NextGen Empower U

The NextGen Empower U will empower the next generation of AAPI to be successful in many facets of their lives. This three-month program will help each participant discover and define their own personal definition of life success acknowledging that their definition of being successful will change throughout their lifetime. Our program’s focus will touch on topics including relationship building and communication, education and career development, and financial management while providing transferable skills that the participants will be able to use throughout their lives.

Key Benefits for Participants

  • Be able to discover and define your personal definition of life success
  • Mentorship and guidance from our experienced NextGen Program Director
  • Obtain practical tools and techniques to achieve success
  • Develop lifelong learning and transferable skills
  • Gain valuable insight from experienced community and industry experts


Be part of our
next cohort.

Applications for the 2025 cohort will open in August 2025

I can't forget about the arrow and the feather. Before this class I would have said I would rather be an arrow to be precise and know where I am shooting, but now I understand that "feathers float in the air and let the wind take them to an unknown destination," and it's ok because you never know what life will bring.
Adrian Pena-Rodriguez
Class II
NextGen is a powerful program and equips you with tools and ideas to be a better person. I connected with my peers to learn & grow. NextGen provided me a safe space with no judgement to share my experiences.
Maanvee Mehrotra
Class III

Program Details

Please consider the following commitments before applying to participate in this program.

  • 3-Month Program from
    September to November 2024
  • 5 Sessions*
  • 1 Graduation Ceremony
  • Meets Every Other Wednesday**
  • 1.5-Hour Virtual Sessions from
    2:00 pm – 3:30 pm (unless otherwise noted)
  • Location for Graduation Ceremony: Cosumnes River College, 8401 Center Pkwy, Sacramento, CA 95823  
 
*The first session and the graduation ceremony will be held in-person. All remaining sessions will be virtual. 
 
**Session dates and locations are subject to change.

Session Schedule & Topics

This program will focus on unlocking the three keys to success including:

  • September 11 – Life Success: Creating your Vision for Success (in- person, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm) 
  • September 25 – Relationship Success: Understanding and Creating Healthy Relationships (virtual)
  • October 9 – Education Success: Creating your Personal Toolkit through Education (virtual)
  • October 23 – Career Success: Navigating Your Career Throughout Your Lifetime (virtual)
  • November 6 – Wealth Success: Generating Wealth to Create Financial Independence (virtual)
  • November 20 – Graduation: Putting It All Together (in-person, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm) 
 
Session dates and locations are subject to change.

Ideal Candidates

The ideal NextGen Empower U candidates are self motivated, dedicated and open minded to personal exploration and growth. They understand the value of building a strong foundation for success, lifelong learning, and the strength of relationships and financial independence.

  • Culturally Diverse***
  • Currently enrolled in an educational institution, training program, recent college graduate, or young adult in the workforce
  • Desire to create a personal growth plan to achieve life success
  • Committed to attend and enthusiastically participate in all program sessions and activities
 
 

***We highly encourage candidates of Asian American and Pacific Islander descent to apply, but candidates of all backgrounds are welcome as well. We do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or age in our programs or activities.

Meet our Program Director

Jim Tabuchi

Jim Tabuchi first started working with Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce 15 years ago as the Program Director for the Catalyst Program. For nine years he mentored and developed leaders. These Catalyst grads can be seen throughout the community, leading corporate and non-profit organizations.

Jim has an extensive background that includes high tech corporate management, non-profit leadership and program development. He is educated in electrical engineering and applied that to become a Senior Manager in Hewlett-Packard. He then applied his management experience to grow the Sacramento Mandarins to become a leading arts non-profit organization, providing music education programs for over a thousand youth every year. He provides consulting services and leadership coaching to numerous organizations. His impact can be seen in numerous industries including high tech, education, banking, utilities, health care, government and more.

As a Program Director, Jim offers insightful mentorship pulling from his vast experience in leadership and community development.

Class V | 2024 Program Roster

Sada Ahmed

Student

American River College

Omar Altamimi

Sr. Policy and Advocacy Coordinator

Council on American Islamic Relations

Michelle Chang

Victim Advocate

Lao Family Community Development

MayaSunshine Custodio

Student

California State University, Sacramento

Madison Duong

Alumni

California State University, Sacramento

Anahita Hassan Zada

Student

American River College

Amanda Ho

Graduate Student

Alliant International University

Ted Kim

Enterprise Technology Infrastructure Specialist

SMUD

Brandon Koh

Student

California State University, Sacramento

Violeta Leones

CHW and Financial Coach

PACS

Thien-TienNam Nguyen-Do

Student

San Mateo County Community College District

Maura Perez-Lima

Youth Voice Advocate

Sacramento Employment and Training Agency

Monisha Singh

Substitute Teacher

SUSD

Michael Snell

Entrepreneur

Kristin Vang

Victim Advocate

Lao Family Community Development

My-Linh Vo

Program Coordinator

Health Education Council

Miles Yamauchi

Front Desk Assistant

Anderson Physical Therapy

Samantha Yee

Student

Granite Bay High School

Nikki Linyi Yu

Program Coordinator

East Bay and Solano County Consortium

Keilen Fong

Public Policy Coordinator

California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce

Class IV | 2023 Program Roster

Jordan Aspillera

Communications

Senior

Jacob DeHart

Business Accounting

Senior

Beverly Go

Counseling Technician

Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools

Simran Ghuman

Public Health

Senior

Marisha Kashyap

Economics

Graduate Student

Sahajdeep Kaur

Communication Science and Disorders

Senior

Mai Lam

Political Science

Senior

Su Wadi Linn

Construction Management

Junior

Molly Ann Luong

Business Administration

Senior

Abdul Karim Nushin

Computer Science

Senior

Refa Omar

Business Administration

Senior

Dominic Hoang Tien

Business Administration

Senior

Abdul Rehman

Business Administration

Junior

Maarij Muhammad Sohail

Criminal Justice

Junior

Rahul Sundar

Business Administration

Senior

Zakirullah Salarzai

Student

Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools

Anh Tang

Psycology

Senior

Kristy Vang

Public Health

Sophomore

Rachel Der Vang

Psycology

Junior

Mark Carinugan Vicencio

Biology

Senior

Bounlai Xayasith

Civil Engineering

Sophomore

Wenshen Zhong

Computer Science

Senior

Class III | 2022 Program Roster

Zabii Aryan

Computer Science

Senior

Gabriel-Anita Bailey

Family Studies and Human Development

Junior

Dhruvisha Budhani

Business Analytics and Management Information Systems

Senior

Yao Chin

Economics and Business

Junior

Maelani Gumataotao

Biological Science

Junior

Annalise Harlow

Sociology

Tooba Ishaq

Social Work

Senior

Kalolaine Kaufusi

Ethnic Studies

Junior

Mark Anthony King, III

Political Science

Graduate Student

Sydney Kushida

Business

Vivian Le

Health Science

Junior

Mari-Jaeh Leandado

Business Administration

Senior

Alliha Mahboob

Computer Science

Freshman

Victoria Fatima Manasra

Clinical Lab Science

Junior

Maanvee Mehrotra

Business Administration

Senior

Deepika Monga

Computer Science

Junior

Danny Nguyen

Civil Engineering

Graduate Student

Adrian Pena-Rodriguez

Simurtej Singh

Biological Science

Junior

LeiAloha Taukave-Langman

Sociology

Senior

Nhu Tran

Kinesiology

Graduate Student

Dallas Vue

Biology

Junior

Angelina Xiong

Child Development

Junior

Andrew Yoon

Biology

Junior

Past Program Participant Takeaways

“Remember your background, culture and history and next forget your identity.” – Simurtej Singh
“Establish and nurture health relationships by embodying the values you look for in others to attract those that align with your life vision.” – Mark Anthony King II
“Education is not just schooling. Education is learning through experience, a tool, training and investment that can help you achieve your life vision.” – Dhurvisha Budhani
“Don’t second guest your worth, especially when others see it and present opportunities to you.” – Victoria Manasra
The NextGen program exceeded my expectations; through presentations from guest speakers, interacting with other youth in the community, and engaging in critical dialogue, I learned how to play an active role in my community and the world beyond it. As a result of this program, I feel better equipped to “play the game”—to better utilize my resources and grow my network. NextGen (and the team that made it happen) influenced how I view real, effective change in Sacramento by giving me tools to connect with others, to hold myself and my city accountable, and to find my voice and what is worth saying.
Alexis Dumonchelle
Evaluation and Learning Manager, Teen Success, Inc.
The NextGen program exceeded my expectations; through presentations from guest speakers, interacting with other youth in the community, and engaging in critical dialogue, I learned how to play an active role in my community and the world beyond it. As a result of this program, I feel better equipped to “play the game”—to better utilize my resources and grow my network. NextGen (and the team that made it happen) influenced how I view real, effective change in Sacramento by giving me tools to connect with others, to hold myself and my city accountable, and to find my voice and what is worth saying.
Alexis Dumonchelle
Evaluation and Learning Manager, Teen Success, Inc.

Sponsors

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SMUD