Chelsea Phua, Singapore
Candidate for vice president of Singapore subchapter
Singapore represents a new pillar of growth for AAJA-Asia. Just three years ago, when I first returned to my home country from the States, AAJA was nonexistent. Through the help of members in Hong Kong, Seoul and other parts of Asia, we now have slightly more than half a dozen members in Singapore. This is a promising development, and I believe I can continue to help drive the chapter’s growth here. I was involved in the Sacramento chapter, which was active in fundraising for scholarships and other programmes that helped promote AAJA’s goals of diversity in the media landscape. Hence, I believe I have the experience to develop and grow the membership in Singapore, albeit gradually. Initial steps would include organising more social activities that would enable members to get to each other better and introduce new friends. We can also position these activities as networking opportunities, and invite prominent speakers. Eventually, I hope to be able to drive fundraisers for scholarships, or explore tie-ups with the local news agencies to provide opportunities for aspiring or mid-career journalists who believe in advancing the goals of AAJA-Asia.