Growing into Leadership

Cassidy Chung ’25 is a Politics major with General Business, Legal Studies, and Public Service and Community Engagement (PSCE) minors! She had the recent honor of being a student speaker at the Women In Leadership & Philanthropy’s spring syposium this month. Read how her involvement in USF impacts her past, present, and future!

Stepping into the space, I felt a surge of nerves briefly appear as I looked down at the name tag being handed to me, reading: “Cassidy Chung, Student Speaker”. However, this anxiety immediately disappeared as I headed into the room and was met with the warmth and full vibrancy of the symposium. The joyful laughter and chatter felt almost contagious and the comforting energy washed over me and brought such great relief. Being there representing not only the University of San Francisco’s College of Arts and Sciences, but also the McCarthy Center, the Politics Department, and my fellow women student leaders, was such a true honor. As we ate the delicious meal and relaxed in the wonderful space, Julie Castro Abrams took the stage and gave an eloquent and encouraging speech about being a woman and utilizing our traits as women not as boundaries, but as building blocks towards success. Her poise and comfortable disposition filled me with encouragement as I took a deep breath and walked up to the podium for my turn to share a little about who I am and my experiences at USF. 

It was imperative to me to begin by sharing a bit about my background and who I am; both of my parents immigrated to the United States as children and were raised as Americans and have continuously fought for their place as Korean-Americans, specifically my mother. I have been raised by two strong leaders, but it is my 엄마 (mom) who has always taught me that rather than look at my feet and wonder, “Why would they ever pick me to speak at this symposium” to stand tall and proud and say, “Yes, of course, I would love to. When is it and where?” I then went into what I am currently involved in on campus. I am a part of four student organizations on campus and sit on the executive board for each of them. Firstly, I have been so blessed and lucky to have found community in not one but two student-run Polynesian dance groups here at USF: Hawaiian Ensemble and Hui `O Hawai`i. Both of these organizations work to uplift the voices of Pasifika people through performing arts.

It has been such a joy to continue my love for Polynesian dance through my college years. Aside from these two spaces, I am the President of Mansae, which is a Korean-led Asian American service organization that strives to connect Asian-identifying students to Asian-community serving spaces. Lastly, I am the Co-Founder and Co-President Asian American Pre-Law Organization, a new club working to encourage the small percentage of law-interested students who identify with the AANHPI community and create a supportive space of peers with aligning goals. All four of these organizations are led by Women Presidents and it is something I take deep pride in. Atop these student organizations, I work in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions as a student ambassador as well as at the AAPI Center as a new Asian American Peer Counselor! Lastly, I had the privilege of being a two-time McCarthy Fellow during internships in both Sacramento and San Francisco. 

Leadership opportunities at USF are more than plentiful and there have been so many amazing, beautiful, and strong women whose shoulders I now get to stand upon. Through professors, supervisors, and simply friends who embody what it means to be a leader, I’ve been so blessed to feel consistently seen and challenged to never stop becoming my best self. I have had my fair share of hills and through the community I have built here, I now find myself on the other side with a deeper sense of determination and drive. I hope to never stop gaining wisdom through the beauty of leadership that is sewn into the lessons we learn from the experiences and the people we get to be involved with. Thanks to USF and the opportunities that have shaped and molded the leader I am continuing to grow into, I am graduating this coming May with a stronger sense of self. A self that is changing, stretching, and learning more and more about who I am and who I want to be.

Want to learn more about how you can flex your leadership muscles? Apply to become a McCarthy Fellow by clicking here!