The ASA Newsletter: Issue 30
Everyone at Asian Student Achievement would like to thank you for your support over this past year! Thanks to you, we’ve accomplished so much and are able to continue helping AAPI students and young professionals through the pipeline to leadership. Happy holidays, and we look forward to seeing you again next year!
End of Year Giving to ASA
From now until the end of December, all gifts to Asian Student Achievement 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 turn their professional aspirations into a reality.
Your generosity supports our mission to bring Asians and Asian Americans into the leadership pipeline. Because of you, Asian Student Achievement offers one-on-one career coaching, thoughtfully designed workshops and speaking programs on educational and vocational soft skills, and a diversity-driven job board—equipping the next generation with the skills needed to thrive in tomorrow’s workforce.
ASA Donor Spotlight: Alejandro Fung
Why do you give to Asian Student Achievement?
Alejandro Fung
Schneider Electric
Inside Sales Manager
Alejandro Fung: “Schneider Electric’s Asian Professionals Network (APN) ERN is proud to support Asian Student Achievement because we have actively collaborated with the interns and young talent that Asian Student Achievement has assisted in developing, both professionally and personally. It is the APN’s unequivocal purpose to provide the community with the necessary resources and support to excel in their careers and create a meaningful impact on everyone’s lives.”
Together with Our Partners
We are deeply grateful to our partners for their ongoing collaboration and support. Together, we are creating meaningful impact.
Settle into Asian inspired scents to light up your home over the holidays.
Use code: ASA10
ASA x Furever Young Co collaboration pet bandanas are the perfect stocking stuffer. Shop the ASA collection!
You need more than luck to get into an Ivy League School! Harness the power of networks. Sign up for Ivy League mentorship today.
Start your mornings with specialty Filipino coffee, now available for nationwide shipping. Use code: ASA10
A Word From Our Founder
Shane Carlin
CEO/Founder of Asian Student Achievement
As we just ended 2025, I’ve found myself in awe of how far Asian Student Achievement (ASA) has come since our inception in 2016. I want to personally thank every single person who contributed to ASA’s mission of helping AAPI move through the pipeline to leadership. Our growing team of staff, interns, and volunteers have been endlessly generous with their time and talents, and I owe much of ASA’s success to them. I also want to thank our gracious donors, who allow us to do more and dream bigger with every year that passes. We are thankful to the donors who stepped up. Your gifts have been very important to our mission, and I will always be grateful for each and every one of you.
This year, we planted many seeds for new ventures. We launched our free, 1-on-1 coaching program, implemented our anonymous demographic survey, and started planning our first fundraiser. I’m especially proud of our demographic survey, as it thoroughly deconstructs the model minority myth that prevents many AAPI from receiving the support they deserve. In addition to our new endeavors, ASA attended many speaking engagements across the United States as well as a handful across Asia, reaching more people than ever before. I want to extend a special thank you to the nationwide partnerships we had this year: Baisun Candle Co., Sugar Bliss, Pegasus Education, Furever Young Co, KayBee Community Cafe, and Adegacha Premium Coffee. Your support has been invaluable. To everyone that has given their time, gifts, or support this year: thank you very much, and I hope to see you again next year!
Welcome to the team!
We are excited to welcome Ava Anota as our Operations Internand Christy Sun as our UX/Web Design Intern!
Why did you decide to intern with Asian Student Achievement?
Ava: I applied to intern at ASA because I wanted real experience collaborating with others and learning new skills that will help me in the future. The role I have now will help me grow and prepare for the next steps in whatever comes next in my career.
Christy: I wanted to intern with ASA because its mission of supporting and uplifting Asian students really resonates with me. I feel like ASA creates space for career growth and community, so I wanted to be a part of something that actually makes a difference. It also felt like a place where I could use my skills meaningfully while learning from people who really care about the work.
Engage with ASA
Sign up for 1:1 Coaching
ASA is excited to launch our coaching program! We have carefully selected coaches from various industries to speak with YOU.
Intern with Us!
Asian Student Achievement is now hiring for all intern positions! Join our team and help support Asians and Asian Americans on their path to leadership in the workplace.
Let’s Meet Up!
Want to invite us to your campus or organization? Visit our speaking engagement page to learn more.
Ask Our Interns
What is your favorite ASA moment from this year?
Special Operations Lead Intern
Ryan: My favorite ASA moment from this year was the Professional Development sessions with our Board of Directors. They gave some really valuable insights into how to succeed in our career.
Content Writing &
Event Planning Intern
Julianne: My favorite moment was doing venue tours for the Nickel Nickle fundraiser. It would be cool to do more in-person work in the future!
Graphic Design Intern
Jessie: The ASA fun / team-building meeting— had a blast playing Gartic Phone with everyone and enjoyed seeing the reinterpretations of drawings and prompts!
Content Writing Intern
Zach: Seeing the first post with a caption that I wrote was my favorite part of the year. It was so cool seeing my own work being put to good use and in the service of something truly admirable.
Data Analytics &
Business Development Intern
Vaishnavi: My favorite ASA moment this year was when all of us played Jackbox together. It was one of those moments that made me feel really connected to the team, and it’s definitely my favorite memory for sure!
Operations Intern
Ava: I would say my favorite moment from ASA this year was the December team meeting. I enjoyed seeing everyone who is part of the organization together in one place, as well as hearing all the updates about what’s been going on.
Web/UX Design Intern
Gabrielle: My favorite moment from this year was watching the kids participate in Shane’s workshop at the Chinese Mutual Aid Association.
Web/UX Design Intern
Christy: Getting to meet my team and then later meeting everyone at the ASA Team Meeting!
Graphic Design Intern
Parker: My favorite ASA moment from this year was Jessie showing Amelia and me K-pop music! Jessie showed us new artists and it was a really fun time.
Content Writing Intern
Sydney: My favorite moment from ASA is all of the whole-team meetings: I love getting to see every intern, whether we’re having a casual meeting or going over something important.
Business Development Intern
Christian: My favorite moment of this ASA this year was being able to bond with team over the bonding meeting.
ASA needs YOU!
Check out our internships here.
Event Recaps
ASA was invited to share the Western way of networking with National Chung Hsing University in Taichung, Taiwan on Tuesday, November 25. ASA led aspiring professionals through activities tailored to equip tomorrow’s entrepreneurs with the networking skills essential for their personal branding. Many thanks to the National Chung Hsing University for partnering up with us to help make this session so impactful!
On Thursday, November 27, ASA was invited to the Education University of Hong Kong, where founder and CEO Shane Carlin offered insights on how partners from around the globe can maximize how they share their talents with each other through the Western way of networking! We are very thankful to the Education University of Hong Kong for the opportunity to help nurture so many blooming professionals. Our hearts go out to those affected by the Tai Po fires in Hong Kong, and we encourage anyone who is able to support the recovery efforts.
In the spirit of the holiday season, ASA’s CEO Shane Carlin participated in the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) Chicago Toy Drive on December 20. There, he helped wrap toys so that they could be gifted to children and families in need. We would like to thank NAAAP for hosting this wonderful event, and wish everyone happy holidays!
Let’s Meet Up!
Want to invite us to your campus or your organization? Check out our speaking engagement page below for more details!
Save the Date: Nickel Nickel Fundraiser
We Are Hiring!
Asian Student Achievement is hiring for ALL of our intern positions. Join our amazing team and help Asians and Asian Americans through the pipeline to leadership in the workplace!
Click the button below to find the job descriptions of all our intern positions. Please send CVs or resumes to ops@learnasa.org.
New Internship Opportunity
The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) is hiring new interns for spring and summer of 2026! Join them as a travel intern to get real world experience in operations and communications, all while networking across the country.
Job Postings
End of Year Giving
From now through the end of December, every gift to Asian Student Achievement will be matched—dollar for dollar—up to $100,000. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, your support today goes twice as far in helping Asian and Asian American students turn their professional dreams into reality.
We are deeply grateful to our matching donor for believing in our community, our mission, and our future. 💙