School Board Member Jay Chen
Hacienda Heights, CA

“Why I Ran for Office”

I decided relatively early in life that I would run for elected office.  Many factors contributed to this, including early mentorship from a school board member that demonstrated to me the power elected office could have in helping young people reach their potential.  I credit this mentorship with helping me get into a good college, and have been inspired to replicate that impact for future generations ever since.

A curious lack of Asian American involvement in politics was also a motivating factor for me to run.  Though I was born in Michigan, I spent formative years in Singapore prior to settling in California.  As a result, the image of Asians as political leaders was never something very foreign to me, while the near absence of Asian faces in U.S. politics was.  I wanted to change that.  National incidences of racial profiling against the Asian American community, such as the campaign finance debacle of 1996, and the wrongful persecution of Wen Ho Lee in 1999, only reinforced in me the need to get involved.

I credit our last President with inspiring me, as well.  That our nation could be so haphazardly spun into an unjustified and debilitating war, and that the entire course of history could have been changed by a few hundred votes in Florida (or one on the Supreme Court), was an incredible wakeup call.  Sitting on the sidelines and complaining about problems was no longer a credible option.  I wanted to become part of the solution, and become a decision maker myself.

Implementing a vision for the district that I graduated from has been extremely personal and satisfying.  I have created free college workshops and application review sessions to boost admissions chances for our students, and this fall we will begin free SAT prep courses.  Thanks to various partnerships we have expanded our foreign language and study abroad opportunities.  We have also created edible school gardens at multiple campuses, built new science labs at our four high schools, and we will soon bring solar energy as well.  Outside of the district I have been a strong advocate for issues from fair redistricting to marriage equality.  To have the opportunity to make such a positive impact in my community at a relatively young age has been completely exhilarating.

My term has not been without its challenges.  Our efforts to bring Mandarin language classes to middle school students have ignited cold war fears among some in our community, who insist it amounts to preaching Communism.  On the plus side, it caught the attention of The Daily Show and gave me a chance to get interrogated by Aasif Mandvi.  It is also a daily challenge to juggle an actual paying job with the infinite duties you could easily enmesh yourself in as a board member.

These challenges are easily outweighed by the rewards of this role, foremost being seeing your plan for societal betterment taking shape.  I hope more young people take the leap towards political activism, and that once elected, never lose sight of what motivated them to run in the first place.

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