UP + COMING
MEET YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS TAKING CHARGE IN OC
By Lucas Levine | Contributor
FALL 2024 ISSUE
Photo courtesy of James Baldwin on Unsplash
For some Orange County high schoolers, community service is more than a line on a college application; it's a deeply rooted commitment to their communities. These young changemakers understand the importance of giving back and are driven by a sense of responsibility. Their efforts address a wide range of issues, from environmental conservation to social justice, often leveraging their personal passions to fuel impactful projects.
We had the privilege of getting to know a few of these inspiring youths, delving into the “why” behind their goals for the future. One thing became clear: Their volunteer work not only meets immediate needs but also lays the foundation for long-term change. In doing so, they inspire others and ensure that the spirit of service in Southern California continues to thrive.
Who are these super-teens? They’re future Michelin-starred chefs, budding engineers and med-tech innovators. They’re passionate working with kids who have special needs, ending e-waste and addressing food insecurity. They are bridging generational divides and changing the world, all while working toward their high school diplomas. The future will be undoubtedly bright with leaders like these — now, let’s get to know them.
KATELYN GAN
Photo courtesy of Katelyn Gan
Katelyn’s story began in 2021 during her freshman year at Sage Hill School. As part of a school-sponsored service learning initiative, she asked herself a simple question: How can both current and future generations take more responsibility for climate change? Her thoughts immediately turned to the growing issue of electronic hazardous waste — think old LCD televisions and monitors, laptops, computers, printers and cell phones.
The world produces more than 68 million tons of e-waste each year, but the World Economic Forum estimates that only about 17 percent is properly recycled. And according to the American Chemical Society, only 5 percent of the world’s lithium-ion batteries are recycled, which contributes to more than 8 million tons of toxic waste contaminating landfills globally
Katelyn started small by organizing a battery collection day at her school through Teens Against E-waste (TAE), an organization that she leads as the international co-president and president of the Sage Hill branch. The event was a success, collecting hundreds of batteries that would have otherwise ended up in the trash. “I was really nervous to run the first event,” she says. It was hard to put myself out there.”
Despite her early nerves, she was hooked on the process and focused on expanding battery collection efforts to the community. Progress was slow at first. “I had a list of like 100 stores I reached out to, but only 15 agreed to having battery collection buckets,” she says.
That slow start, however, was just a fluke. Sage Hill was one of the first three branches of TAE, which has since expanded to more than 50 branches in six countries. Since 2001, TAE has collected more than 500,000 batteries and prevented over 180,000 tons of toxic waste from entering landfills.
When asked if she had any advice for getting involved in the community, her answer was simple: “Just try,” she says. “There are so many different avenues to find where you fit in as a volunteer.”
LANA NGUYEN
Photo courtesy of Lana Nguyen
Currently dual-enrolled at Pacific Coast High School and Santa Ana College, Lana Nguyen first got involved with volunteering in middle school. Her journey began at an Operation Be Kind event, where she packed kits for the homeless and wrote handwritten notes for each one.
“Even though I didn’t get to meet them personally, I felt like I had this opportunity, like someone’s going to receive this and it might put a smile on their face,” she says. “That’s something that really makes me happy.”
A few years later during the pandemic, Lana was quick to lend a hand. She volunteered her graphic design and kit-packing experience to the 360 Clinic, Orange County’s largest COVID-19 testing site. More than 10,000 people were expected to be tested per day, and the organization had only a couple of weeks to prepare.
“At first, I was super stressed out because nobody realized the COVID kits came unassembled, and we only had two weeks to assemble everything,” she says. In addition to packing kits, she took on the significant task of designing the clinic’s website, something she’d never done before.
This experience supporting the county inspired Lana to engage more deeply with her own Vietnamese community. When her mother suggested they volunteer together to help set up the neighborhood Lunar New Year event, Lana again lent her design skills.
Her focus has since shifted toward education reform, with a goal of creating a better school system for future generations. The flexibility of the college courses she enrolled in opened her eyes to how traditional education often fails to cater to students with specific interests like business or user interface design. “Am I just mindlessly learning all this stuff?” she says. “I really want education to be more mindful of individual students and what they want to do in the future.”
ANTHONY HSIEH
Photo courtesy of Anthony Hsieh
Rising senior Anthony Hsieh has crafted an airtight schedule for his last year of high school. While managing a rigorous schedule of dual-enrollment courses at Legacy Magnet Academy and Irvine Valley College, he also volunteers at local events, is engineering a race car from the ground up, and participated in CHOC’s Medical Intelligence and Innovation Institute (Mi4) summer internship program.
Juggling it all is part of his personal philosophy of doing whatever it takes to love what you do. “If you’re forcing yourself into any part of the process, you might be better off finding another program,” he says.
Saying yes and following his passion has paid off. Last year, Anthony secured a volunteer position at the Petersen Automotive Museum, a dream for the young car enthusiast. A docent there even introduced him to a high school racing organization, where he joined a team developing a race car from the ground up to compete against other students.
He’s also found that sometimes finding balance can create lifechanging opportunities as well. Connections at a volunteer group Anthony had to step away from in order to take the Peterson opportunity led to Mi4, where he became directly involved in developing a novel medical device.
“You only live once,” he says. “Have fun and live with no regrets but be realistic about your schedule and don’t overload yourself. Be aware of your tolerances … and you’ll have a great time!”
ERICA ZHANG
Photo courtesy of Erica Zhang
During her freshman year at high school, Erica Zhang began her community service journey as a volunteer teacher’s assistant at a local summer camp for kids with special needs. On her first day of camp, she was struck by the strength and free spirit of a young girl with cerebral palsy. It was at that moment that Erica knew education would be part of her future.
Since then, she’s spent her summers volunteering at various kids’ camps across Orange County, including the Discovery Cube. While she helped out across all areas of the center, her favorite place to volunte was in the marine biology section.
“I just love seeing [kids’] eyes light up,” Erica says. “Sometimes they have too much fun though. One kid grabbed a sea star because he thought it was Patrick from ‘SpongeBob SquarePants.’ I had to get down to his level to help get the message across, which was a good challenge for me.”
Balancing her commitments was initially a challenge. It took her awhile to realize that making time for herself was crucial to maintaining her passion. However, she also discovered that keeping herself busy actually helped with her time management. These lessons, Erica explains, came from the people in her life who keep her grounded. “You need a strong support system that keeps you comfortable,” she says.
In the future, Erica hopes to give back to the teachers who inspired her as she pursues a career in mechanical engineering. Like Anthony, she’s already making strides toward that goal. Most recently, she was featured in the Los Angeles Times’ Orange County edition for her work as project lead on a medical engineering team that designed a post-surgical heart patch for pediatric patients with sensory issues.
Her final piece of advice: “We all have to start somewhere, so just go for it,” she says. “Put yourself out there, think about what you’ve received from your community and how you can give back. Narrow it down from there but remember it’s important not to burn yourself out.”
NICO BALKHI
Photo courtesy of Nico Balkhi
As the sun set in Orange County one September evening, Nico Balkhi, a sophomore at JSerra Catholic High School, monitored a legion of jerk chickens roasting on a makeshift barbecue pit.
Smoke and sweat stung his eyes, but he hardly noticed. Chef Azmin Ghahreman of the Sapphire Culinary Group paced behind him, barking orders over the makeshift campsite as if it were a Michelin-starred restaurant. The stakes were high, with more than 500 hungry guests waiting for their meal at MaxLove Project’s annual Farm to Fork fundraiser, and Nico was one of several high school line cooks volunteering for the evening. Despite the immense pressure, Nico says he never felt more at home as he served his community.
“Culinary medicine and healthy eating are really important to me,” he explains. “There are a lot of people who need help … [and] need access to healthy food.”
Nico’s introduction to volunteering began when he was 4 years old. Diagnosed with rapidly growing rhabdomyosarcoma, his life took a significant turn. His parents enrolled him in the MaxLove Project’s Fierce Food Academy (FFA), an organization focused on educating children with cancer about culinary medicine. His parents credit the culinary lessons taught at FFA for his successful chemotherapy.
Nico’s passion for the culinary arts hasn’t slowed for even a beat, and he dreams of opening a health food restaurant inspired by his Basque heritage. Recently, he took a college-level nutrition class that deepened his understanding of how to balance fruits and vegetables with carbohydrates.
For Nico, community service is about creating lifelong change. For example, food deserts and lack of access to fresh food concern him deeply. He hopes to one day teach people living in those areas and facing food insecurity how to incorporate tasty, healthy foods into their diets without breaking the bank.
Reflecting on his journey thus far, Nico advises other young people to start by finding a group of like-minded individuals who share their interests. “Use communities you’re already in to motivate yourself to go out and volunteer,” he says.
On one of the MaxLove volunteer days, Nico got his whole water polo team to pitch in. “We had a lot of fun together,” he adds. “It was funny seeing all the guys working in the kitchen.”