Project Cal 24

by Russellie Bongolan

For years I have caught episodes of shows like Laguna Beach, The OC, and Real House Wives.  In my heart of hearts, I do consider myself an Orange County girl having gone to high school and college there. Yet it was not until I started working in the community that I realized that these shows do not really tell the whole story of the place I called home for 8 years. The real Orange County is actually a pretty diverse mix of people from all different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. One such organization that sheds light on the bigger picture of The OC is the Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance, or OCAPICA for short.  Their mission to empower Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) has allowed the community to define their lives, and in turn re-define the real OC.