SPEAK is thrilled to invite AANHPI-identifying students with a passion for mental health to apply to the Young Visionaries in Wellness & Leadership Fellowship!

Program Description

Students will work together as a group to develop a program that is geared towards transition age youth (adolescents - young adults) with the ultimate goal of supporting mental health within AANHPI youth transition age youth (adolescents - young adults) communities. 

Program Information

Applications for 2026-2027 are now CLOSED and will reopen in late summer, 2026.

Apply Now

    • Work with your peers to bring a program to life under the guidance and mentorship of Executive Director Dr. Teresa Hsu

    • Receive SPEAK's 4-hour training on supporting peer mental health and accompanying toolkit (SPEAK Community Training).  

    • Continue your volunteer leadership role within the newly implemented program for a second year (optional)

    • Be featured on SPEAK’s website, have continued access to SPEAK mentorship and network support, and if appropriate, Dr. Hsu may also provide you a letter of recommendation for college, graduate school, internship/job applications, etc. 

  • Selected students will:

    • Remain engaged for the program’s duration of one academic year (Fall 2026 to Summer 2027).

    • Be available for (1) Monthly group mentorship meetings (2) Monthly didactics Thursday evenings (subject to change depending on guest speaker; virtual); (3) Group planning meetings in-between mentorship meetings; (4) Volunteer with SPEAK for at least three (3) in-person events over the course of the year (approx. 15 hrs/yr). For high schoolers, this can be counted towards community service hours as well. 

    • Be self-motivated, be able to work independently, and maintain clear communication and professionalism.

    • Estimated time commitment: 4-6 hours/month + 3 in-person SPEAK volunteer events (15 hours/year)

  • The selected students will each receive a stipend of $1000.

  • This volunteer opportunity is open to high school, gap year, and undergraduate level students in Westchester County, New York.

    NEW for 2026-2027: open to students throughout the United States! More information to come!

  • To apply, please complete the following items by Sunday, November 23, 2025:

    • Complete the "Young Visionaries in Wellness & Leadership Program: 2026-2027" Application Form.

    • Submit one letter of recommendation (from a non-relative) by asking your recommender to email their LOR OR submit the contact info of your recommender(a non-relative) by emailing their name, email, and phone number to SPEAK (info@connecttospeak.org).

    • Undergraduate-level students only: Please email your resume to SPEAK (info@connecttospeak.org) .

    • Students will be notified of their application status no later than December 19, 2025.

Felix

Felix Mao is a high school junior who is passionate in linguistics, language, and mental health awareness. Motivated by these interests, Felix co-founded and is currently the president of Intergenerational Impacts (IGI), a nonprofit focused on improving language access and fostering meaningful connections between local seniors and youth through community programs. As an independent researcher, Felix studies how Gen-Z discusses mental health online through large-scale corpus linguistic analysis, exploring how they express identity, emotion, and seek and provide social support in the digital era. Outside of school, Felix enjoys playing baseball, drawing, and spending time with friends. Through the Young Visionaries program, Felix hopes to improve quality of life across generations, from Gen-Z to seniors.

Tashi has a background in economics and an interest in leadership and mental health advocacy. Born and raised in Nepal, she brings a thoughtful perspective shaped by her community and experiences. During her gap year, she is learning and growing through volunteering. She has volunteered at an animal shelter supporting feline companions and has volunteered with SPEAK in the past. Through the YV Program, Tashi hopes to explore how economics, mental health, and community well-being intersect and inspire positive change.

Tashi

Young Visionary Alumni

Ryan Li, 2025-2026

We’re excited to spotlight Ryan’s work over the last year. Come back to this page to learn more about his project, LOTUS!

A special THANK YOU to our founding partner of Young Visionaries, Thriving Asians. We loved working with you in 2025 and can’t wait to collaborate again!