Name: Hayeon

Year: Sophomore

Major: American Studies

CFS Concentration: Field Studies in Social Justice

I am interning at an advocacy organization called Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago. Reflecting back to my internship search process, I knew that I wanted to intern at a place that advocated for immigrant and refugee rights but I had no formalized idea of where I would be. I considered various community organizations, legal service centers and immigration law offices. Although I was offered interviews and positions in these places, I ultimately decided on AAAJC because I sensed that I would have more agency over this short internship period.

My experiences at AAAJC have included preparing for the annual Asian American Leadership Forum, a legislative caucus and a mayoral candidates’ forum. Through my tasks, I have come to realize the importance of language access in advancing the rights of the Asian American community, especially in electoral politics.

Interestingly enough, I have been able to connect my classroom experiences at Northwestern to many of the aspects of my internship. For one, I took an Asian American studies class last quarter called “Language, Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.” taught by Professor Shalini Shankar. Through this class I learned about language discrimination pertaining to different races. Therefore, it has been very exciting to apply my knowledge on these issues in the work that I do for AAAJC. For example, we organized translators for the mayoral candidates’ forum such that the immigrant community can understand the candidates’ platform and cast their votes for the upcoming elections. I am also taking another Asian American studies class this quarter called “Asian-Black Historical Solidarities” taught by Professor Daniel Elam, which is another example of classwork and internship connection. At the Leadership Forum I attended through AAAJC, I was able to hear speakers talk about aspects of solidarity. Lastly, the CFS class “Race, Gender and Violence” taught by Mariame Kaba is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this experience. Mariama is like the Beyoncé of social justice in Chicago in that she is well-known and highly respected in her field. It’s been an honor to have her as my professor and I have learned so much already.

Overall, I am glad that my experience with CFS so far has been positive. My initial worries coming into the program as a sophomore have disappeared thanks to the scholarship I was awarded and the various people I have met thus far.