|
Kate Liu, Sales & Advertising Intern  At Asian Student Achievement (ASA), we’re always looking for new ways to connect with potential clients and ASA fans like yourself. Last month, we planned and launched our first of several public events, where we invited students, professionals, and job seekers alike to experience a slice of Asian Student Achievement’s many services. “I want [participants] to understand the importance of the east meets west culture,” our CEO and Founder Shane Carlin said. “This launch broadcasts that there’s a company out there that really wants to help Asians and Asian Americans succeed in the dominant culture that we live in today.” For 2 full hours at the Chicago Chinatown library, the launch event focused on a workshop featuring networking and other soft skills, which Shane referred to as the “other” hard skills. We also featured panelists who are currently working professionals in various fields -- including law, medicine, finance, and technology. Panelists fielded questions and recounted their experiences as Asian Americans in the workforce, while also speaking about the mentorship they had received from Shane along the way. “The panelists gave a unique professional perspective, and combined with Shane’s moderation, formulated a narrative [of] strong work ethic and identity in the workplace.” participant DJ Mascarenas said. “I look forward to seeing how they [Asian Student Achievement] grow and what impact they will have on the next generation of professionals.”  In response to a few questions asked during the panel session, Shane expanded on the many faces of microaggressions and how to best address them in a professional manner. “The launch event was helpful in inspiring attendees to build a ‘brand’, which I believe is so important when meeting new people,” panelist Venus Liang said. “It really is how first impressions are made and what makes an individual memorable… building confidence is part of ‘branding oneself’ and Shane reinforced that idea wonderfully during the networking portion of the event.” For those who couldn’t make it to our Launch event, don’t worry. We’ll have many more opportunities for you to experience our services. Look out for our upcoming job board to be launched and live in early October, where you can submit your resume to companies looking to hire ASA students. More details to come in a later post. For now, check out our facebook event for the job board launch. Special thanks to the Chicago Chinatown Library for the event space.  Kate is the current Sales & Advertising intern for Asian Student Achievement and a sophomore studying Communications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
|