With early voting for the 2022 primary election in progress, it is an exciting time to engage with elected officials in person. On Saturday, July 9, CAPA held a meet-and-greet event to kick off the Young Leaders Internship program at the Miller Branch Library. Student interns were introduced to their elected officials, which included State Senator Katie Fry Hester, State Delegate Terri Hill, a representative for State Delegate Courtney Watson, Howard County Circuit Court Judge Stephanie Porter, and Board of Education member Dr. Lu Yun.
After the introduction, the fifteen interns and elected officials broke into discussion groups. The officials shared many aspects of their careers. “Politics isn’t about taking your piece of the pie; if you take more it doesn’t mean others must have less,” delegate Terri Hill explained, “It’s actually about expanding the pie so everyone can get a bigger share.”
Judge Stephanie Porter reflected, “Although having to deal with criminal cases such as child abuse is hard sometimes, it feels knowing that my work is paving a safer community for the generation to come.”
The Young Leaders Internship program started in 2021 as CAPA aimed to encourage civic engagement of next-generation Asian Americans. The inaugural program was a success and attracted many aspiring students this year who will work throughout the summer.
