The ASA Newsletter: Issue 26

It’s the start of a new school year, the perfect time to set your goals in order and plan for another successful year. At Asian Student Achievement, we’d like to take this time to reflect on how we closed out the summer and plan to move forward into fall!

Support ASA

From now to the end of December, all gifts to ASA will be matched up to $100,000. We would like to thank our generous anonymous donor for their support in helping Asians and Asian Americans make their professional aspirations a reality.

Receiving gifts supports our mission of bringing Asians and Asian Americans into the pipeline to leadership. Through your gifts and continued support, Asian Student Achievement has been able to offer extensive one-on-one career coaching sessions, meticulously crafted workshops and speeches on educational and vocational soft skills, and a diversity-driven job board—all of which helps to equip Asians and Asian Americans with the soft skills required to succeed.

Give Today

Staff Corner

Amelia Hoover, our Operations Manager, recently attended the NAAAP Leadership Convention with our founder and CEO, Shane Carlin. Below is a snapshot of her experiences and takeaways from the conference!
 

Amelia Hoover Operations Manager   Julianne Sun Content Writing and Videography Intern

On August 13, I found myself stepping up to the all too familiar security gates of the CVG airport. I had done this many times but somehow this one felt different, since I was traveling for work to attend the NAAAP Leadership Convention in Kansas City, MO on behalf of Asian Student Achievement (ASA). Shane Carlin, founder and CEO of ASA, and I were there to network, learn, and to form partnerships to advance our mission to move Asian and Asian Americans through the pipeline to leadership.   The theme of the conference was “spaces,” creating a space where Asian American professionals can gather and share stories of hardship and success. A space where we aren’t afraid to talk about how difficult it is to exist in a world that expects us to fit perfectly into a box when we actually fit into many.   We listened to stories about bridging the gap of traditional and modern worlds within families through gender and sexuality. We attended breakout sessions and met artists and songwriters who are breaking into the music space to challenge Asian stereotypes while staying authentic to their character. These speakers and artists were living proof that Asians can be gay, bisexual, or biracial, all while being the directors of their departments, CEOs of companies and breakthrough industry leaders.   At the NAAAP Leadership Convention, I saw firsthand that there is an Asian American community that is working together to change the way that the world sees us. We write our own narratives and create our own spaces, and I now know there is a space for me too.

Welcome to Our New Intern!

 
We are excited to welcome our new Content Writing Intern, Sydney Cazier! We are thrilled to have her on board and greatly look forward to seeing what she will accomplish during our time with us!
 

We asked her to share why she decided to intern with ASA:

Sydney: I joined ASA because I have a passion for its mission, and I can pursue experience in my field while contributing to a cause that’s bigger than myself.

Introducing Free 1:1 Coaching!

 
Trying to land your first internship? Making a big career jump? Asian Student Achievement’s free 45 minute coaching sessions might be the boost you need! Get coached on educational and vocational soft skills like resume and cover letter writing, interview skills, elevator pitches, personal branding and much more from experts across a wide selection of industries.
 

Intern Hub

School supplies shopping is on, so we asked our intern team:

What is your favorite piece of stationary?

My favorite stationary tool is GoodNotes. It was definitely a lifesaver in college and made my note taking a lot easier and more interesting since it was easy to make edits, reorganize, and add fun colors. Sarah Mun, Former UX/Web Design Intern University of Washington alum

An unruled notebook for writing, drawing, or taking notes as needed. Ryan Kartiko, Special Operations Lead Intern Lehigh University alum

I love adding cat stickers to handwritten letters, it really helps plain letter paper look a little more interesting. Julianne Sun, Content Marketing and Videography Intern Northwestern University alum

My favorite stationary is a 0.9 lead pencil. I am a hard writer, so the lead on 0.7s tend to break a lot. I highly recommend 0.9 pencils! Parker Ninesling, Graphic Design Intern High School student

I would have to say a correction tape because it’s satisfying when it rolls over mistakes and I also love the fact that I can fix every mistake I make. Christian So, Operations Intern High School student

My Precise V5 RT Pilot pens are my go-to pens for any and every situation. Sydney Cazier, Content Writing Intern Utah Valley University alum

My fav stationary would be a sticky note. The reason would be that they are a quick solution for note taking and messages or reminders. They are an easy way of being organized. Vaishnavi Nair, Data Analytics and Business Development Intern University of Maryland alum

Join our team!

Apply to be an ASA Intern here!

Event Recap

From July 13-16th, Asian Student Achievement’s founder and CEO, Shane Carlin, and Operations Manager, Amelia Hoover, were delighted to attend the 2025 NAAAP Leadership Convention, one of the largest gatherings of AAPI professionals! Presented by the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP), the convention was a great place to meet AAPI leaders across many diverse industries.

Special thanks to Alan Z, Brandon Saito, Jay Kuo, Christopher Sean, and Sakura Kokumai, with whom Shane and Amelia had the opportunity to share ASA’s vision and mission. All of them are true role models of their respective industries, and ASA is thankful for the opportunity to connect with them.

Thank You David Im!

Asian Student Achievement would like to thank David Im State Farm Agency for his continued support for our mission. We wouldn’t be able do our work without his generous support over the past years! David Im is a State Farm Insurance Agent based in Elgin, Illinois. He graduated from Illinois State University and is also a member of Sigma Lambda Beta, an international, historically Latino-based, and multicultural fraternity. He has been a State Farm Agent in Elgin since 2012 and has additional experience with State Farm in Claims for over 5 years. David and his team enjoy helping customers with their needs related to auto, home, condo, renters, life and business insurance. They also serve the Spanish-speaking community and volunteer with several organizations in Kane County. If you live in Illinois, make sure to check out David’s services!

Let’s Meet Up!

 
Want to invite us to your campus or your organization? Check out our speaking engagement page below for more details!

Bring ASA to your campus or organization!

We Are Hiring!

Asian Student Achievement is hiring for ALL of our intern positions. Join our amazing team and help Asians/Asian Americans through the pipeline to leadership in the workplace. Click the button below to find the job descriptions of all our intern positions and send your CV or resume to ops@learnasa.org. Apply for an internship at ASA!

Donor Spotlight

Harry Reu Program Manager HVTI at Cleveland Clinic

“I give — and will continue to give — to Asian Student Achievement because I believe in investing in future generations. Asian Student Achievement gives students and young professionals the support, guidance, and resources they need to explore new opportunities and reach their full potential. It’s about more than just mentorship — it’s about helping people see what’s possible and giving them the tools to get there. I’m proud to support an organization that’s opening doors and building confidence for the next generation of Asian and Asian American leaders.”

 
Give Today