Kennedy King, third from left, and colleagues meet with Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-28).
Maxwell Student Interns for the Congressperson Who Inspired Her
Kennedy King grew up in Pasadena, California, in the 28th congressional district represented by Judy Chu鈥攖he first Chinese American woman elected to Congress. This past spring, the rising senior in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs came full circle as an intern in Chu鈥檚 Capitol Hill office.
鈥淚t was the best news ever,鈥 says King about first learning she would have the opportunity.聽 鈥淪he really represents our district so well. She鈥檚 been a big inspiration to me and her career has really shaped some of my own aspirations in public service.鈥
Early on, King鈥檚 internship took an even greater personal dimension. Her
grandmother has lived in the United States for 40 years but speaks limited English. At doctor鈥檚 appointments, family members come along to help, but the language gap doesn鈥檛 always close. 鈥淔or instance, I don鈥檛 know the word for cataracts in Chinese, so we鈥檙e both just kind of confused,鈥 says King.
That experience got King thinking about health care access for seniors with limited English proficiency鈥攁 common challenge in districts like Chu鈥檚. During her internship, she began researching incentive structures like physician fee reimbursement programs that encourage doctors to serve in rural areas, and she wondered why a similar model couldn鈥檛 work for bilingual providers.
鈥淚f that incentivizes people to live in rural areas, why can鈥檛 we do the same thing for bilingual health care providers?鈥 says King, who is majoring in anthropology and political science at Maxwell and art history in the College of Arts and Sciences. 鈥淚t would encourage more of them to live in high-LEP (Limited English Proficiency) districts.鈥
She brought the idea to the office鈥檚 legislative aide covering Asian American and language access issues, and to the legislative director for health care.
鈥淚 came in bright-eyed and excited,鈥 King says. Her legislative director liked the idea, but walked her through why broad health care legislation wasn鈥檛 a realistic near-term goal鈥攁nd what a more achievable path forward might look like.
She narrowed the scope. Rather than pursuing new legislation, the proposal for her intern project now advises Chu to write an oversight letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requesting data on language access gaps鈥攍aying the groundwork for a legislative push down the road.
The experience reshaped how King thinks about public service. Real change, she learned, rarely arrives all at once.
The daily pace of King鈥檚 internship, which wrapped up May 15, depended largely on the congressional calendar. When Congress was in session, she often fielded calls from constituents, wrote memos for Chu鈥檚 staff and conducted policy research. When Congress was in recess, she had more time to network and collaborate across the office.
Through Maxwell in Washington, King took courses in the evenings that complimented her daily experiences, including a traveling seminar taught by former CIA analyst Fulton Armstrong that visited the Chinese and Cuban embassies, the Pentagon and the residence of Lantosoa Rakotomalala, the U.S. ambassador to Madagascar.
鈥淲e sat in her living room and drank tea and talked to her,鈥 King says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hands-down one of the best classes I鈥檝e ever taken.鈥
King was drawn to Syracuse in part by the University鈥檚 alumni network, close-knit community and experiential opportunities. She grew up a self-described 鈥渟tudent government kid,鈥 having been active in school organizations since she was 10, and she has carried that into college as a member of Syracuse鈥檚 Student Government Association (SGA).
As chair of SGA鈥檚 Committee on Community and Government Affairs, she has managed a 13-member team, organized seven community events and helped allocate $3 million in student activity fees through the Student Assembly. She recently earned an appointment as SGA鈥檚 director of government affairs. She is also a member of the Ren茅e Crown University Honors Program.
King鈥檚 triple major wasn鈥檛 entirely by design. She arrived as an anthropology and political science dual major. Art history came later, after a survey course with Sally Cornelison, a professor of art history in the College of Arts and Sciences.
鈥淪he just made learning it so much fun,鈥 King says. 鈥淚 was like, I kind of really want more of this.鈥
Before heading to Washington, King took a course at Maxwell with Margaret Susan Thompson, professor of history and political science, on white nationalism and American right-wing populism.
鈥淪he is so good, she鈥檚 so fun and she really makes you think,鈥 King says adding that Thompson鈥檚 course covered five books over one semester鈥攁 reading load that prepared her well for her work ahead.
Long term, she is drawn to the idea of one day serving in Congress. She is also considering foreign service, particularly given her ties to Taiwan, where her other grandmother still lives and where she spent time during the pandemic.
鈥淚鈥檓 Taiwanese, and I鈥檓 pretty worried about the future of the island,鈥 she says of China鈥檚 increasing military pressures on the country. 鈥淧eople say we鈥檙e always watching history happen, and this is pretty significant.鈥
This past semester, though, she was grateful to watch history unfold from inside the office of the congresswoman who inspired her.
鈥淚 know everything I do in that office comes directly back to the people I grew up with,鈥 King says. 鈥淚 like working for my community. It makes me really happy.鈥
Story by Jacob Spudich
