2010 APAWLI Fellows Gain More than Just Development

In June, The Center for Asian Pacific American Women proudly graduated their 2010 National APAWLI Fellows in Washington, DC. Earlier this year, January marked the beginning of the 2010 APAWLI Fellowship class. The actual journey began a few months earlier with their application for consideration: several of the sisters joked that the level of detail required in their application required them to reflect back on their entire life and experiences that lead them to their present selves.

The APAWLI (Asian Pacific American Women's Leadership Institute) Fellowship Program encompassed six months of life changing experiences centered on the concept of Whole Person Leadership. We often hear about programs that are designed to help us grow, to become better leaders, or to create balance. But this program is different. From the perspectives of this class, they became more conscious of their daily actions and decisions. Instead of a dichotomy, they know their work and home life affect each other. They now strive to address all areas of their life to truly live each moment: "Be vs. Do" and to give back to their community. From the voice of one sister, "Whole Person Leadership, to me, does not mean all the quadrants of my being have to be in balance or that I have to strive to perfection. On the contrary, the concept has helped me to recognize which quadrant leads me. Once known, I free that side of me to take charge of my life and the others exist to help: I help myself. Only then can I be of any help to anyone else and to freely accept help."

The dynamic lessons from this program cannot be taught in a book. The program is comprised of three intentional sessions: The Journey Begins, Trekking: The Journey Continues, and Triumph: Reaching the Summit and Traveling. All aspects of the program are designed to help support the execution of a learning project by each fellow. The project is designed to stretch the fellow, impact the community, and incorporate the concept and practice of Whole Person Leadership. The eight sisters in this class had a wide range of projects to support the needs of their community:

• Capturing and preserving the storytelling of APA Women
• Teaching Tai Chi to retirees
• Bringing dance and laughter to children in an underserved community
• Creating experiences for mothers and daughters to dialogue and bond during the challenging adolescent years
• Creating Asian Voice Radio to bridge generations and language barriers in the Asian Community
• Mentoring and developing APA women across company barriers
• Teaching ethics to bar association members in conjunction with creating a network of support for diverse bar members
• Creating an employee resource group to support employee development, mentoring, and business initiatives.

As with many programs and events, the participants did not conceive nor expect many of the benefits of the program. In this case, the unexpected included the priceless gain of a sisterhood of support and collaboration. The fellows have found this program helped them to see who they were at their core and with the support of their sisters; they were able to move beyond the fear of change and of taking risks to stretch themselves. The benefits of a program centered on APA women and their culture were a catalyst to their progression throughout the sessions.

Community partners included State Farm Insurance, Nordstrom and Southwest Airlines (The Official Airlines of The Center for APA Women)

Details of the 2011 APAWLI program and applications for the next class.