White House Hosts AAPI Youth Briefing

On July 6, the White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) welcomed more than 150 AAPI young leaders from the East Coast Asian American Student Union for a briefing.

Chris Lu, White House Cabinet Secretary and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on AAPIs, delivered remarks in which he encouraged AAPI youth to get engaged and take action within their campuses and communities.

The morning session also included a panel on “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling,” which featured senior AAPI Obama Administration leaders who shared stories of overcoming obstacles to ensure AAPI representation at the highest levels of federal government.  A second panel, “Trailblazing Your Way through College,” featured AAPI student leaders who shared best practices and lessons learned on how to engage AAPI youth and organize issue-based campaigns.  

In the afternoon, participants engaged with Administration officials during workshops on bullying prevention, campus and community engagement, social media, higher education resources, and careers in the federal government. 

The day concluded with remarks from Jon Carson, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, who highlighted the Administration’s work around student and youth issues, including the bill that the President signed on Friday afternoon to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling.     

Overall, the briefing provided an opportunity for AAPI youth to describe their concerns, voice their perspectives, and commit to taking action within communities and campuses around the country. Watch videos of the event below.

Gautam Raghavan is an Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement.