OCA - Orange County Chapter

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JOB OPPORTUNITY

POSITION: OCA-GLA Coordinator
HOURS: Full Time or Part Time
SALARY: $12.00 - $14.50/hour
STATUS: Contractor
POSTING DATE: January 10, 2007

POSITION SUMMARY
The Organization of Chinese American - Greater Los Angeles Chapter (OCA-GLA) is seeking a versatile dynamic individual to support the efforts of the OCA-GLA board of directors.  The candidate should have strong organizational skill, able to balance several projects and numerous supervisors.  The main goal of the OCA-GLA Coordinator will be assisting the OCA-GLA board of directors in the execution of all events and projects such as community outreach, newsletter production, website updates, member service and retention.

The OCA-GLA Coordinator will also assist in all aspects of the chapters fundraising efforts such as grant writing and helping to coordinate OCA-GLA  ‘  s annual fundraising dinner.  The candidate will also represent OCA-GLA in the many community partnerships that OCA-GLA supports such as Hate Crimes Committee and Voter Mobilization with the Asian Pacific Legal Center.  The coordinator will play a large role in helping to execute commitments made within the coalition objectives.

The candidate will also manage the OCA-GLA office from answering phones and emails, ensure the office is maintained, support the OCA-GLA board as well as serve our membership.  Please note weekends and evenings are sometimes required.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS
To be considered, candidates must possess the following:

1.    College degree or equivalent
2.    Exceptional writing, analytical, editing, proofreading skills and attention to detail.
3.    PC proficiency (Word, Excel, Access, Power Point and Internet).
4.    Must have driver  ‘  s license and automobile.

DEADLINE
Until position is filled

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND
OCA-GLA is one of the strongest chapters of the 80 OCA chapter and affiliates across the county.  OCA-GLA serves the Asian Pacific American community through out the greater Los Angeles County.

Founded in 1973, OCA is a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States.  OCA aims to embrace the hopes and aspirations of nearly 12 million Asian Pacific Americans in the United States.

OCA’s goals are:
*     to advocate for social justice, equal opportunity and fair treatment;
*     to promote civic participation, education, and leadership;
*     to advance coalitions and community building; and to foster cultural heritage.

OCA  ‘  s National office in Washington, D.C. gives the organization an effective vantage point for monitoring legislation and policy issues affecting Asian Pacific Americans.  In addition, OCA is able to build national support and to work in coalition with other national groups around issues affecting Asian Pacific Americans.

OCA takes no collective position on the politics of any foreign country, but instead focuses on the welfare and civil rights of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States.

Please mail, fax, or email your Cover Letter, Resume, References, and Writing Sample to:

Stacey Toda
President
OCA-GLA
1145 Wilshire Blvd., 1st Floor
Los Angeles, CA  90017
Phone: (213) 250-9888
Fax: (213) 250-9898
stacey.oca.gla@gmail.com

OCA-GLA will begin scheduling interviews for the first week of February 2007.

SUMMER POLITICAL INTERNSHIP IN TOP GOVERNMENTAL OFFICES
Spend your summer as an intern with a premier Internship Program.

The Taiwanese American Citizen League (TACL) Summer Internship Program, established in 1992, was formed to infuse the Taiwanese American community with a greater understanding of the political system through placement of college level students at offices of local, state, and national public officials. This allows Taiwanese Americans to be better recognized as a developed community with a voice. Our primary mission for TACL is to promote Taiwanese culture, heritage and identity as well as involvement in American society.

Interns experience first hand how the political system works by observing and participating in the formation of policies, both domestic and foreign. In addition to working in their offices, interns visit top legislators in an intense Sacramento lobbying trip, attend community events, participate in leadership development workshops, and various other activities.

List of recent participating political offices:

•    Barbara Boxer, US Senator
•    Howard Berman, US Representative
•    Cruz Bustamante, California Lieutenant Governor
•    Gilbert Cedillo, California Senator
•    John Chiang, California State Equalization Board Member
•    Judy Chu, California State Assembly member
•    Jane Harman, US Representative
•    Bob Margett, California State Senator
•    Dana Rohrbacher, US Representative
•    Lucille Roybal-Allard, US Representative
•    Edward Royce, US Representative
•    Adam Schiff, US Representative
•    Hilda Solis, US Representative
•    Diane Watson, US Representative

The 9-week program will begin on June 15 and end on August 18, 2007 .

Political interns will be assigned to offices located throughout the greater Los Angeles area or in Washington, D.C.

APPLICATION AVAILABLE AT:
http://tacl.org/programs/internship/
The completed application package is due no later than March 11, 2007 to accommodate interviews, but applications received sooner will be appreciated.

QUESTIONS
Kristine Wang (Kristine.Wang@tacl.org )
Please write “TACL INTERNSHIP” in email subject heading for applications or questions.

For Immediate Release
January 8, 2007

Contact:
Michael Lin - Executive Director
mlin@ocanatl.org
202-223-550

OCA COMMENDS TOYS R US DECISION ON SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS

Washington, DC - OCA commends Toys “R” Us for awarding each of the three
babies in its “First Baby of the Year Sweepstakes,” a $25,000 savings bond
towards their college education. The company had announced that it would
award a $25,000 savings bond as a prize to the first American baby born in
the year 2007, and whose parents had submitted a contest entry form.Toys “R”
Us is the parent company of Babies “R” Us, which sponsored the contest.

All “expectant New Year’s mothers” were encouraged to apply. At the stroke
of midnight on January 1, 2007, three babies were tied for being the first
baby born: two from New York and one from Georgia. Yuki Lin, born at New
York Downtown Hospital, won a runoff drawing against the other two babies.
However, while Yuki is an American citizen, she was disqualified by contest
officials because they believed her parents, Zhu Liu and Han Lin, both
22-year old Chinese restaurant workers, are not legal residents.

“To an Asian American, this decision was a very significant one. It
reaffirms the long history Asian Americans have had in this country and that
we are as American as anyone else,” said OCA National President Ginny Gong.

OCA-New York Chapter President Vicki Shu Smolin, who’s chapter took
immediate action on this issue, commented, “Historically, Asian Americans
have been treated as non-citizens. By initially denying Yuki Lin her just
prize, Toys R Us is sending a message to Yuki and to all Americans born in
the United States, that she is a second-class citizen.”

OCA Executive Director Michael Lin added, “This incident only perpetuates
the myth that if you look different, you must have come from somewhere else
and are not entitled to the rights inherent to all Americans. There is no
dispute that Yuki is an American citizen and should be given every
opportunity and privilege to enjoy life and freedom as the rest of us.”

####

“Founded in 1973 as the Organization of Chinese Americans, OCA, a national
organization with over 80 chapters and affiliates across the country, is
dedicated to advancing the social, economic, and political well-being of
Asian Pacific Americans in the United States.”

Dear all

If you have the opportunity, please tune on to CNN with Paul Zahn this
evening (Monday) from 8:00 p.m. EST to 9:00 p.m. I will be one of the 3
panelists providing commentary on the controversial issues of today for the
hour long show. It’s great national visibility for OCA and as busy as we
are with a national board meeting and a grand opening, this is not something
OCA can afford to turn down. One of the issues is the change in China’s
polices regarding adoptions.

Wish me luck. It’s live television so I can’t take anything back.

See everyone on Friday. It’s going to be a great day!

Warmly, Ginny Gong
OCA National President

2007 Organization of Chinese Americans Orange County Chapter Officers
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President: Betty Chu-Fujita, Esq.
An Associate in the Business Immigration Law Department of Wilner & O’Reilly, Betty provides guidance and direction to senior management and foreign nationals concerning their employment-based petitions. She is admitted to the U.S. District Court, Central and Southern Districts of California and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Betty is a member of the following respected organizations: The Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association. She also previously served on the American Bar Associations Negotiations Competition Committee.

Betty received her law degree from Loyola Law School and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from UCLA. While in law school, she was elected as Social Chair, Vice President of Entertainment & Sports Law Society and the American Bar Association Student Representative. A recipient of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association Fellowship, Betty previously clerked at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC).
Prior to pursuing her legal career, Betty worked in major advertising agencies as a Media Planner and Buyer where she handled print, broadcast, and online media negotiations. She regularly interfaced with key managerial executives to discuss media placements and marketing opportunities. She was one of only a few selected to represent her agency at the prestigious American Advertising Association of America (AAAA) competition. She was also a speaker on Media Planning and Buying.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Betty speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently and looks forward to new challenges in 2007 as President of the Orange County Chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans.

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Vice President: Vicki Ta
Vicki Ta was born in Vietnam after the end of the Vietnam War. Due to ethnic persecution, she and her family fled Vietnam and became refugees in the Philippines. They immigrated to Chicago, Illinois in 1980. Aware that she is more fortunate than most, Vicki has been an active volunteer for countless organizations since high school. During her senior year at Whitney M. Young high school, Vicki was an Operations Officer in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. At Wilbur Wright College, she joined Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two Year College and served as the chapter’s recording secretary. The following year, Vicki served as chapter president before graduating from Wilbur Wright College with two Associate degrees.

Thanks to opportunities and support from professors like Ginia Jahrke, she became a Gates Millennium Scholar, transferred to Northwestern University, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Language and Civilization without incurring any student loans. Vicki currently lives in Southern California and works at Norman Shutters as a Procedure Coordinator. She also actively volunteers for the Organization of Chinese Americans Orange County Chapter, TransViet Imex Corporation as Public Relations Manager, and sporadically for a few other non-profit organizations. Vicki Ta plans to continue serving in the community and hopes to make a difference in others’ lives, similar to what others have done for her. Vicki previously served as Secretary for OCA-OC and she looks forward to continue her personal and professional growth in 2007 as Vice President of the organization.

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Secretary: Alex Quong
Alex Quong is a software engineer for Boeing. He works on projects which defend the country. In his spare time, he is also the former OCA-OC Vice President. This involves defending Asian American civil rights. Alex, a.k.a. “the Defender.” He was born and raised in California and therefore, is ideally suited to serve on OCA, which stands for Organization of Chinese AMERICANS (emphasis added). Growing up in Palos Verdes, he decided to travel far from home and acquired his B.S. in Computer Science from Santa Clara University (Go Steve Nash!). From there it was on to UC Irvine for a M.S. in Applied Mathematical Statistics.
After graduation, it was time to pay back those student loans (see first paragraph). Since work is not that fulfilling (is it ever?), he has joined OCA-OC to meet friends! Seriously though, with his extensive knowledge of the Asian American community in Southern California and his first-hand knowledge of being a banana, he feels OCA-OC is the ideal outlet to improve the lives of Chinese and Asian Americans in Southern California and Orange County specifically. Not only did he serve as former Vice President for OCA, he also served with Young Generation Asian Professionals (YGAP) in many capacities.

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Treasurer: Natalia M. Yamashiro
Natalia M. Yamashiro was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and came to the United States at the age of thirteen. Graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Finance and Spanish. Currently a history graduate student at Cal State Fullerton where she works at the International Education & Exchange Dept. Natalia’s previous work experience are in the workers’ comp and in the auto insurance arena. In her spare time Natalia is an oral historian for J.A. Living Legacy where she interviews prominent members of the Japanese-American community.

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Public Relations Chairperson: Amy Wang
Amy Wang was born in Tainan, Taiwan. She came over at the age of five and grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin (go Longhorns!). She double majored in Sociology and Asian American Studies and minored in Business. She currently works in Product Marketing for Norman International Company, and hobbies include movies, sports, trying new cuisines and Asian American literature. She previously served as Treasurer for OCA-OC and now looks forward to serving as Public Relations Chairperson.

Public Relations Chairperson: Eileen Tao
Eileen Tao is a software engineer at Motorola. She is a board member of the Association of Chinese Scientists and Engineers (ACSE). She moved to Southern California two years ago from Chicago, and enjoys music and outdoor activities.

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Board Member: Albert T. Wong [email] [blog]
Albert T. Wong is proud to serve as an officer in Organization of Chinese Americans - Orange County Chapter. He currently works for IBM as an IT Architect designing, building and deploying innovative solutions for clients around the world and was a past president of the UC Irvine Alumni Association Information and Computer Science Chapter. He enjoys traveling all over the world, eating at local mom and pop restaurants, shopping at unique stores, learning about anything and everything, donating time to worthy causes and helping his family’s business.

Board Member: Albert Soong
Albert Soong is a mortgage consultant at his company, Crystal Funding. He was a board member of Asian Professional Exchange (APEX) for three years, including serving as its Executive Vice President. In 2007, he will serve as the publications/communications chairperson for OCA-OC. Albert lives in Fullerton with his wife and two kids.

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Board Member: Jude Wu
Born a vivacious Rooster in 1981, from the bustling island of Taiwan, Jude Wu immigrated with her parents to Toronto, Canada in 1990. Despite knowledge of only Taiwanese and Mandarin, she swiftly integrated into the serene Canadian society, where not only did she discover English, but also became familiar with Cantonese.
After graduating from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in December 2003, she moved unaccompanied to California where she now enjoys the weather immensely. Jude spends most of her time reading, exercising her thumb and learning new languages. She joined OCA-OC in November 2005 as a Board Member and is optimistic about her involvement and the direction of the chapter.
Board Member: Derek Lai
Derek Lai is a Systems Engineer for NeoPath Networks. He is a board member of UCLA Anderson School Orange County Alumni. He enjoys hiking, volleyball and tennis.

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Board Advisor: Jhemon Lee, M.D.
Dr. Jhemon Lee is Vice Chair of the Department of Radiology of Los Alamitos Medical Center in Los Alamitos, California. He is also a radiologist at the MemRAD Medical Group based in Long Beach, California. Jhemon grew up in Maryland, received his bachelor’s degree in Engineering Sciences at Harvard University, and obtained his medical degree from the University of Maryland. He completed his residency in diagnostic radiology at the University of Chicago, where he was chief resident, and a fellowship in abdominal imaging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston.

In addition to being former president of OCA-Orange County, Jhemon is President of the Advisory Board for the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA). He has been involved in the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) for over ten years; past roles include serving as its National President, the President of its Chicago chapter, and on the board of its Boston chapter. He has been a board member, Director of Professional Development and founder of the Healthcare Special Interest Group for Asian Professional Exchange (APEX) in Los Angeles. He was on the Steering Committees for the 1997 OCA National Convention and the 2000 APEX/NAAAP National Conference. Honors include being named to “Who’s Who in America” and “America’s Top Physicians,” and a NAAAP National Lifetime Achievement Award.