Washington , DC : International Leadership Foundation, a non-profit based in Washington DC whose honorary chairman is none other than the most famous and respected Asian American, Secretary Norman Mineta, recently held its annual gala week in Washington DC.
Each year, the ILF, in an effort to foster the next generation of AAPi leaders, carefully selects 35-45 top Asian American undergrads from the nation’s top schools and places them at federal government agencies, including the White House and the Pentagon, and the NASA. At the end of the two-month internship, the fellows attend festivities culminating in the Awards Gala where AAPi visionaries gather from across the nation. These honorees have not only excelled in their fields, be it public or private, but shown commitment and dedication to service, philanthropy, and leadership.
This year’s gala chair was the ILF, Orange County Chairperson, Mrs. Anila Ali. In her welcome speech, Mrs. Ali thanked the Asian Americans leadership for paving the way for others to follow. “The AAPI community’s commitment to inspire the youth leaders of tomorrow is commendable,” said Ali.
This year’s national honoree from SoCal was Dr. Meher Tabatabai. She was honored for being a visionary, and for her leadership and philanthropy.
At the dinner, Madam Nancy Pelosi spoke very highly of ILF and gave a truly inspirational speech to the young fellows. They looked on in sheer admiration and awe of the Speaker, who took time out of her busy schedule (the debt ceiling talks were on in full session) to talk to them and congratulate Dr. Meher Tabatabai on her prestigious award. The ILF CEO, Chiling Tong, thanked Madam Speaker for her services to the nation and presented her with the ILF Leadership Award. Chiling Tong thanked the ILF OC leadership for their efforts in bringing Madam Pelosi to the event.
The OC Advisory board is made up of the following visionary leaders: Nasir Javaid, Adnan Khan, Hamid Malik, Dr.Sohail Masood, Mariam Rashid, Dr. Meher Tabatabai, Mahrukh Madad, Gazala Adaya Shauk, Dr.Farhat Zubair, Nikki Kardar, and Dr. Shoaib Patail
The ILF internships are open to all undergrads with Asian American heritage, a GPA of 3.0 or above and community service experience. For more details see www.ileader.org
