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Washington, D.C. — OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates proudly announces its 2025 Summer Internship Program cohort, welcoming 11 accomplished college students from across the country for a 10-week, hands-on experience in national advocacy, policy, and public service.
Interns are placed at leading nonprofit organizations and congressional offices based in Washington, D.C., and across the nation, while also contributing to the work of the OCA National Center. Throughout the summer, they will engage with key issues impacting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, develop their leadership skills, and participate in major events, including the 2025 OCA National Convention in Seattle and policy-focused visits on Capitol Hill.
“Our internship program is about opening doors and facilitating relationships for the next generation of changemakers to advance further,” said Thu Nguyen, Executive Director of OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates. “Each year, we’re inspired by the talent and drive of our interns. Their curiosity and compassion reflect the very best of what we hope to cultivate through this program. We’re also deeply thankful to our partners and donors who believe in the importance of building a pipeline of young leaders to continue the work of advancing our communities in all aspects of society.”
The 2025 OCA Summer Interns and their placements include:
- Alisi Fihaki, The University of Utah, placed at Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
- Damion Huynh, Florida State University, placed at the Hepatitis B Foundation
- Parth Joshi, University of Southern California, placed at the Human Rights Campaign
- Maya Koka, Columbia University and Trinity College Dublin, placed at the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project
- Anuttara Lath, University of Michigan, placed at Hindus for Human Rights
- Dillon Le, Regis University, placed at OCA National Center
- Phillip Pham, University of Texas at Austin, placed at the office of U.S. House Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Kayli Rego, The Ohio State University, placed at OCA National Center
- Janessa Reyes, University of California, Berkeley, placed at the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
- Isabella Vaka, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, placed at OCA National Center
- Rina Xu, Vanderbilt University, placed at the Vincent Chin Institute
In addition to the 11 students selected for OCA’s Summer Internship Program, OCA is proud to host an outstanding intern from the US-Asia Institute’s IMPACT! Program for Filipino Americans:
- Abigail Verino, University of California, Berkeley
Full intern bios can be found at ocanational.org/intern-bios.
The 2025 OCA Summer Internship Program is made possible through the generous support of the William H.P. & Sinforosa Tan Kaung Internship Endowment Fund, The Robert S. Chao AAPI Advocacy Memorial Endowment, Cindy Tong Memorial Internship Fund, Stan Lou, and individual donors.
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