🎆The ASA Newsletter: Issue 13🎆

On this month’s newsletter, we’re excited to once again interview interns and a former member of the Board of Directors at Asian Student Achievement (ASA). There will also be recaps of some events that ASA took part in, so stay tuned!

ASA Staff Corner

This month we interviewed our former member of our Board of Directors, Kathleen Stark. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign with a Bachelor’s of Science in Advertising. She was very active in numerous student organizations throughout highschool and has worked at places like Ubisoft, Lunchables, Mondelez, Labcorp, and Bumble Bee Foods.

How can young professionals apply advertising principles in promoting themselves in the job market?

I think there’s a lot of ways students can advertise themselves in the job market! A lot of basic ad principles, like personal branding, social media literacy, knowing your target audience, etc. can help students in the job market.

A lot of my personal experience in advertising is more in the digital and social media space, so I’m thinking through this as building your presence on LinkedIn:

• Create a consistent visual identity (profile picture, banner, bio, etc)
• Connect with your target audience!
  • For example, if you’re into gaming, follow people in that industry. If you’re wanting to go into tech, follow recruiters, companies, etc and interact with their content.
• Showcase your achievements and relate them to the industry you want to end up in. There’s a lot of transferable skills that can apply to multiple industries
• Always follow up with people and keep in touch with your network! This is pretty important in advertising when it comes to client relations and knowing how to consistently keep a professional correspondence with clients, colleagues, etc.
• Be aware of your social media presence
  • In some cases, like mine, it actually helps to have a presence or showcasing something digital (putting your portfolio on your instagram, showcasing user generated content creation abilities, etc).
  • For a lot of industries, this social media presence is probably not going to be important enough to land a job. But you should be mindful in keeping profiles public vs private, or not showcasing full name, etc in case an employer decides to dig for social media profiles while you’re interviewing for a job

Donor Spotlight

Each month, ASA highlights one of the many donors who choose to give to ASA as a thank you. This month, we are delighted to highlight Louis Tortora and Elizabeth Wen Tortora:

“Being 1st generation Asian American in an era that didn’t see many, I grew up with much stereotyping and insecurities. To see my daughters, who are half asian and half caucasian embrace their Asian heritage, fills me with pride. I cannot be more supportive of Asian Student Achievement in their effort to mentor and equip our future generations of Asian Americans to have tools to rise up and take charge and be a formidable force in this country.”

– Elizabeth Wen Tortora

Thank you to Louis Tortora and Elizabeth Wen Tortora for supporting ASA and all the work you do within our organization! If you are interested in supporting us, click the button below to give to ASA today!

Intern Hub

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from working at ASA so far?

Claire: I would say that the most important thing I’ve learned so far as an intern is to always ask for support when I need it, since that’s the whole idea behind ASA with everyone being open to help.

Liana: The most important thing I have learned at ASA has been the importance of ROI: return of investment. Before ASA I had never truly practiced intentionally looking for and engaging in more than one way to give back outside of my basic job description. However, after being with ASA, I have learned so much about the many different ways we can all engage in reminding employers and teammates that we are a valuable asset to the organization and team; reminding them that they made the right decision in hiring us. Everyone will encounter ROI in the professional workplace and I am really grateful ASA has given me the opportunity to have experience in and learn about it in my internship!

MJ: Being an intern at ASA reaffirmed my belief that the importance of responsibility and communication is integral for individual and organizational success. This is especially emphasized in a remote organization where it’s not as easy to check up on one another. Attend the meetings your expected, take notes, and never be afraid to ask questions! Questions mean you care!

Rehman: The most important thing I learned at ASA is time management.

Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance Recap

“I’d say it was an inspiring day to listen to obtain a broader perspective on how ERNs are operated in different industries. We all face similar challenges regarding funding, budgeting, and membership participation, but we all have the same end goal in mind which is to create a conducive environment for our employees for a better sense of collaboration and belonging. I’m so thankful to be able to attend this event at General Mills and make awesome new connections to continue these conversations in the future.”

– Michelle Ji, Board of Director

National Association of Asian American Professional (NAAAP) Convention Recap

From July 25-28, Asian Student Achievement was proudly represented by Shane Carlin (CEO), Emily Mun (Operations Manager), and Jamie Cha (UX/Technology Coordinator). ASA was very excited to connect with other Asian American professionals from across North America. Thank you to NAAAP for organizing an amazing leadership convention in Houston, TX!

We are Hiring!

ASA is in search for new interns! We are currently looking for interns for all positions at ASA. If you are interested, click the button bellow or send your CV to asa@learnasa.org.

Intern Spotlight

Each month, we highlight a different intern and ask them different questions for you to get to know them. This month, we would like to feature Liana Tortora!

Name: Liana Tortora
University: Vassar College

Major: Psychology and Chinese double major
Position at ASA: Graphic Design Intern

What do you like to do in your free time?

I mainly like to draw and read, and if the weather is nice, go on walks!

If you could only have one of these three: movies, books, or music, which would you choose? Why?

If I could only have one of these three: I would pick books. In order of importance, I would say: 1st) books, 2nd) music, and 3rd) movies. However, for my explanation, I will just share why I chose books over movies because this comparison is much easier to make than between books and music in my opinion. 1st) I think I have many more favorite books than I do favorite movies. 2) I also feel that everyone says that when a book has a film adaptation that the book is better. 3rd) Reading good writing makes you a better writer and broadens your vocabulary 🙂

Recent Job Postings

SpeakUp Ventures

SpeakUp Ventures is an startup accelerator program for aspiring asian entrepreneurs. It is a 5 week virtual program where you will get to seek one-on-one help, attend panels led by successful entrepreneurs, and complete weekly tasks to form and build your ideas. If you or anyone you know is interested in the slightest by the idea of entrepreneurship, innovation, or just trying something new, click the button below to apply today! The deadline for applications is on August 19.

“For so long the idea of building a startup was just a cool idea that I kept saying I’d ‘someday’ do. But with SpeakUp Ventures I was surrounded with a productive system of accountability and a valuable resource that helped me get the ball rolling. The biggest and hardest step is the first one, and SpeakUp Venture makes that feel a lot easier, fun, and exciting.”

– Michael Lumbera Jr, Technology and Content Writer Intern for ASA