Cerritos Councilman Mark Pulido Meets Obama, Honored With APAICS Trailblazer Award

was recently honored with the inaugural APAICS Trailblazer Award from the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) for his achievements in public service.

Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, a member of APAICS, presented the award to Pulido at a special May 8 event held in Washington D.C. as part of the APAICS celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

As part of the celebration, Pulido also attended a private meeting with President Barack Obama, former Cabinet Member Norman Y. Mineta and several members of Congress. (Click here to watch President Obama's speech at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Annual Gala.)

“I am humbled and honored to have received the APAICS Trailblazer Award. It was also a tremendous honor to meet President Obama. I was pleased to invite him to visit the City of Cerritos and experience our thriving multi-cultural community,” Pulido said. 

Pulido is an alumnus of the APAICS program and was selected to receive the first APAICS Trailblazer Award for his achievements in public service.

Pulido, a longtime Cerritos resident, was an ABC School Board member before , when he drew the most votes ever recorded in the city's election history. He is also the first Filipino American on the Cerritos City Council.

Gloria Chan, Esq., President and CEO of APAICS, wrote to Councilmember Pulido and invited him to be “recognized as one of our stellar alumni.”

She added: “You serve as a role model to the next generation of our community's leaders, and have helped mentor countless to pursue careers in public service. APAICS is truly proud to call you a member of our ever-growing family.”

The APAICS celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month drew the largest gathering of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) ever in the nation's capital. An estimated 1,000 AAPI community, government, arts and business leaders attended this year's celebration.

APAICS is a national non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Asian Pacific American participation and representation at all levels of the political process, from community service to elected office.

- City of Cerritos and MarieSam Sanchez