MEET Stephanie Hu, a 16-year-old who started her own youth-led organization. As the founder of Dear Asian Youth, she and her team work to push for the Asian narrative in a world that too often ignores the culture’s issues while simultaneously combatting the faults in its society.
Stephanie started the organization after noticing the lack of civic engagement among Asian youths. “Too often, I found that we just didn’t care about the issues that were and still are prevalent today,” she says. “I wanted to empower Asian youths to feel proud of their identity.” Their team recently released a video celebrating Asians in the LGBTQ+ community by having individuals anonymously submit their stories to recognize their struggles, their victories, and their unique experiences.
When she first started building her organization, she was afraid of what others would think of her, whether that be because of her beliefs or a change in how they viewed her as a person. Although comfortable with her identity, Stephanie feared that people would see her as being “too Asian.” After all, Dear Asian Youth was created to center around Asian-based experiences. However, with the encouragement from her fellow team members, she came to realize that other people’s opinions of her paled in comparison to the work Dear Asian Youth was producing. Stephanie became proud of this organization. “Today, I am loudly standing up for my beliefs, alongside the rest of my team.”
Since the start of her organization, Stephanie has become more outspoken about her beliefs, no longer being afraid to voice her opinions despite living in a white, conservative community in Southern California. “It has been extremely empowering to see everyone unite together for a common goal. We have over 80 members currently, and I truly appreciate each and every one of them.” The team has brought awareness to both prominent issues that are surfacing in the media and the ones that the public needs to stay educated on. They are actively working to fight against matters such as anti-Blackness and the stigma surrounding mental health. In fact, the organization recently launched a sticker fundraising campaign for #BlackLivesMatter, where 100% of the proceeds are donated to the various #BML funds.
Quarantine has definitely given her more free time to dive into projects like Dear Asian Youth and the opportunity to explore what she is truly passionate about. Taking her interests and applying them to works beyond the scope of just school, Stephanie is changing the community one step at a time.
Her final advice for students looking to start an organization: “Start it for the right reasons. Don’t do it as a ‘resume booster;’ be passionate and invested. Be willing to throw yourself into hours of work — not because you have to, but because you want to. Your love for the cause will show through!”
Written by: Rachael Ngai
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