ASA 2
The lecture began with her history and how she came to be in her position as Vice-Mayor of the city of San Pablo. Most of the lecture was centered around one of two topics: how to have a successful career (based off her background) and her work in the Lao Family Community Development program.
Chao began with her college life at Berkeley,where she got into the political field by simply experimenting around to find out what she liked. She joined the Cal in the Capitol program under Pete Wilson, where she demonstrated that independent thinking and not just going along with the norm/others is what gets one recognized. Chao got the position because she had her own thoughts and did not become another "yes man." Being ethical was also important to her, as she talked about how she made decisions based on what was right for the people and not just for herself.
Chao also taught the class how to become politically involved by starting at the lowest levels (the city). Amazingly, a large amount of people do not vote on local matters even though it is what affects them most (decisions from higher levels often take months to years before they are finally felt). This resonates with how as Asian Americans, we should begin shedding light on issues back home before moving to the national level as a group.
Chao emphasized the need to make oneself stand out in a large group by pushing for what one actually wants and by building a social network. For example, when she wanted an internship position (very important, do as many as you can!) she would go as far as to contact the CEO of a company in order to make an impression. She also would research opportunities beforehand and send follow-up thank you notes in order to show that she was really interested in a position. These kinds of aggressive tactics helped her to move up in her career path. Chao also stressed the importance of going out to volunteer and help others in order to build a social network that can be leaned on later.
Finally, Chao talked about her work as the director of the LFCD, which provides basic services to those minorities that are in need.
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