In our August 2025 blog, read about what Florida International University senior, Huá Huī Vogel, learned during his summer internship in Washington, D.C., and why we need to support more youth leaders like him in our state.
Consider donating to APIAVote’s Florida Fund, so that we can help more students like Huá Huī reach their potential.
By: Huá Huī Samuel Vogel
A favorite moment of mine while I was an intern in Washington, D.C. this summer was attending the APIAVote National Summit. I received an incredible amount of support, insightful responses, and outreach after asking a deeply thought-provoking question to the first set of panelists. As a South Floridian, I asked about the bridging of youth and the older generation amidst the fear many youth have in a politically charged climate, as we prepare for the long fight ahead against harmful policies like the Everglades Detention Camp.
As AAPI Heritage Month (May), LGBTQI+ Pride Month (June), and Disability Pride Month (July) all come to a close, it is often a period of reflection for me. My name is Huá Huī Vogel (He/They). I am an Honors student at Florida International University, entering my final year, but I am also an intersectional, multi-marginalized advocate and leader. This past summer, I had the pleasure of being accepted into the American Association of People with Disabilities Summer 2025 cohort, interning at the Center for American Progress (CAP) in Washington, D.C. I had a transformative time being able to learn, connect, experience, and network. A highlight of being in D.C. was being able to be in the community for all three aforementioned celebratory months, especially at a time like this.
At CAP, I was able to understand more about the world of public policy. Under the supervision of Mia Ives-Rublee and Casey Doherty, I was able to learn and experience behind-the-scenes of how policy products are crafted and disseminated in a digestible manner for the public. In a piece titled “The Trump’s Administration War on Disability” I was given the ability to have hands-on experience by aiding in writing a section of it with the guidance of my supervisors. With all of this said, the most challenging aspect of it all was taking in all of the information– like Trump’s attacks on DEIA, LGBTQI+, cuts to granting funding for items like research at public institutions, Medicaid cuts, dismantling of the Department of Education, and so forth– in acknowledging all of it but trying to find hope in all of it to keep persevering and fighting for the good fight.
The acknowledgement and understanding that this fight cannot be won alone but in community is in part what gives me hope for a better, progressive future. Beyond the internship, I was able to participate in countless events— like APIAVote’s National Summit, Voters of Tomorrow National Summit, AAPD’s Annual ADA Celebration, Disability Culture Cabaret: Pride Edition, and the Men4Choice Mixer– that allowed me to fully immerse myself in DC. Having attended these events, I am reminded of the past, present, and future of leaders who have and will shape history, and I am merely a piece to the larger puzzle. To be in attendance at the APIAVote’s National Summit, I was able to ask panelists difficult but vital questions about the status of the youth in their outlook for the future and the steps needed to be taken forward. As an AAPI leader, for one of the first times, I felt a strong AAPI community of advocates and felt that I was no longer in the fight alone, pushing for AAPI advancement.
If I have learned anything, it is to stay curious, not be afraid to be loud, and embrace the journey. Do not rush change, for change takes time; when it does, it will have been at the right time. To be an advocate and leader is to champion the underdogs and create a space for the voiceless to be seen and heard by those who have shunned them. As an intersectional, multi-marginalized advocate and leader, I have made it my mission to create an accessible and inclusive space for all people.
