Examining cultural identity
Participants tell their stories throughout the summit, and in focused small groups discuss their experiences as Asian American and Pacific Islander women-from parental expectations and generational differences to stereotyping in schools, in public and on the job.

Making connections The Summit is a networker's goldmine, with opportunities at every session, meal and break to meet other APA women in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.

Building leadership skills
Women who've been there and done that teach how to handle the press, influence legislators, and survive in the halls of power.

Quotes from the National Summit

Participants

"It's lonely out there at times, and we often put our own development last. Here we can forget about business and reflect together on where we are and what's important in life."
-Angel Chi, President, Chi Investment Corporation

"It's nourishing, a way of feeding myself that I don't get from the traditional woman's movement. And I don't have to choose between being a woman and being Asian."
-Sharon Ramirez, Membership Director, Women's Funding Network

"I'm a journalist, and I mentor others. When I came to the Summit last year, it was nice to be a mentee instead of a mentor-to be around people like myself or older in a non-competitive environment. It's a relaxed atmosphere in which people aren't so go-go."
-Lydia Lum, Higher Education Writer, Houston Chronicle

Speakers

"When we think about the idea of work, and how work creates power, I thought, 'Let us gather at the river.' It is at the river that we gather to fish, to pull taro, to wash rice. Where is the river now? It is here, at APAWLI."
-Puanani Burgess, President, A Peace at a Time

"We're dealing with a society in which we have to debate affirmative action when there are still so many who are completely unrepresented in corporate and political America...There's no reason that a face that looks like ours can't be in one of the highest offices in the country."
-APAWLI Trustee Angela Oh, Attorney and Lecturer

"Every single one of us can do something better than 10,000 other people. We develop best in our areas of strength, and least in our weak areas."
-Dr. Kathleen Sorensen, Vice-President, The Gallup Organization