre-Law track. Sharon served as the External Vice President for the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA@UVA) the past year, and is also involved in Phi Alpha Delta – the International Pre-Law Fraternity, and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team at the University. She was greatly exposed to the Asian Pacific American representation not only through her involvement with the Vietnamese community in Northern Virginia with VSA but also through her background – having grown up in Vietnam and moving to America in high school. Sharon hopes to promote Asian Pacific American leadership with her commitments and to give the community a bigger voice in the country.