Educators For Impact (E4I) was joined by Cupertino City Mayor Hung Wei on September 18 to learn more about how students can be involved with the community and the realm of political science. Hung Wei
received her Bachelor’s from the National Taiwan University and Master’s from UCLA, served as the FUHSD School Board president, and received the State of California Woman of the Year Award (amongst other achievements).
The following is a summary of Chris You’s interview with Hung Wei.
1. How did Wei get into the political science field?
Wei, in fact, studied English literature and language with a linguistics degree. She considers everything that is
political to be related to the human heart; synonymous words include social justice, immigration, economic
development, infrastructure, and more. Thus, Wei concludes that “political science is the science of human beings.”
Almost every human action relates back to political science, for example, an engineer creating solar panels to fight climate change. When a person graduates from the political science field, they have a vast range of opportunities that they can take on, such as conducting research, working in local assemblies or congresses, or even specifically for a certain political figure.
After working in a political office and further establishing their own political ideologies, many develop a further passion to become an elected position themselves; others take on different roles, such as working for the government. Hence, majoring in political science allows one to be selective in the jobs one wants to take.
Policy drives changes.
In August, the Cupertino city council passed an ordinance to gradually eliminate single-use plastic. In doing so, this ordinance drives industry, as manufacturing companies must adapt to environmentally-friendly changes. Policy-makers must take into account all the socio-economic factors at play when making a decision.
As a high-schooler interested in this field, the best bet is to become an intern. In fact, Wei takes in a few high
schoolers per year, giving them opportunities to research and present important topics.
2. What does Wei’s daily schedule look like?
“I spend a lot of time on the computer, actually, too much.”
Sustainability and Lasting Changes
The number one priority as a human being, Wei claims, is to “take care of yourself.” She then elaborates how as a city council member, her number one duty is to make sure the city members get the services they need to live healthy lives, such as housing and transportation. When council members meet, they must make sure that they are making lasting changes in the community. For example, whether locally or globally, they help less fortunate people learn how to sustain themselves with skills rather than solely donating food to them on special occasions.
Skills Developed + Partnership
When working in the political science field, a person develops skills for organization, decision-making, and
communication. These skills will help a person be successful, perhaps not financially but in a philanthropic sense. In addition, partnership is extremely important, empowering other people to do their part in order to (together) create lasting changes.
One Thing at a Time
When helping a community, such as a local school, it is crucial to give them undivided attention. To do this, Wei encourages people to organize their time well to be able to get things done.
3. What else has Wei learned over the last years?
Leadership = Taking Care of Those You Are in Charge of
By taking care of and encouraging people, such as assisting each department head with guiding their workers, then work will be done well. Leaders need to find talented people to support, and leaders also need to continue learning themselves as the society around us is always changing.
Construction Complications
Something Wei has learned over the course of working with her community is how tedious construction is, as it involves considering who will use a certain site. The concept of construction is not single-minded; a person must seek expertise and coordinate everyone to achieve the common goal.
Always be learning, be adaptable, and be willing to change. A good leader recognizes that changes should be embraced.
Being Open-minded and Going Deep
Wei encourages teenagers to try new things because they may learn to love them after excelling. Once a person learns a variety of skills, they can then focus on one or two specifically to become the best in that field. While everyone can improve, it is important to recognize that everyone is still good enough for who they are now.
4. How can teenagers find volunteer opportunities?
Wei discusses how teenagers can start volunteering locally through their school clubs, such as Key Club or Interact. If nothing sounds appealing, students can also start their own club. Recently, there was a creek cleaning event in Cupertino. People joined not just for volunteer hours, but for the sense of accomplishment that came with seeing the creek so much cleaner. Wei reminds everyone that people shouldn’t be volunteering solely for hours to put on college applications, but also to do something that they care about. Furthermore, she recommends everyone “champion a project” by finding something that could be improved at their own school or city, whether it’s to make some people happier or make some place cleaner.
Building Connections
Hung Wei brings up an example, which starts with a party. If someone walks into a party but doesn’t know a single person, it might be because they haven’t built many relationships yet. She shares that whenever she attends a non-profit event, there’s always at least one person that she recognizes. That’s a result of the time she’s invested into building relationships with those in her community. Her advice is that someone should focus on just one or two organizations instead of ten, as it will be more beneficial and they’ll be able to contribute more. By doing this, instead of the organization owning the person, the person will also own the organization.
5. What advice would you give to your younger self?
One thing that Wei mentions is that when she was younger, she was very introverted, to the point that she would shake if she had to deliver a speech in public. She shares that she wishes she had reached out to more people when she was younger, and spent more time listening to people. Wei has the same advice for her younger self as for teenagers today- to focus on a few things instead of many, and to go deeper into them. She explains that if someone listens to people, they’ll listen back, and offer the support that they need.
In college, Wei had about 10 close friends but didn’t know many other people. She wishes that she had listened more to the people around her. She advises people to find someone in their life that won’t try to give them advice all the time, just listen to them and tell them that “everything is going to be fine.” People need that kind of care. Mostly, she would advise her younger self to slow down instead of rushing all the time.
6. How does someone feel motivated after experiencing failure from looking for opportunities?
Firstly, Hung Wei brings up that failures are very common. She shares that she ran for city council in 2018 and lost. Instead of letting this discourage her, Wei was still active in her own non-profits and continued to support the community. Because of this, she was still invited to a majority of the city functions, even if she herself wasn’t completely sure why. Her goal is to help the community, and she states that she doesn’t need a title to do that. Even after experiencing this failure, she was still able to contribute to the community, and that’s most important. Wei ended up joining a few other organizations and was able to contribute significantly. Failing is a part of life, she shares, and people must learn something from it. She emphasizes that “a successful person is someone who fails, and does not give up.”
Preventing Depression
She warns people to not allow their failures to lead to depression, as depression is not only harmful to one’s mental health but also their physical health. Wei says that mental health is the #1 most important thing, and that if someone feels themself falling into a dark tunnel, they must find someone they can trust to help them out. She mentions that on the back of student IDs in California, there are hotlines that can anonymously provide help.
Wei shares that once, her older son came home from school extremely upset over a failure. She told him that he should’ve done this, or that, and that made him so upset that he punched a hole in the wall. He told her that he, of course, already knew what he should’ve done. That made her realize that he was right, and it wasn’t necessary for her to say that. She concludes by stating that failures happen, and even though they can be bad and make someone feel depressed, it’s vital that they get themselves out of that mindset. They must get back to the community and do what they love to do. Wei got elected to the city council in 2020, but she says that even if she hadn’t been elected, she would have continued to contribute to the community in different ways.
7. How did you transition from majoring in English to political science?
Wei notes that she doesn’t consider herself a politician at all. While her kids were in school, Wei volunteered all over the place. She was driven by the desire for a better environment for her kids, but her interest broadened to include all kids. Later, she joined the school board, which she didn’t even know existed. Wei describes the roles of the school board, which includes selecting courses that will be offered, salaries, encouraging health, and more. That is how Wei became a politician, through this learning process.
Joining a School Board
When Wei was a part of the school board, she was able to help bring many changes. One of these changes was implementing coach training, and then having the vice principal check in on the sport teams to ensure that the coaches were providing sufficient support to the students. Wei reiterates the importance of being a leader in order to bring change, whether someone is a secretary, a treasurer, or attracting members. Wei was a school board member from 2007 to 2018, and through that time, she learned how to create policies and bring change.
8. Two reminders from Wei
The first point that Wei brings up is that every single person is good enough for those who truly love them. She states that those who truly love someone will never be disappointed with them. Even if someone’s parents want them to go into a specific career, it’s only because they want the best for their child. If that child were to pick another career, their parents would love them the same. Wei reminds everyone that parents are under a lot of pressure to provide their children with opportunities to give them a better future. Even if someone’s parents criticize them, they likely don’t really mean what they say. Wei shares that it’s important to remember that. She says “a good life really doesn’t mean you have a lot of money, it really means you’re surrounded by people that make you happy.” She reminds everyone to give themselves room and time to grow, and to reflect on the things that upset them.
As a final piece of advice, Wei advises that while it’s true that we only live once, it’s also true that we only die once- we live every day. Every day that someone wakes up is a day that they can be themselves, learn, make friends, and be successful. Some days, people may go to bed thinking that they’re a failure, but when they wake up, it’s a new day. Wei explains that people must take every day as a day given to them that can be used to be loved and love someone else.
Being That Person
Wei also wanted to say that she is willing to be that person if someone needs a voice or someone to hear them. She shares that she’s traveled to Fremont, South San Jose, etc. just to sit and listen to a teenager. She’s found that an hour or two of listening to them can make them feel really good. Wei shares her email and phone number so anyone can contact her and promises that she’ll never give advice, unless they want it, and just be there and listen.
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