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Asian-Pacific Heritage Valued at the Agency
The month of May is
yet another time to celebrate the diversity of America’s people. This month, we
honor Asian-Pacific American heritage. With the first wave of Chinese
immigrants during the Gold Rush in 1848, Asian-Pacific Americans have brought
their culture to the nation known as the “melting pot.” The Agency would like
to use Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month as an opportunity to acknowledge
the talents and diversity of thought that Asian-Pacific employees bring to the
mission.
The Asian-Pacific
American Organization
The Central Intelligence Agency has many affinity groups;
one of which is the Asian-Pacific American Organization (APAO). This affinity
group acts as a support structure for Agency employees of Asian-Pacific
heritage. APAO works to:
- Advise senior Agency managers on Asian-Pacific
career advancement, retention and recruitment
- Provide career development guidance to staff
officers and newly hired Asian-Pacific officers
- Advocate training designed to capitalize on
Asian-Pacific strengths
- Partner with the Agency Diversity Council
in an effort to foster diversity and create opportunities for information
sharing and discussion
- Promote a greater understanding of Asian-Pacific
American values, cultural awareness, and work ethics to maximize organizational
effectiveness
A former APAO president and current CIA employee, who has
been with the organization since its creation in 1991, remarked upon the
importance of the organization.
“APAO is an important organization because at the end of the
day, you’re still who you are and this organization is here to help you through
the good and bad,” she said. “It’s here to help you become successful in the
Agency.”
APAO is also about making a difference in the Agency.
“We’re trying to show junior officers that their culture
brings diversity of thought to the Agency, and it’s how they use it that makes
a difference,” she said.
The former APAO president believes that APAO will continue
to have an impact as the next generation enters the Agency workforce.
“It’s important for the more experienced officers to
transfer their knowledge to the next generation, especially when we now have
four generations of employees in the workforce,” she said.
Lighting the Past,
Present and Future
The theme for the Agency 2009 Asian-Pacific American
heritage celebration is “Lighting the Past, Present and Future.” The theme is
selected annually by the Federal Asian-Pacific American Council.
APAO planned many exciting events to celebrate Asian-Pacific
American Heritage month, including:
- A panel discussion featuring senior
Asian-Pacific American Agency officers—one from each directorate—who spoke
about challenges and successes as they moved up the ranks
- Keynote speaker Chancellor of D.C. Schools
Michelle Rhee spoke to Agency employees about the challenges she faces in her
work, the state of D.C. public schools and emphasized that the phrase “anything
is possible in America” has meaning only if children receive a good education.
Continuing Culture
Currently, any knowledge of Asian-Pacific cultures and
languages is highly valued by the Agency. Some Asian-Pacific languages are
considered mission-critical. These include:
- Chinese
- Korean
- Indonesian
To learn more about language opportunities at the CIA, visit
the Language Positions page.
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Posted: May 29, 2009 08:46 AM
Last Updated: May 29, 2009 08:46 AM
Last Reviewed: May 29, 2009 08:46 AM