Young Professionals

Who We Are

Young Professionals are members of UNA-OC, who are focused on Career Development to make them tomorrow’s leaders.

The Young Professionals Program (YP) offers opportunities to interact with like-minded individuals and gives young professionals a unique forum in which to learn more about current international issues, the UN, and the work of UNA-OC. The YP program fosters leadership, networking, organic mentoring, and professional development opportunities for all YP members of UNA-OC.

Becoming a UNA-OC YP member is a two-step process. Select Orange County Chapter in the Membership Details. Please follow the below instructions:

  1. Click on the link to become a UNA-OC member UNA-OC Membership Sign Up

  2. Click on the link to become UNA-OC YP Member UNA-OC YP Membership Sign Up

UNA-OC YP Opportunities

Leadership

Whether it is in a local community chapter or on the National Council, UNA Young Professionals are encouraged to take the next step and become a leader for UNA-USA. Members of our Young Professionals network have the unique opportunity to acquire and develop tangible leadership skills, knowledge, and experience that can be applied later in their careers. Our Emerging Leaders Fellowship is offered twice per year for young professionals interested in developing these leadership skills with their UNA chapter.

Networking

With a network of nearly 200+ UNA-OC Chapter, UNA Young Professionals meet like-minded individuals and thought leaders at UNA-USA signature networking events such as the Global Engagement Summit at the UN Headquarters in New York City or at the UNA-USA Leadership Summit in Washington D.C

Professional Development

Young Professionals have the opportunity to participate in our informative UNA-USA webinar series. Webinars include special information sessions about career opportunities at the UN, the U.S. Department of State, and other internationally-focused NGOs. Webinar recordings are available on the UNA Forum. We encourage all those interested to attend our Events, Member, and Young Professionals meetings in order to learn more about how the UNA-OC functions and how you can get involved in our wonderful Chapter. (Time and locations vary)

WHAT WE DO

Mentorship

With the diverse background of YP members, we provide young students/ early career professionals in Orange County mentorship to achieve their dreams in professional life.

Resume and Cover Letter Building

We offer services of building and critiquing resumes and cover letters for those who are searching for employment/ academic admission.

Sustainable Life Contribution Series

We give a platform to our members who have made/ are making contributions towards achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals for Orange County. They share their plan of action with metrics and progress so far.

On-Demand Workshops

We are eager to develop the youth of Orange County by helping them in any way possible. For the same, we arrange on-demand workshops depending on needs e.g., presentation skills, public speaking, personal finance, etc.

DIRECTOR

Young Professionals & Youth Engagement

January 2024 - Present

Kamal Sharma

“With access to powerful knowledge, we can all innovate and improve the world. As a result, living in a world of easy accessibility of transformational knowledge & information, sky is the limit and nothing should hold anyone back to innovate, simplify and make our world a better place. I believe in constant learning, being curious, and holding on to positive attitude to help us solve challenging problems our world faces.”

Kamal Sharma first started in 2017 with UNA-USA as a volunteer and is the current Director of Technology, Young Professionals and Youth Engagement wing of the chapter. He leads the young professional and works on the technical vision of the chapter to be on the cutting -edge. He holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and is passionate about technology, mentoring and coaching. In August 2023 he completed a Certification course in “Designing And Building AI products and Services” from MIT, USA. He is also a member of other distinguished organizations such as IEEE and Computer Society. Kamal likes to read across diverse set of topics ranging from Computers & Technology, IEEE and Computer Society Journals to History, Climate Change, Geo Politics, Economics, Finance & Investments. Reach out for to Kamal at director-technology@una-oc.org

Success Stories of YP Members

Ankush Subhashrao Gadekar - YP Director, 2022- 2023

“I strongly believe that education makes a positive difference in the world when it creates curiosity in your mind to learn anything and be a lifelong learner as opposed to just giving you definitions, laws, theorems, and facts. I want to contribute to making quality education accessible and affordable”

Trinh N. Pham - YP Director 2021

I am honored to be a member of the United Nations Association – Orange County Chapter. The valuable experience with UNA-OC helps me to become inspired to change the world.

Joining UNA-OC is a life-changing journey that helps to develop confidence in leading others, a stronger awareness of global issues, and a chance to make new friends from around the world.

Autumn Melody Thomas- YP Director 2018

I've always had an interest in international peace work and human rights but didn't know exactly how I would like to pursue the career in actuality. Getting involved with the Young Professional Program allowed me to explore a plethora of relevant international issues and involve myself in a variety of ways.

The experiential learning process ultimately led to my taking on a leadership position on the UNA-OC board of directors, chairing several committees, and getting involved with affiliate member organizations. My involvement helped solidify the future path I wanted to take and led to my acceptance to University College London's Master of Science in Global Governance and Ethics. Immediately upon graduation, I was recruited to work on ensuring sustainable UK environmental policies remained in place amid the UK's exit from the EU in 2020 and continue to strive for a future in international peace work. I highly recommend the YP Program to anyone interested in international relations, peace work, or any type of civil service career; the work is meaningful and impactful locally and beyond.

Lisa Nguyen - YP Chair 2016

Serving on the UNA-OC board and representing the Young Professionals Affinity Group as its chair provided me with experience that I continue to value today. By working alongside my fellow board members to establish chapter goals and objectives, I learned not only about strategic planning processes, but also how to collaborate, bring differing opinions together, and create a shared vision and goals. Most importantly, it provided me with the incredible opportunity to meet like-minded individuals across the region, state, and country. As a young professional who has moved to other parts of the country, I know that I can always find a network of friends who are committed to supporting the work of the UN.

Rachel Sanchez - YP Director 2015

My involvement with the UNA-OC provided the opportunity to hone my leadership and organizational skills, improve my public speaking, and expand my knowledge of international affairs. Each has proven essential to both my success as a graduate student at Georgetown University and my current role as a Donor Liaison and Coordination Officer at the United Nations Migration Agency.

-Rachel Sanchez, International Organization for Migration (IOM)