Youth Leadership Summit
Rising Young AAPI Leaders Convene to Advance Civil Rights
Meet the Fall 2023 Youth Leadership Summit Cohort
This week, Asian Americans Advancing Justice — AAJC will host its signature Youth Leadership Summit (YLS). Since 2014, Advancing Justice — AAJC has convened prominent college students for its multi-day leadership development program that focuses on advocacy, communications, and civic engagement around policy issues impacting our communities from college campuses to Capitol Hill. We are proud to host students from around the country with ancestry in Tibet, Korea, China, Pakistan, Vietnam, India, and the Philippines.
Through interactive workshops, hands-on trainings, and discussions with leaders on Capitol Hill, participants build advocacy and communication skills while gaining a deeper understanding of how they can impact policy decisions.
Over the years, we have had the privilege of convening exemplary young advocates from diverse communities and who span all regions of the country.
We are thrilled to announce our 11th Youth Leadership Summit cohort:
Andrew de las Alas (He/Him) — Washington University in St. Louis
Andrew is a junior at Washington University majoring in Global Studies and minoring in Sociology and Asian American Studies. As a biracial Filipino American, Andrew has navigated his sense of racial identity through advocacy and social justice. On campus, Andrew has served as co-president of Asian Multicultural Council and coordinator for Asians Demanding Justice. In these roles, he helped organize the university’s first Asian American Living Learning Community, Asian identity magazine, and an immersion trip to St. Louis’ commercial Chinatown. Off campus, Andrew has worked as a Policy Associate for the Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation. In the past year, he has supported voter outreach to 10,000 Asian households, organized a congressional roundtable, and secured funding for Asian mental health equity Research. Andrew’s experience has motivated him to pursue a joint degree in law and social work following graduation to better serve marginalized communities. In his free time, Andrew competes on the mock trial team, reads science fiction, and attempts to recreate his lola’s chicken adobo.
Christian Baluyut (He/Him) — Northwestern University
Christian is a third-year at Northwestern University studying Cognitive Science and Social Policy. This summer, he led and began a study on US-Philippines labor export policies impacting transmigrant healthcare and domestic workers. His scholarship aims to uplift the Filipino diaspora’s humanity, apart from their essential work. Christian’s advocacy is inspired by his recent experience with burnout, ‘negotiating’ his identity as a first-generation Filipino immigrant around oppressive programs and activism spaces in a settler-colonial university. With an interdisciplinary education, he hopes to explore and understand the possibilities of repairing the intergenerational and psychic injuries of war, violence, and colonialism. Christian’s work centers on transformative justice and liberatory education. With the Cook County Justice Board of Commissioners, he pioneered a project to build momentum around Senate Bill 828 advocating for carceral state survivors’ right to vote. Recently, he collaborated with the Illinois Asian American Caucus and the State Board of Education to design and implement the Teaching Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act, making Illinois public schools the first state to require a unit in Asian American history. From personal experience, Christian recognizes the inaccessibility of federal resources to support Southeast Asian migrants’ mental health and welfare. As an artist, he is interested in crafting spaces where those who have struggled can come together to heal and grow through community-based efforts — and reimagine safety and justice in their communities.”
Dechen Atsatsang (She/Her) —William Rainey Harper College
Dechen is a second-year student at William Rainey Harper College pursuing her Associate of Arts in Political Science with an Honors and Global Scholar Distinction. Upon graduation, she plans to transfer to a four-year university in Washington, D.C., to complete her undergraduate education and pursue a master’s degree in International Relations. As a second-generation Tibetan American, Dechen is deeply passionate about social justice and human rights. Currently, Dechen serves as President of the Tibetan Youth Council, as well as Students for a Free Tibet Chicago, where she develops workshops for Tibetan children to connect with their cultural heritage and campaigns for Tibetans’ fundamental right to political freedom through education, grassroots organizing, and nonviolent direct action. Previously, Dechen co-led March for Our Lives Palatine, a local community organization promoting civic engagement and working to end gun violence. She also served as an executive board member of the Environmental Club, advocating for climate justice through an intersectional environmentalist lens. In addition, Dechen serves as an election judge for federal, state, and local elections in Illinois. In her leisure time, Dechen finds solace in reading, writing, and traveling, activities that deepen her connection to her identity as a Tibetan American woman.
Eleanor Lee (She/Her) — Amherst College
Eleanor is an English and Psychology major at Amherst College. She enjoys being an active member of her Asian community– she is the outreach co-chair of Amherst College’s Asian Students Association and a member of the Asian Pacific American Action Committee. Eleanor is interested in coalition building amongst marginalized communities. Over the summer, she interned at Asian Americans Advancing Justice — AAJC and A/PI Domestic Violence Resource Project, where she enjoyed meeting more Asian American Pacific Islander advocates. She also does psychology research on her college campus, earning a grant for a study and presenting at a conference. In her spare time, she loves to play music on her radio show on WAMH 89.3 FM and playing with her chamber group as the pianist.
Jocelyn Yang (She/Her) — New York University
Jocelyn is a first-year student at New York University where she majors in Political Science and minors in Business Consulting. She was born in China and studied abroad in the US at 13 years old. New York will be her home for the next four years. Jocelyn fought anti-AAPI racism throughout high school. She has participated in Dear Asian Youth and Youth Leadership Institute awarded her $5,000. She organized the first Asian American Cultural Rally at her school that was held in May to unite and empower Asian youth. At NYU, She co-leads the Asian Voice club to promote Asian American history and community in Washington DC and New York City. She also interned at OCA-DC to design and distribute surveys to all Asian-owned small businesses in DC to better understand their needs and how to support them.
Leonie Alexandra (She/Her) — University of Central Florida
Leonie is a 4th-year student at University of Central Florida majoring in Computer Science. She was born and raised in Bali, Indonesia to 3rd generation Chinese immigrant parents and moved to Florida to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Leonie is passionate about spreading Asian culture and awareness through advocacy, such as against Martial Law in the Philippines, and educating about the culture in the organizations she is in. At University of Central Florida, she is the President of the Asian Student Association for the 2023–2024 school year where she has worked with GK next-gen and many other non-profit organizations. She is also a Software Engineering intern at Siemens Energy. In the future, Leonie hopes to pursue an MBA and experience the corporate world. Outside of these pursuits, she enjoys watching TV shows, listening to music, and going out with friends.
Minh Pham (He/Him) — University of California Los Angeles
Minh entered the world of medicine and law with a passion for social entrepreneurship, community engagement, and academic mentorship. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Sciences in Biochemistry from University of California, Los Angeles, and has worked on a variety organizations and projects within the community, different institutions, medical and legal clinic including USC School of Pharmacy, USC Keck School of Medicine, UCLA Harbor-Medical Center Department of Family Medicine, and others. Minh is a strong advocate for preventive medicine, family medicine, and research on the impact of invasive disease on patient care and internal cardiology which ultimately led him to pursue a career and practice in medicine. When Minh is not working, you will find Minh sitting in his chair doing some pleasure reading to improve his knowledge, volunteering for different events for the community, helping his family and doing his training for Marathon or Triathlon.
Rachel Nguyen (She/Her) — Pomona College
Rachel Nguyen is a sophomore at Pomona College pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Analysis with concentrations in Economics and Asian-American Studies. Originally from Chicago’s Little Vietnam, she takes pride in her community’s culture and people and simultaneously acknowledges the complex history of segregation that gave rise to her ethnic enclave. Ultimately, she aspires to become a public interest lawyer to support minoritized communities like her own access to affordable housing and food sovereignty. As an avid photographer and creative nonfiction writer, Rachel seeks to conduct trauma-informed memory work, tracing the stories outside of the U.S. empire’s dominant narrative and developing liberatory Asian-American counternarratives on the legacies of militarism, colonialism, and imperialism. On campus, she is an active member of the Asian-American Mentorship Program and the Vietnamese Student Association, both of which foster APIDA community care, healing, and joy. As a youth organizer, her past and present projects include deconstructing anti-Blackness and facilitating BIPOC solidarity through language translations of political education resources, equalizing educational access and experience across the Chicago Public Schools system, and providing BIPOC artists a social platform and financial means to share their untold stories.
Saiesh Srivastava (He/Him), University of North Carolina - Asheville
Saiesh Srivastava is a senior at the University of North Carolina, Asheville, and is double majoring in Psychology and Sociology. He was born overseas in Bangalore, Karnataka and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. He grew up in a vibrant community of other South Asian-Americans but moved to a predominantly white city for his education. His move, and the subsequent experiences of exotification, isolation, and discrimination served as a catalyst for the development of his interests in public policy, mental healthcare, and social science research. Saiesh is distinguished by his university as a Research Scholar and is pursuing an interdisciplinary certification in Applied Social Science Research. Currently, his research centers around the impacts of experiences of discrimination on well-being, ideas of self, and relationships with others in Asian-American and immigrant populations. He is passionate about mental healthcare disparities and barriers, and post-undergrad aims to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology researching the impacts of discrimination on the well-being of disadvantaged groups. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, creative journaling, and going on long walks with his family and friends.
Uzair Pasta (He/Him) — El Camino College
Uzair is a First Generation Pakistani-American. He just recently graduated from El Camino College (ECC) where he earned an associate degree in Business Administration and Economics with a focus on public policy. During his time at ECC, he served as the Associated Student Organization’s Director of Finance, the Co-Captain of the Speech & Debate team, and the President of the Muslim Student Association, where he has advocated for students and underserved communities. His ultimate goal is to study International and Islamic law where he can support those who can not speak out for themselves, as well as provide legal literacy to his Muslim community. Currently, Uzair will be taking a Gap year where he will complete his religious studies by committing the entire Quran to memory and is set to transfer in the Fall of 2024. He hopes to incorporate empathy, compassion, and faith into his advocacy work.”
Wajiha Mekki (She/Her) — The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Wajiha is a Pakistani-American student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham studying Cancer Biology and Political Science, with a concentration in Global Policy and Politics, while concurrently pursuing her Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology. She holds numerous on-campus leadership positions including Executive Director of the UAB Leadership and Service Council, Vice-President of Administration of the UAB Ambassador Program, a UAB Honors Ambassador, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the UAB Undergraduate Student Government Association. Beyond her campus involvements, she had most recently served as a Congressional Policy Intern with the United States House of Representatives, specializing in foreign policy for Congressman Dean Phillips, Ranking Member of the MENACA Subcommittee. Beyond her policy interests, she is a Clinton Global Initiative University Fellow and a Her Bold Move Fellow. She is passionate about working towards sustainable policy solutions, minimizing the presence of performative politics, and prioritizing the mobilization of platforms to those who need it most.
Zaynab Mirza (She/Her) — Northern Virginia Community College
Zaynab is starting her second year at Northern Virginia Community College as a Liberal Arts major with a specialization in International Relations. Her passion for global affairs stems from her diverse upbringing and curiosity about different cultures and languages. As a first-generation Pakistani American, she has always placed immense value on fostering and uplifting the Asian community in her daily life. Zaynab contributes to their cause by organizing International Festivals on campus and serving as a peer mentor in the Asian American Pacific Islander Connect Program at her school. In her pursuit to expand Asian studies and inclusivity on campus, she is preparing to create an Asian Literature club for cross-campus enjoyment. Alongside her studies, she plays an active role as President of the Student Government Association, where she advocates for the concerns of students and fights for transparency. Looking ahead, she hopes to transfer to a four-year university to continue her education in foreign policy and global affairs. When she is not busy, Zaynab enjoys reading graphic novels, attending concerts, and making Kashmiri chai for her family.
This Youth Leadership Summit is made possible through the support of State Farm.
