2023 PLV Scholarship Winner Anita Tun on Political Advocacy & Activism
On a sunny afternoon in late June, my husband Shawn and I met with 2023 PLV Scholarship winner Anita Tun, a graduate of Yorba Linda High School. After reading about her and her family’s unique and harrowing life experiences and consequent resilience in her powerful application essay, we were honored to have the opportunity to meet with Anita at a local coffee shop to get to know her better and hear more about her plans to study Global Affairs and International Business at Georgetown University. Anita was soft-spoken, respectful, and insightful beyond her years; it was immediately clear to us that we had selected a scholarship recipient who was committed to being a force of good in the world.
Shawn and I were additionally struck by Anita’s commitment to meaningful sociopolitical causes as well as her drive to make an impact on the global stage. A child of immigrants from Cambodia, Anita comes from a family that survived the Khmer Rouge, the communist regime that ruled Cambodia in the mid-to late- 1970s. Her father and grandparents spent their days as children dodging landmines, while her mother feasted on fish bones to combat the cruel, wasting effects of malnutrition.
It is little wonder that the drive toward political activism burns so fiercely in Anita, who was born in the U.S. but was indelibly impacted by the trauma of war that touched the lives of her immediate relatives. While in high school, Anita joined The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), a national organization that aims to protect the civil and human rights of immigrant and refugee communities. As Orange County’s only member, she took the train to Downtown Los Angeles to participate in meetings. In her application essay, Anita recalled: “On the first day, we became a refuge for one another to break down and cry over deported parents, unvisited motherlands, and the pressure to assimilate yet remain true to our heritage.”
Importantly, Anita learned how to speak up through acts of storytelling, which led to political advocacy efforts. Anita met with Congressman Correa and Governor Newsom to push for more inclusive and equitable policies. The summer before her senior year, Anita interned for the Cambodian Embassy in Washington D.C., editing Ambassador Keo’s speeches and advocating for humane policies in a country still striving to heal from genocide and other human rights violations.
Anita reflected, “I am here today because of the people who helped my family when they were refugees of the Khmer Rouge and when they immigrated to America. Achieving higher education and serving our global immigrant and refugee communities during this journey will be my way of paying it forward.” Anita aspires to one day work in the United Nations, specifically UNICEF, where she can fight for social justice causes concerning human rights and gender equity. Following is a written interview with Anita.
Anita in Her Own Words
What inspired you to intern at CHIRLA? How about the Cambodia Embassy in Washington D.C.?
Anita: My family’s background inspired me to intern at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). My parents and sister immigrated from Cambodia, hoping to find better opportunities. And before their immigration, my parents survived the Khmer Rouge. This genocide killed millions in Cambodia. Consequently, as Cambodia, a country worth a thousand years of culture before it crumbled due to political greed, struggled to reestablish, my parents sought a better future for me and my sister in America. However, during middle and high school, I witnessed the prevalence of xenophobia throughout the country and even within my community. I felt that people did not understand the immigrant struggle because they only saw it as a political issue, not the stories that encapsulate the immigrant experience. Thus, through my family’s background and reasons for immigrating, I hoped to humanize this issue and help people understand the depths of immigration. After CHIRLA, I was inspired to intern at the Cambodian Embassy in Washington, D.C. because I realized I wanted to study international relations in college. My passion for learning about different cultures and languages, combined with the desire to fight for social justice issues such as immigration and human rights, helped me reach this conclusion. By interning there, I learned about the intricacies of how an embassy worked and, more importantly, the stories behind each person there. Whether it was rallying on the steps of the Los Angeles City Hall or discussing how to approach meetings at the US Capitol, my time at CHIRLA and with the Cambodian Embassy highlighted the importance of human interaction and relationships.
How has your family’s own history in Cambodia informed your mission?
Anita: My family’s history in Cambodia informed me about my mission because it helped me realize that my community bubble and modern privileges have blinded me from the atrocities occurring worldwide. Hearing stories about how innocent Cambodian people were mercilessly decapitated, how my grandfather had to hide the fact that he was an educated school teacher in order to survive, and how my father lost his mother while seeking refuge helped me understand the depth of their trauma and perseverance. As our parents and grandparents grow older with age, it is now our responsibility to keep their stories alive—not only to ensure that history does not repeat itself but also to humanize the immigrant experience.
What messages do you hope to share with your home community about the immigrant and/or refugee experience in America?
Anita: My message would be to seek news from multiple sources and perspectives. I urged my home community to take the time to speak and listen to the stories of first-generation immigrants, understanding their level of fear when they were forced to leave their home and the amount of physical and mental strength required to immigrate to a foreign country where they do not know the language, culture, or people. Once we are open to humanizing such experiences and looking at this issue beyond what we grew up believing (and think we know), this is when we will begin to see acceptance and change with how our country embraces immigrants and refugees.
What advice would you give to other teens hoping to make an impact in their community?
Anita: I would advise other teens to take initiative. This initiative does not need to be big, like starting an entire movement. Instead, it can range from volunteering for organizations like CHIRLA to creating a club that holds weekly discussions about social issues to talking with district trustees about more inclusive policies. Matter of fact, start Googling about the issues that you’re passionate about and then finding opportunities that you can participate in within your community or even remotely. Most of my community involvement during high school (such as CHIRLA, conducting research with Stop AAPI Hate, and phone banking for former congressman Gil Cisneros) stemmed from online searches. Through these unforgettable experiences, I found communities that not only share my passion but are also taking the initiative to ignite change.
What three things does the world need more of?
Anita: Three things that the world needs more of are compassion, openness, and optimism. Our world needs more compassion because our society has become so focused on individual success and wealth that we put our morals behind us, such as certain industries ignoring their environmental impact on the climate. After all, they are blinded by profit. In addition, we need to become more open-minded. Especially in recent years, our society has become so polarized that many refuse to listen to perspectives and opinions that do not align with their own. This mindset is highly destructive because with this stubbornness, no argument will ever lead to a compromise. The quality of open-mindedness is especially critical for our leaders when creating and voting for policies. Finally, optimism is crucial because if no one believes their singular actions could impact the world, no problems will be solved. We must believe that even the slightest initiative could trickle into a more significant movement—that it can inspire. Even if it does not grow into something big, we must believe that something born out of compassion, inclusion, and a strive to improve quality of life has the chance to impact at least one person, whether it be in our lifetime or the next.
