When I was 5 years old, I was holiday shopping with my family in Boston. I saw a man standing alone in the winter cold without a coat or hat and only threadbare clothes and worn-out shoes. He wore a sad, tired expression. In one hand, he grasped a tin can, and in the other hand, he held a cardboard sign with one word: “help.” My parents and I put some coins in his cup, and I heard a “clink” sound. I thought, Was his cup empty? How long was he standing there in the freezing weather? And why is everyone ignoring him as if he’s invisible? My parents answered my questions as best as they could. Before this experience, my sheltered young self did not know or understand that not every person has food, clothes, shelter, or support. I burst out crying, and that moment of empathy was the impetus for change.

Since my earliest memories, I have served as CEO and Co-Founder of Catching Joy Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit that promotes youth volunteerism and acts of kindness. I lead hands-on projects to share the responsibility and joy of giving. Catching Joy’s premise is that when children learn the value of service, it stays with them- and I am proof that’s true. Catching Joy’s motto is “You got it, give it!” Kids and teens have energy, enthusiasm, time, talent, compassion, courage, creativity, imagination, and idealism. Volunteering makes me more grateful for my blessings, and gives me perspective and purpose: I serve because I want to improve the human condition. In the last 13 years, I have mobilized an estimated 100,000 people. My short film, “Catching Joy: The Impact of Giving Back,” won Honorable Mention in the 2015 White House Student Film Festival. More recently, I delivered my first TEDxTalk, “Youth Have Power and Passion and Can Change the World.”

During the global Covid-19 pandemic, I’ve become more aware of my own and other’s vulnerabilities. I’ve discovered resilience, resourcefulness, grit, my personal agency, and the power of community. I launched Catching Joy Ultra Marathon: 100 ways to aid essential workers and people in need. I’ve completed the 100 miles and am still running strong. I’m rallying thousands of people to do good safely from home. I believe we’re all called to help. And in the process of lifting others, we all stay buoyant. Last January, I was invited by the Biden Presidential Inauguration Committee to lead a Catching Joy project for Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service. I launched “Operation Sock Drop” with the goal of collecting 2021 socks for people in need. In just a few weeks, I surpassed my goal and collected more than 7000 pairs of socks from Americans across the political spectrum. When we volunteer, we vote for the world we want to live in. For people living in poverty, having socks is a luxury when it should be a basic human right. I’ve learned that we can not address poverty without addressing equality and equity. I’ve been assembling thousands of “blessing bags” filled with hygiene products and heart cards for the homeless. When temperatures dropped, I collected coats, hats, gloves, and socks. I distributed hundreds of homemade valentines for seniors in nursing homes. When schools reopened, I organized a drive for clothes, books, and art supplies to support kids living in poverty and crisis. Covid-19 is contagious, but so is empathy, kindness, love, and hope.

As part of my civic action, and to extend my outreach, I serve as an Asian-American journalist covering sports, art, politics, racial and social justice issues. I started as a Kid Reporter for Sports Illustrated Kids and Scholastic News. I intently covered the 2016 and 2020 Presidential Elections, and had the privilege of serving as a young reporter at the 2016 Democratic Convention in Philadelphia. Here’s my takeaway: Every voice and every vote counts. I am honored to have interviewed President Joe Biden, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and journalist Anderson Cooper. I’ve concluded that great leaders have common traits: empathy, integrity, perseverance, and calling- and they have conviction and courage to put themselves forward. Currently, I write as a teen reporter for Los Angeles Times/ High School Insider and the international platform Write the World Civics in Action. I know my words have power, and I can write stories that move people. I aim to amplify marginalized voices that need to be heard and shine a light in the darkness. I am not waiting for change; I’m stepping up to inspire my generation to get informed, get involved, raise our voice, and take action.

As I pursue social change, I remember the unhoused person whom I encountered when I was five years old. His story is a part of my story. I can’t walk away.