Photograph by Chad Pilster
William Lu, left, and Eric Lee will be interning for different politicians this summer as part of the Vision America program. Lu will be working with Assemblyman Manny Diaz, and Lee will be helping Assemblywoman Rebecca Cohn.
Students achieve their visions
Four Monta Vista sophomores selected for public internships
By Jennifer Zhang
William Lu helps autistic children through Helping Hands for Kids, a club he founded in 2001. Kristina Lee informs the public about endangered species and advocates the topic's importance. Donald Chang has been named as a member of the All League First Team for varsity soccer. Eric Lee has earned a degree of distinction in the National Forensic League.
These extraordinary Cupertino residents are sophomores at Monta Vista High School. They are about to embark on a new mission, one that will add another impressive item to their résumés--a summer public policy internship at various governmental offices.
Along with 17 other students from other South Bay high schools, they were selected to receive this opportunity through Vision New America, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to develop future leaders.
According to their literature, Vision New America's mission is to "increase the participation by underrepresented ethnic groups, starting with the Asian Pacific American community, in American civic activities through internship programs in various governmental offices and educational activities."
Although their internships have not yet begun, these students are already effective leaders in their own ways.
Lu's interest in working with autistic children developed while he lived in Tennessee. One of his friends, who Lu said is an outstanding cello player as well as a top chess player, is autistic.
After his family moved to Cupertino, Lu was determined to work with children who have autism. After volunteering through organizations such as Friends of Children with Special Needs and Organization of Special Needs Families, Lu established his own club, Helping Hands for Kids, in August 2001.
Lu said club members work with autistic children for about two hours each week. They help and guide the kids through various activities, such as doing puzzles, to help them improve their motor and social skills.
"It's a good opportunity to turn my goal into reality," Lu said. "It's a win-win situation. I know that I am doing something positive. It's good training for whatever I do in the future. I think it makes me a better person."
There are 25 dedicated members in Lu's club who are all high school students. Lu plans to expand his club and says he is already training his sixth-grade brother to join his growing organization. Lu hopes that one day his club will be able to help autistic children throughout the United States.
Besides his own club, Lu is also a member of Merry Melody, a service club organized by one of his friends, which provides entertainment for elderly people in convalescent homes. Once a month they travel to different convalescent homes to play music for their residents.
Lu has played the violin for 11 years, and it's not just a hobby; he is first violin in the California Associate Youth Symphony.
Lu's accomplishments do not end here. He is the president and member of the Monta Vista chess team and a member of its track and field team.
Lu will be a public policy intern for State Assemblyman Manny Diaz. "I am very excited," he said. "I think it will open new doors for me and expand my horizon."
Kristina Lee, a schoolmate of Lu's, will intern with Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage. Although she has an equally impressive résumé, Vision New America selected Lee because of a different set of accomplishments.
Lee works hard to save endangered species. Being the social manager of the Saving Endangered Species club, she is in charge of advertising and fundraising. One of her recent efforts involved giving a presentation at the YMCA.
"I think it's really important to get the news out to people and not just neglect the topic," Lee said. "Saving endangered species is important because it affects our environment."
Lee's passion for helping others is also reflected by her work with the homeless. She has served lunch in various San Francisco and San Jose soup kitchens.
Lee thinks she is a very fortunate person to live with a loving family in a nice area, and feels it is her time to give back to the community.
"I don't want to be sheltered," she said. "I know the majority of the world is different from where I live and I want to get out there to see and learn what it's like. I think it's cruel to ignore homeless people. I want to know where they come from and show them that I care. Maybe this can change their lives a little in the future."
In addition to her environmental projects and her work with the homeless, Lee reads Bible stories and does crafts with children twice a week through her church. She also volunteers her time working with children at summer camps.
When not volunteering, Lee uses her limited free time to pursue her own interests, such as performing. She loves acting, singing and dancing and has shown off her skills in school musicals Hello Dolly! and Anything Goes.
Some of Lee's other interests and hobbies include astronomy, law, sports and playing the piano.
Lee is excited about her summer internship. She plans to learn about the law-making process. She said she thinks participating in politics and government is very important.
"Asian Americans should be involved in government," Lee said. "They live here and they have a right to. They might have a unique need that others might not know about."
Photograph by Chad Pilster
William Lu, right, spends much of his free time working with autistic children. Eric Lee has earned a degree of distinction in the National Forensic League.
Kris Chang is probably one of the most athletic interns selected by Vision New America this year. He is the captain of the Olympic Development soccer team in District II as well as the De Anza United soccer team.
Olympic Development is a youth system that trains young soccer players between the ages of 14 and 19 to practice their skills and move up to the higher state level. Although it is a very competitive system, Chang has been invited to the state tryout. Unfortunately, he could not complete the process due to an injury.
Chang started playing soccer at the age of 4, when he joined the De Anza United soccer team. Over the years, he has led his team to international tournaments in Italy and England.
He said he believes soccer playing is a great exercise for young boys.
"Soccer is a constantly changing game--you win some and lose some," he said. "The process shapes my personality. It teaches me to strive and work hard to become number one. There's a goal and I learn to achieve it."
Chang values his friendship with his teammates.
"Teammates are different than regular friends," he explained. "It's a different kind of experience. We share wins and losses. It's always teamwork. We can't win without any one player."
Chang is the leading scorer on the Monta Vista varsity soccer team and has been named to All League First Team for varsity soccer.
Chang also spends time helping his community through service clubs such as Interact club and soup kitchen; he enjoys playing his violin as well.
Chang is looking forward to his summer internship working for State Sen. Byron Sher.
"It's a great opportunity to learn about politics and government," he said. "It will teach me leadership skills."
Like the other three students, Eric Lee is a longtime musician. He has played piano for eight years and violin for three years.
He has also earned a degree of distinction in the National Forensic League and is the captain of spontaneous speaking for the Monta Vista Forensic Team. In addition, he is a member of Congresswoman Eshoo's student advisory board and 24th Assembly District Advisory Committee.
"I enjoy public speaking," he said. "It gives me an adrenaline rush. I just like being put on the spot. It increases my confidence level. I don't want nervousness to inhibit me from expressing my opinion."
Eric's favorite speech topic is politics. He said he fell in love with politics during the Bush-Clinton presidential election in 1992. He was six years old.
His beliefs and ideas have changed since then, but his passion for politics has only grown stronger.
"All people need to have some basic knowledge about government and politics," Eric said. "They affect everybody. Everyone needs to get involved and express his or her opinions."
Eric keeps up with current events by reading many publications, such as TIME magazine and The New Republic.
Eric said he thinks there is not enough participation in government and politics by Asian Americans in this area.
"Many of them shy away from leadership opportunities," he said. "They think politics doesn't concern them and that it's out there. I want to break that stereotype. The government does so much for us. It's an effective tool to help our society and we all need to use it."
He is excited about the upcoming summer. He will be interning at the office of State Assemblywoman Rebecca Cohn.
"So far I have always learned about politics in a third-person position," he said. "But instead of being on the outside looking in, I want to see it from a different angle."
For more information about Vision New America, contact 408.241.4505 or visit www.visionnewamerica.org.
Cupertino, California Since 1947
