Fellowship 2022: Rida Kadri

A class of seven highschool students expressing their interest in the so-called dirty realm of politics isn’t usually considered pensively by the large majority. But this class of seven highschool students has had the opportunity to explore this domain with encouraging mentors and like-minded peers, gaining a thrilling and phenomenal experience. 

Every week, our speakership series leaves me with so much more ardor and insight in the realm of politics, spanning from themes of advocacy to media. Speaking to such dedicated and experienced individuals and being able to acquire a plethora of knowledge from them has been such a valuable experience. Many speakers, coming from the same background as us fellows, have really connected to us in a relatable way. 

Words from Middlesex County Commissioner Shanti Narra and Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer have resonated with me heavily as they have allowed me to understand the importance of representation along with the struggles South Asian women face in the process. Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer explained her calling to politics; she described her involvement as stemming from a place of necessity, and her explanation clarified my feelings of urgency. Aside from speaking to these incredible and empowering women, we also gained immense insight on areas of relevance and interest within politics. Speaking to National Asian American Pacific Islander Director Amit Jani, as well as Editor in Chief for the New Jersey Globe, David Wildstein, we were able to discuss the unofficial fourth branch of government: media. In a world where society has become digitized, understanding the impact and importance of the press was a very meaningful discussion. 

Along with our weekly speakership sessions, interning in Assemblywoman Flynn and Assemblyman Scharfenberger’s office has been such a valuable experience for me. I’ve come to understand and appreciate the significance of research during my time in the office, studying areas such as small business recovery and learning loss. Researching both of these subject matters has been beyond insightful and encouraging, when it comes to addressing issues we must resolve for the betterment of our society. 

Learning loss was especially notable to me as I lived through the era of school through zoom, as well as the rough recovery returning back to school in person. The transition back to school from the pandemic showed just how severe the impact of virtual school was, and now is the time to combat that. Being able to contribute to the discussion about the urgency of this issue through my first-hand experience, diving into the root of the problem was so important to me and I found my growing passion into finding a feasible solution. I found the same excitement when I was finally able to come across a viable and beneficial recovery plan for small businesses in the food industry by looking into the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, and the organization, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine. The exhilaration and satisfaction I felt when I received an email from the office saying that we could use the research I conducted to craft a possible bill was just another reminder that reassured my passion in this field.

Fellowship 2022: Shiza Kamran

These last two months working in the office of Senator Durr and Assemblywoman McCarthy-Patrick have been nothing short of uneventful. I began my internship right after school was out in June with the office of Senator Durr. During my month stay, I mostly highlighted bills and called constituents for unemployment cases. One of my main concerns was unemployment in my town and I realized that is all the office dealt with. I had a small corner desk in the hallway and floated around the office for an available computer whenever needed. My place in the corner allowed me to thoroughly observe and listen-in on all the daily dealings and work. I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to work with the office of Senator Durr because I got to see constituent work which is something I was interested in prior to starting. From answering constituent calls and reading their emails which expressed a variety of concerns they had, it made me more aware of different issues. The majority of the calls we got were from the elderly population who either wanted to express legislative ideas or needed help filing for unemployment. A lot of senior citizens were not able to fill out the online unemployment application because they did not have a smartphone, computer, or printer to fax. My job was to call these constituents and ask if their unemployment case was resolved. Working with them allowed me to pull out of my bubble and understand the daily struggles of New Jersey residents in my county. 

Just as quickly as my internship started it came to end when I moved to the office of Assemblywoman McCarthy-Patrick. My commute went from an hour to about 15 minutes which I was extremely grateful for. There are only two employees working in the office so I got a desk in the front with a computer this time which was exciting. My work here was vastly different to my previous internship. I have spent the last three weeks making flyers and sending emails to inform other legislators about the move. Most recently, I made a flyer for a food drive that will have school supplies and backpacks which will be sponsored by Jack and Melinda Ciatterelli. I am really excited about this event because it is in my town and I realize what kind of impact it will have. 

This week’s theme for the speakership series was advocacy. I heard from four speakers but Nina Verghese specifically stood out to me because I really understood and enjoyed what she had to say. Her work was very inspirational to me because she sounded so dedicated to the causes she worked for. The anecdote she told us about airlines showed me that she was willing to get involved with the community to get real work done and it showed me that advocacy work might be something that I could pursue. I am so thankful that I decided to apply to NJ Lead because without the program all of this would not be possible. I am so grateful that I not only got an opportunity to intern but to also listen to incredible speakers each week. Meeting the other fellows was also great because I am excited to see the impact all of these people will have on New Jersey politics.

Fellowship 2021: Annika Vasagiri

Annika Vasagiri

I came into this week of my fellowship feeling more prepared and ready to learn than I had the previous weeks. By this time, most of my initial fears had subsided. My cohort was, thankfully, not the competitive, cutthroat group I had expected. Instead, we have been so supportive of each other throughout this program and have become good friends. My internship at Assemblyman Benson’s office was also not as intimidating as I feared, and I quickly settled into working there.

Now that I was comfortable in this program, I was able to fully engage myself in the work I was doing. At Assemblyman Benson’s office, one of my first tasks was to create a chart of where bills he was sponsoring were in the process of becoming laws. While doing this I learned more about New Jersey’s legislative system than I ever had before. Most of what I was taught in school about the government had been focused on the federal level, but this work gave me an opportunity to learn more about New Jersey’s legislative process and issues that were unique to the state.

“Most of what I was taught in school about the government had been focused on the federal level, but this work gave me an opportunity to learn more about New Jersey’s legislative process and issues that were unique to the state.”

From sending constituents letters, to responding to their calls, I have also spent a lot of my time at my internship communicating with Assemblyman Benson’s constituents. Constituents have a wide variety of concerns they go to their representatives for, and hearing about these concerns helped me become more aware of the different issues New Jerseyans experience. They can call on their representatives to support certain legislation their communities need, and for help navigating the confusing procedures within the government. Recently, I was asked to write a piece for the Assemblyman’s newsletter about a legislative package he played a key role in creating that would make New Jersey’s transportation system more equitable for people with disabilities. I had rarely considered the difficulties disabled folks might experience while using public transportation before this, but I soon gained a greater understanding of the unique concerns of disabled New Jerseyans and how the government is becoming more responsive to their needs. Working in a legislator’s office has given me a first hand look at the experiences of different New Jerseyans, and what they want from their government.

This past week’s speakership series was centered around the theme of Advocacy, and for the first time in our speakership series we met with speakers from the Republican Party. We spoke with Al Barlas, Senior Vice President at the public strategy firm Mercury, and Angelo Lamberto, the Deputy Campaign Manager for Ciattarelli for New Jersey Governor, and both emphasized the importance of bipartisan cooperation, and building relationships with people across party lines. My generation’s politics is deeply polarized. Growing up during the politically turbulent Trump presidency has made me feel more cynical towards politics, but it was inspiring to see leaders in the government and private sector creating a foundation of bipartisanship for the future. Madison Mielke, the President & CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, also came to speak with us about the importance of Asian American representation in politics and discussed with us her own journey working in politics as one of few Asian Americans when she began her career. Seeing how far she had come in her career inspired me to remain hopeful about my own future and career and reminded me to trust that my abilities and dedication would help me along the way.

“I have learned more about New Jersey’s politics and the field in general in the past few weeks than I ever could have in a classroom.”

One speaker Eric Salcedo said something that particularly resonated with me. He told the rest of the Fellows and myself that we inspired him. At first, I was taken aback by this. After all, he has an incredibly impressive resume and currently works as the Asian American Pacific Islander Coalitions Director on the Democratic National Committee, and I am just a high schooler. At that moment I learned something that is special about public service, and it was that anyone who is willing to work hard and continue to learn can find a space for themselves to work in it. Many people in this field are truly dedicated to improving their communities. There is little room for ego and hubris in work that is committed to the needs of others, and so, many people working in public service truly seek to uplift the communities they serve, and they have been incredibly supportive and encouraging towards me and the rest of the Fellows.

I had applied to NJ Lead back in January as I was dealing with some confusion about my future. I was afraid of what the future would bring, because I did not yet understand a world outside of school, so I decided I wanted to jump right in and start working in an area that I was interested in, politics, and this program offered the perfect opportunity to do so. Between my internship and the speakership series, I have been given an unparalleled ability to explore my interests in politics and better understand what this work is like. I have learned more about New Jersey’s politics and the field in general in the past few weeks than I ever could have in a classroom. By giving me the opportunity to immerse myself in public service, NJ Lead has shown me the value of working to serve others, and for that I am immensely grateful.

Fellowship 2021: Laasya Gadiyaram

Laasya Gadiyaram

In such a complex and multidimensional political landscape, the purpose of politics can often be lost among American citizens. Politics can appear to be a corrupt and convoluted profession, full of screaming matches and hostility, where little can be accomplished. While it's easy to only focus on the national political stage, we can't lose sight of where the real work gets done: local politics. Where the splendor and glamor of national politics is lost, efficacy and diligence is replaced. Local politics is what politics truly is: accurate and important representation, and the insurance that no constituent is left behind. 

One of my first assignments as an intern for New Jersey Legislative District 38's office was to help a constituent understand the vaccine rollout program. This constituent had been home-bound, confined to his residence due to the lack of appropriate medical care caused by the pandemic. Now that the world was seeming to reopen, he felt compelled to do his civic duty and get vaccinated, despite having self-isolated for the entirety of a year and a half. Even throughout the blatant circulation of misinformation and unnecessary politicization of public health, this constituent still want to contribute to the public good even when he didn't have a pressing need to. He wasn't a frontline medical worker, he didn't need to go to work every day, he wasn't going out every day, but he still understood the pressing need to get vaccinated. 

“While it’s easy to only focus on the national political stage, we can’t lose sight of where the real work gets done: local politics. Where the splendor and glamor of national politics is lost, efficacy and diligence is replaced.”

Lately, the vaccine has been effectively demonized — some politicians are even going to the extent of purposely promoting misinformation — but seeing this constituent ignore these lies and still choose to make the right decision, despite having virtually no incentive to, reminded me that we're all in this together. Lockdown made it hard to see friends and family, gatherings were shut down, and masks hid half of faces. Our ability to connect with one another was essentially severed and a sense of community was hampered. But the decision to get vaccinated and contribute to the collective benefit has been the first tangible example of our community healing. And being a part of this experience, being put into a position where I was able to help someone contribute to this communal good, reiterated to myself that helping my community was the most important thing I could do. 

The idea of community has seemed to find its way into every part of my experience as a NJLP Fellow thus far. Even beyond the close-knit community established between all the fellows, the necessity of communal benefit has been an underlying theme of every speakership series.

Even when the speakership series theme varies from government to campaigning to advocacy, each speaker reminds us of the importance of giving back, energizing us even through the online haze of a Zoom meeting. From Laura Jiminez's talk on the importance of integrating your experience in your work, to Carissa Smith's talk on maintaining your composure under pressure, to Shanti Narra's talk on fighting gender stereotypes in the South Asian community, each speaker has reminded me of why I want to go into public service. I feel compelled to give back, and NJLP has given me a community of motivated individuals who feel the same. 

“Every Saturday morning, I don’t just hear from experienced professionals motivated to make change, I hear from the next generation of them, too.”

After every speaker series, the fellowship group chat buzzes with discussion. Each of us can agree that we have been impacted in some way by what we've just heard, even when the application of this varies from person to person. I learn about how some of my peers felt inspired to enter a certain area of politics, how others challenged their beliefs by hearing from a certain speakers, and even how others learned a new way of thinking — all in only three hours. Every Saturday morning, I don't just hear from experienced professionals motivated to make change, I hear from the next generation of them, too.

Fellowship 2021: Anika Ganesh

Anika Ganesh

It has been just 32 days since the official start of the NJ Lead program, yet I’ve gained so many experiences that I will treasure for a lifetime. From hearing about the careers of the very best in government, politics, and advocacy to interning at the office of Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, I have learned what it truly means to be a public servant.

I am so grateful to be working at Assemblyman Raj Mukerji’s office this summer. My career aspirations include serving the country after college and running for office, both of which he has done. His experience in the field and passion for politics shine through in every conversation. As for the work I’ve completed, it has mainly been filling out campaign endorsement questionnaires from different organizations. I’ve learned to research bills and answer questions with just the right amount of wiggle room while still holding true to the Assemblyman’s values.

“From hearing about the careers of the very best in government, politics, and advocacy to interning at the office of Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, I have learned what it truly means to be a public servant.”

I’ve also had the pleasure of sitting in on a couple of meetings with groups looking to advance pieces of legislation - groups such as SAG Aftra and the Humane Rescue Alliance. Through these meetings, I’ve learned the importance of listening to the concerns of constituents and working through roadblocks, putting together solutions for them. 

Every Saturday, the fellows come together to hear from speakers of different backgrounds and ask them questions about the work they do. Of these speakers, Phil Thompson and Al Barlas stood out to me. Phil Thompson spoke with us about his work in several municipal, state, and national campaigns. He emphasized the importance of knowing the intention of your work - to help people. This powerful sense of heart and purpose that he brought to every campaign, no matter how small, was extremely inspiring. Al Barlas spoke with us about his experience as a South Asian in the Republican Party. As a young Republican myself, it was amazing to see someone who looked like me in the party bringing his unique perspective to the table. 

It’s hard to believe that in two weeks the program will come to a close and I’ll have built several connections that I could only have dreamt of having before. Applying to NJ Lead was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I am so lucky that I stumbled upon this opportunity just a week before the deadline.

“I always knew this was what I wanted to do, but during these past 4 weeks I learned from people who fight for a better future - and now it has confirmed my passion to be one of them.”

The whole point of the program is to expose South Asian youth to this world of advocacy and service; to encourage us to be the next elected officials and call the shots for our communities. I always knew this was what I wanted to do, but during these past 4 weeks I learned from people who fight for a better future - and now it has confirmed my passion to be one of them.