Zoom Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81146428744?pwd=N1dYWENxMVljcFBkOGpMM2NHZnIrQT09
Password: 214605
APAPA’s Youth Leadership Academy is an opportunity for high school students to develop the skills and experiences that they need to be successful in college and their future careers.
During our Youth Leadership Academy, students will attend workshops, discussions, and presentations on professional development, leadership, and career path planning. The Youth Leadership Academy allows students to learn and practice skills that are critical for young adults to develop to become successful future college graduates, working professionals, and community leaders.
All applicants must be students in grades 9-12
Complete the form below to attend our FREE workshops!
Workshop #1 Topic: Mental Health & Stress Management
Thursday, June 8th, 2023 at 5:00-6:00pm (PST)
Managing your workload in school, work, and leadership positions
Creating an effective workplan
Strategies for overcoming procrastination
Resources for taking care of your mental health as a student and working young adult
Why taking care of your mental health is important
How to take care of your mental health while balancing other responsibilities
Our Event Speakers
Dr. Debra Kawahara
Candidate for President-elect for the American Psychological Association
Debra M. Kawahara, Ph.D., is Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Distinguished Professor at the California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University. Her responsibilities include managing over 20 programs across 6 U.S. campuses and previous international sites; conducting and supervising research on multicultural and international dynamics, women’s issues, and mental health; and teaching numerous courses. She has also published extensively and has presented at international, national, and state venues.
Her current leadership roles include being an APA Council of Representatives member, APA Finance Committee member, an Advisory Committee member for the Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology, Divisions on Social Justice representative, and a National Council of Schools and Programs in Professional Psychology delegate. During her tenure on APA Council, she was one of the movers to gain council seats for the Ethnic Minority Psychological Associations, which was successfully passed by the APA membership. She also served as co-chair of the Apology Letter to the American Indian, Native American, and Indigenous Peoples and participated in the Council Diversity Work Group and its three subcommittees and several caucuses: Women’s Caucus (chair), Ethnic Minority Issues Caucus (secretary), Association of Practicing Psychologists, COUNT, Education & Training, and Public Interest.
Several awards have been bestowed upon Dr. Kawahara, including the APA Presidential Citation; Shining Star Award at the National Multicultural Conference & Summit; APA’s Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity’s Distinguished Career Contributions for Service Award; and APA’s Society for the Psychology of Women, Section on Asian Pacific Islander Women’s Pioneer Award.
Katherine “Kat” Parpana, M.A. (she/her/siya)
Director | Strategic Asian and Pacific Islander Retention Initiative
Kat (she/her/siya) is a Pinay scholar-practitioner whose advising philosophy is cultivated by a culturally informed asset based approach. Kat is a UC Davis alumna with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Asian American Studies and Sociology and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Sacramento State University. She has worked in higher education for over 13 years in dedication to the advancement of hxstorically marginalized, systemically excluded, and underrepresented student scholars.
Prior to supporting the retention initiative, Kat was one of the inaugural diversity and inclusion educators and specialists with the Office of Campus Community Relations under the Vice Chancellor’s Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She also served as an academic advisor and academic counselor with the College of Letters and Science and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean’s Office. Engaged and active in social justice work and diversity education, Kat is a founding chairperson for the award winning ‘Developing Deeper Advising Relationships’ module, embedded in the UC Davis Advising Certificate Series. In addition, she collaborates with organizations including APIs Mobilize, The Asian Pacific Islander Capitol Association (APICA), and Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) in service to the Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
Kat believes in the power of shared experiences and the importance of connectivity. When students have a culturally informed network that validates and cares for them holistically, they can truly thrive.
Region in the diasporas I identify with: Philippines, Okinawa, Pacific Islands*
*I recognize I am an Asian settler colonialist whose family benefits from ancestral transnational immigration to Pacific Islands, like Hawaii, due to the economic displacement from their homelands, like the Philippines.
