Jumbo Spotlight: Coro Fellow William Huang

 By Angela Sun

William Huang, Coro fellow and Tufts '12 alum

The prestigious Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs is a nine-month experiential leadership training program that prepares diverse, talented, and committed individuals for effective and ethical leadership. There are placements around the country in Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and St. Louis. In this post, we hear from William Huang, a 2012 alum who is a current Coro Fellow in New York. 

How did your academic and professional experiences at Tufts prepare you for Coro?

I majored in International Relations with an East Asia sub-concentration . I worked closely with the Asian American community during my time at Tufts as an Asian American Peer Leader and also as the Asian American Community Representative in Senate. In my application for Coro, I emphasized my experiences facilitating the Pan-Asian Council during my senior year. These experiences demonstrated my passion for social justice and community empowerment, which fit into the leadership development mission of Coro. 

As for internship experience, I interned at the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, a housing non-profit in NYC that focused on building affordable housing for the elderly and ill. This experience was something I talked about in my Coro essay. My internship there sparked my professional interests in community development and affordable housing.

Why did you decide to apply to the Coro fellowship?

I decided to apply because I wanted to learn how to be a more effective leader. In helping direct the Pan-Asian Council, I was having difficulty getting consensus on various projects and events. For example, we were planning to do a culture show between all the Asian clubs, but we had to eventually switch to Games Night. I also wanted to get training in how to motivate others, which was something I was struggling with. Furthermore, Coro has a strong network of alumni in government, business, and non-profit, so participating in Coro would jumpstart my career in community development by providing an instant network.

What was the application process like? Who should apply?

The application is structured as if you're applying to a grad school program. I had to write four essays, submit my undergraduate transcript along with three recommendations. Once you get past the initial screening process, there is a Selection Day in March for the 36 finalists, of which Coro will pick 12. I can't get into any specifics about Selection Day, but it is grueling and quite un-orthodox! Come mentally prepared and focused - you have to be on your "A" game.

To be a Coro fellow, you must have the ability to work with others from different backgrounds than yourself, with regards to gender, race, class, sexuality, political beliefs, etc. You should come in open-minded and agile. Coro has a very fast timeline when it comes to group projects and it can be tricky to stay on top of it all. There will also be unexpected twists on some of the projects so it is important to stay mentally prepared.

How is the fellowship program structured?

Coro is an experiential leadership training program with tons of surprises prepared for the fellows. The program consists of rotational placements in government, election campaigns, labor, business and non-profit sectors. Additionally, there are Focus Weeks interspersed throughout the year on topics like public finance, and media. There are also leadership breakfasts where we interview key stakeholders in the various sectors. For example, this Friday we will interview Dennis Walcott, the chancellor for the NYC Department of Education. Tuesday evenings and Fridays are also Coro Seminar Days where we might work on projects or personal leadership development.

One memorable experience (out of many) was seeing that Mayor Bloomberg's office was just a regular cubicle in the middle of City Hall. He didn't have a corner office - he just had a cubicle surrounded by his staff members. He's just like the rest of us, albeit much richer!

What placements/ projects have your received as part of your fellowship?

Coro placed me at the NYC Department of Education for my government placement, and now I am at AFSCME, a union for municipal employees. For my Department of Education placement, I was placed with the newly created Division of Equity and Access and tasked with writing the online content for the Empowering Boys website. It is an online resource for educators, students, and parents to access things like SAT prep classes, study habit tips, and a variety of other tools. The Division of Equity and Access and the Empowering Boys website is specifically designed to help narrow the achievement gap in high school graduation and college matriculation rates between Black and Latino male and their white counterparts.

For my campaign placement, I and nine other Coro fellows assisted the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) with the Joseph Addabbo, Jr. re-election campaign. He is a Democrat running for re-election as State Senator in Queens. On a typical day, I would go to the Queen's office, head out to knock on doors and canvas. I would end the day debriefing and phone-banking.  Through the combined efforts of UFT, volunteers, and the Coro fellows, Addabbo won re-election!

Coro is about experiencing different sectors in order to draw connections across the board and cultivate effective leadership. Coro runs from September to May, like a one-year grad program. These placements are around a month long each.

Did you get to work with other fellows?

I work with other fellows constantly. The time I devote to the group processes is equal to, if not greater, than my time at placements. We meet on Tuesday evenings and Fridays to do group projects and prepare for leadership breakfasts, in which we interview prominent stakeholders. All of the fellows are very bright, motivated, and driven. About half grew up in NYC, but many of the fellows are from the West Coast, and even other countries (South Korea). It takes time to reach a consensus when we make a decision, but that is part of the group process we're learning to master.

What are some of the challenges as a fellow?

One difficulty is learning how to live on a budget. Coro provides a stipend that varies based on financial need, but nevertheless it can be hard to live on the stipend. I'm fortunate to be living at home, so I can use my stipend on transportation, food, clothing, etc. A lot of the fellows apply for food stamps and Medicaid to stretch their dollar. It's great to have these shared resources.

Another difficulty is managing the work-life balance. Coro is a full-time commitment (60 hours/ week) where Tuesday seminars can last until 11PM and we might have to come in on the weekends. I have a girlfriend and am on the Planning Committee for the Tufts Asian American Alumni Association, so it can be tricky to juggle all my priorities. The best way to resolve this is to communicate clearly--I tell my girlfriend that Tuesdays are hectic so I can't call her. The balance is an ongoing lesson, so I will have more answers as the program continues.

What have you learned from the experience so far?

So far, I have learned the importance of talking to a variety of stakeholders on any issues - it's important to recognize the heard and unheard voices in the decision-making process. I am able to use inquiry to understand the underlying power dynamics and contribute to informed and inclusive decisions.

What are your plans for next steps?

In the future, I am interested in working at a housing non-profit for a few years and then getting my Masters in Public Administration to further my career in community development. 

If you're interested in applying to Coro, applications are due January 18, 2013. William Huang is also happy to speak with interested Tufts students.  You can contact him through the Tufts Career Advisory Network at tuftscan.org. His Coro profile can be found here.