OUR 2018 INTERNS

Audrey is currently a sophomore at UC Santa Cruz, majoring in Astrophysics and minoring in Computer Science. Her interests include stargazing, playing Đàn tranh and piano, browsing dog memes online, and serving her community.

Although she recently became an official intern, Audrey has been part of the ICAN family since a young age. She recalls attending ICAN fundraisers and events with her parents at the age of six. Audrey began volunteering with the organization in 3rd grade, starting with tasks like twisting balloon animals and face painting, progressing to more involved activities such as stamping envelopes and scanning documents at 12 years old. Last summer, she served as an intern, contributing to website creation and design, analyzing program survey data, and organizing the database.

Through her dedication to supporting ICAN's programs, Audrey has gained invaluable experiences. She developed professional skills and received training in project management, Salesforce, and website design. However, more importantly, she found inspiration and fulfillment in giving back to the Vietnamese-American community and beyond. Audrey deeply respects the staff members and acknowledges the challenges of running a non-profit organization. She admires ICAN's focus on addressing issues often overlooked in Asian communities, such as positive parenting and mental health. Witnessing the impact of her contributions over time has empowered Audrey. She encourages other young people to engage in community service, whether with ICAN or another organization, as it is a rewarding experience that fosters personal growth.

Hello! My name is Kristy and I am currently a sophomore at the University of California, Santa Barbara majoring in Actuarial Science. I first heard of ICAN and their work in 2018 and interned over the summer with a close-knit team. I love live music, traveling with my family and friends, and Vietnamese food!

I have always enjoyed community service and have been involved from high school until now. From leading my own community service clubs and helping to plan philanthropy events in college, these kinds experiences have always been the highlight of my personal and professional accomplishments.

Working with ICAN this summer has been a truly grounding and educational experience. Being able to collaborate with well-established professionals, I was able to gain technological knowledge while also learning about the nonprofit industry. Whether it be from working with the Board of Directors, staff, or even the program participants, I received a very hands-on experience and was able to work on projects that had direct, positive outcomes on the Vietnamese community. I gained invaluable skills for a professional workplace and developed meaningful relationships with my coworkers. There are many aspects to this internship that I could not have experienced elsewhere, such as volunteering many hours with the Vietnamese community as well as working with an empowering and encouraging staff of Vietnamese women.

“Working with ICAN this summer has been a truly grounding and educational experience. There are many aspects to this internship that I could not have experienced elsewhere, such as volunteering many hours with the Vietnamese community as well as working with an empowering and encouraging staff of Vietnamese women.”

Hi everyone! My name is Tammy Lam and I’m a freshman majoring in Business Marketing at the University of San Francisco. I joined the ICAN family during the summer of 2018 as a Marketing Design intern.

Being a part of the ICAN family has provided me with experiences that I’ll never forget and will continue to carry on throughout my career. As a summer intern, I was able to practice skills that are directly applicable to my intended major. I learned how to work efficiently in a collaborative setting and was able to creatively contribute to ICAN’s mission. While working with ICAN, they gave me the chance to practice what I love to do, which was graphic design and marketing, while providing me with room to learn and grow. It has been an extremely fulfilling experience building relationships by interacting with families and raising awareness for ICAN’s humanitarian programs. Not only does ICAN aim towards bettering the external community around them, but ICAN also creates opportunities for their internal community made up of staff members, interns, and volunteers to really thrive. Through allowing me to participate in many hands-on projects, ICAN has empowered me to continue learning about my roots, pursuing my passions, and doing whatever I can to give back to those around me.

“Being a part of the ICAN family has provided me with experiences that I’ll never forget. It has been an extremely fulfilling experience. I was able to play a vital role in impacting the Vietnamese Community. ICAN creates opportunities for staff members, interns, and volunteers to really grow and thrive.”

My name is Thu Vu and I’m a high school student in my senior year. During the 2018 summer from the end of June to the end of August, I had the opportunity to intern for ICAN. During these two months, my main role was labeled as Administrator, where I helped organize paperwork and data. I also helped out at the childcare center twice a week and worked with the children in the different workshops. While ICAN revamped their website, I assisted in the process.  

During the internship, I was able to learn many useful tools I wouldn’t have learnt elsewhere at my grade level. I learned about salesforce, specifically the nonprofit side of salesforce, and applied my knowledge in helping ICAN with scrubbing salesforce. I also got training in a type of project management called Scrum which we used throughout the summer to ensure we met our deadlines for the revamping of the website. Through the internship, it definitely helped me become more assertive by learning to speak out and offer my help in a team. It gave me a taste of the work and responsibilities of life outside of high school. It showed me how every small task somehow effects another person’s task and the importance of ensuring a smooth running team to meet the deadlines.

Overall, I believe the ICAN internship was a great experience for me, teaching me new skills specific to ICAN and the real world.

“The internship definitely helped me become more assertive by learning to speak up and offer my help to the team. It gave me a taste of the work and responsibilities of life outside of high school. Overall, I believe the ICAN internship was a great experience for me — teaching me new skills specific to ICAN and the real world.”

Kim Yen Vo started as parenting workshop participant, then volunteer, and now she is ICAN's Associate Community Worker. Yen and her sons, Brian and Brandon Pham, have been participating in ICAN's programs since 2010. Even though Brian is now in elementary school, he still volunteers for special events. His little brother, Brandon, currently attends ICAN's programs while his mother volunteers. We are so grateful for Yen's creative arts and craft ideas!