Leadership Development

EPIC’s most robust effort at developing leadership is Pacific Islander Leaders of Tomorrow (PILOT). It is a community-focused program created to increase the number of emerging leaders in the Pacific Islander community. PILOT consists of four components: Summer Institute, Semester Sessions, Forward Movement Projects, and Internships.

Summer Institute

The annual PILOT Summer Institute is a four-day intensive program that offers a unique approach to leadership development that centers Pacific Islander culture and social justice. Each institute is held in partnership with a college campus with the intention of increasing access to and retention in higher education.

Apply for the 2025 PILOT Summer Institute at CSU Sacramento by March 21!

View 2023 PILOT Cohort

Semester Sessions

Workshops held during the academic year that build the political consciousness and skills of young Pacific Islander leaders to better serve the community. Topics are chosen by PILOTs to continue learning beyond their time in the Summer Institute.

Forward Movement Projects

Forward Movement Projects are driven by PILOT alumni in service of community to address some of the most pressing issues that Pacific Islanders are facing today. These are short term projects where PILOTs can implement the skills they've learned through the Summer Institute, Semester Sessions, and Internships. Ideal projects will demonstrate critical thinking, creativity, and a clear vision of its outcomes.

Internships

Internships are paid elevated leadership opportunities hosted with EPIC or one of our organizational partners. These are summer or semester-long placements. Applications are released periodically based on programming needs, staff capacity, and funding. Join our listserv to receive updates about our work and notifications when internships are available. If you’d like to intern with EPIC for school credit, please contact epic@empoweredpi.org.

University of Buffalo Interns

In partnership with assistant professor Kevin Lujan Lee, EPIC is hosting six interns this semester as part of a Decolonial Participatory Action Research class. In this hybrid (part-seminar, part-practicum) community-engaged class, students will learn about key concepts in designing decolonial PAR (participatory action research) projects, while gaining hands-on experience with PAR through partnerships with Indigenous nonprofit organizations in the continental US. Through this collaboration, interns will be analyzing past PILOT program data.

Learn more about each of these incredible interns by clicking on their picture!