Internships | 2005 Intern Profile

Brief Bio:

Tula and his family arrived in America in 1985 from Cambodia. Five years prior to his arrival in Tacoma, WA, Tula lived in a refugee camp in Thailand. His main reasons for immigrating to the US with his family were the genocides caused by the Khmer Rouge. This initiated his interest in public policy. Once he arrived in America, he still had a long ways to go to reach the American dream we all so desire. Prior to his senior year in college, Tula attended PPIA’s Junior Summer Institute at UC Berkeley. After college graduation Tula worked at several different jobs until he interned at the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association, an affordable housing and community economic development organization. Now, Tula is working at MLKHDA as a full time employee. In fall 2005, Tula will be attending the Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University to pursue his Master degree in Public Policy & Management – all so he can give back to his community and the people who may be struggling to achieve the American Dream that he himself has finally reached.

Summary of Internship Experience:

The Martin Luther King Housing Development Association is a nonprofit organization that provides affordable housing, emergency shelter, and supportive services to promote self sufficiency, homeownership, neighborhood revitalization and economic development for distressed neighborhood, which affects public policy at the local level. As a Public Policy Intern, Tula assisted the executive director at various levels. Some of Tula’s responsibilities included but are not limited to: attending various city, state, local, national and Washington Finance Commission meetings to discuss community impacts of economic development policy change; providing analyses of local economic development action plan that will affect such issues as zoning codes and business recruitment and retention plans; researching the needs of partners and local business pertaining to economic revitalization of a distressed neighborhood; help ensure that existing governmental contracts are compliant as it relates to public policy and regulations; and coordinating application packages for grants, loans, bonds and other funding sources.

From this internship Tula has learned about social networks, finances and nonprofit management. As a result, Tula is more focused; more knowledgeable about what aspects of economic development he is interested in pursing as a career; and is aware of the skills he must acquire in graduate school to become a great director some day!