white house aapi youth leadership briefing

Heads up, young people. This Thursday, January 12, the White House Office of Public Engagement will host a leadership briefing for AAPI youth, which will be partially streamed online starting 9:00am EST.

The event is a conversation with college and high school AAPI students about access to higher education, community service and civil rights. It will include remarks from White House officials, two panel discussions with Administration officials, and breakout sessions to discuss specific issues.

The briefing is designed to inspire AAPI youth to think about how they would address issues that affect them. It will also allow them to meet White House and government officials who can provide guidance and mentorship for those who are interested in a career in public service/government. Here's the agenda:

Thursday Morning: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Greetings and Setting the Agenda
Eddie Lee - Associate Director, White House Office of Public Engagement

Welcome Remarks
Jon Carson - Director, White House Office of Public Engagement

Obama Administration Accomplishments in the AAPI Community
Kiran Ahuja - Executive Director, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI)

Importance of AAPIs in Public Service
Raj Shah - Administrator, US Agency for International Development

Panel of AAPI Federal Leaders

 *Moderator: Chris Lu - Cabinet Secretary and WHIAAPI Co-chair
 *Panelists:
 Je Yon Jung - Senior Counsel, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
 Parag Mehta - Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), Department of Labor
 Mira Patel - Secretary's Office of Policy Planning, Department of State

Panel on AAPI issues in higher education

 *Moderator: Konrad Ng - Director, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program
 *Panelists:
 Tuyet Duong - Advisor, WHIAAPI
 Ramey Ko - Commissioner, President's Advisory Commission on AAPIs
 Don Yu - Special Advisor to the Secretary, Department of Education

Thursday Afternoon: 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Sharing the Wisdom
Large group reconvenes after breakout sessions and students share the action agendas created in their breakout sessions

Closing Remarks
Ronnie Cho - Associate Director, White House Office of Public Engagement

The opening remarks, panel discussions and closing remarks will be live streamed online. You can participate by tweeting your questions using the hashtag #AAPIWH. For further information on the Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, go to the White House website here.