I continue to do this work to pave the way for young AAPI people who are going through the same formative political experiences that I did. Even if I am the only person who looks like me in a given space, I am inspired every day by the ways my community is growing into its power even in the face of incredible barriers and pain.

Like so many other servant leaders, I’ve spent my life at the grass roots and the front lines, and that commitment to serving others has given me an invaluable perspective on the nature of our public challenges and how change happens at the community level. But I’ve also seen the connection between grassroots change and government policies, and know that we need more people in politics who are driven by a desire to serve others, solve problems, and put the needs of the country above the needs of their own ego.

Service brings people together, so that they can outline and tackle their community’s unique issues united. Formal service doesn’t feel like a privilege in the moment. It feels like a sacrifice that others are unwilling to make, but later, while working in DC in a different kind of food desert, I learned that not everyone is offered the same opportunity to serve that I so easily took.

Over 70% of U.S. youth don’t qualify for military service, and the low pay and long hours that AmeriCorps and Peace Corps years demand create a space that only those with the right support systems can inhabit. With this knowledge in hand I knew it was time to step into an arena that I wasn’t too familiar with - politics. I began to understand that in order to support the opportunities I felt were so important to young adults, I had to work with elected officials to advocate for funding. That’s why I took a position at Service Year Alliance which advocates for national service funding at the federal and state level. I was drawn to politics because I’d seen the unique skills that service can produce in people, and I wanted to lower the barrier of entry so that every young adult had an equal opportunity to serve. Part of lowering that barrier is ensuring that more service alumni enter the political arena to enact that change and create that opportunity.

My mom’s selfless sacrifices are woven intricately into the stories of our success. The military provided me with opportunities I never could have imagined. Were it not for my mother, however, for her commitment to living selflessly and to doing all she could to empower us, I might not have been so fortunate.

My time in uniform took me across the country and around the world, but I still remain connected to my community. Little has changed for my hometown. Nevada continues to be mired in deeply-rooted inequality, among the worst educational outcomes in the country, and a myriad of systemic issues that remain unaddressed. Solving these problems isn’t a question of politics, but of servant leadership. Selfless, courageous leadership seeks to empower everyone, just like my mother did for our family.