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Team Lead: Jerry Ling
Team Member: Enkai Liu, Zexin Wang, Nathan Wong Project Abstract: Many teenagers who arrive in the United States face challenges such as not knowing where their classes are, feeling unsure of where to sit during lunch, struggling to understand American culture, and having difficulty making new friends. For international students and children from immigrant families, moving to the U.S. is not only a school change but a complete shift into a cultural and social environment. The biggest challenge that Asian immigrant students often face is loneliness and a lack of support. Many students do not know where to ask for help or how to become part of the school community. Youth Connect USA is a youth-led initiative designed to support these students. Our mission is to help newcomers adapt more easily, build confidence, and form friendships through peer support. Project goals:
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Team Lead: Sophia Sun
Team Member: Celine Wu, Emily Liu Project Abstract: Colors of Confidence is a high school student-led community initiative dedicated to empowering neurodivergent youth through art, creativity, and self-expression. Our team mixed the two mediums, modeling from our class with BAModel, and neurodivergent support from Peer 1 on 1 to make the ultimate fashion show. This project will create a supportive environment where neurodivergent children and teens, including youth with Autism, ADHD, and related conditions, can transform their creativity into physical and wearable art like (t-shirts) and participate in an inclusive fashion showcase. This initiative holds values of all of our youth-led team. As students from Asian and Pacific Islander backgrounds, we have come face to face with how cultural stigma can affect conversations, especially surrounding disability and neurodiversity. Through this project, we hope to foster a more knowledgeable community where differences are celebrated rather than hidden. Team Lead: Wushuang Liu, Yingshan Mu
Team Member: Zoe Ying, Kelervia Fang, Ryan He Project Abstract: Youth Kitchen San Diego is a student run nonprofit focused on nutrition education for kids in our community. Our College Rolando Library Workshop Series holds free Saturday cooking sessions in partnership with San Diego public libraries. Each session pairs a short nutrition presentation with a hands-on cooking activity, with kids making dishes like pasta salad, onigiri, and sushi bowls themselves. Many of these kids rely on school meal programs during the year but don't have guaranteed food access on weekends, so we built the workshops around a free lunch paired with nutrition knowledge they can actually apply at home. The $250 ACA grant helps us cover ingredients, serving supplies, and hygiene materials. Our goal is for kids to leave each session with more than a full stomach, gaining a new skill, some confidence in the kitchen, and lasting habits. Team Lead: James Cao
Team Member: Vera Muller, Jasmine Chan, Emel Cubukcu, Ethan Zhou Project Abstract: Songs4Smiles is a student-led chamber ensemble with a mission to use music as a tool for community engagement and service throughout San Diego County. Since its founding in 2022, the ensemble has performed more than 30 outreach concerts for retirement homes, memory care centers, community events, and Ronald McDonald House Charities while also supporting childhood cancer research initiatives. Building on these experiences, Songs4Smiles proposes two free week-long summer chamber music intensives for middle school string musicians. The program aims to expand access to chamber music education, which is often underrepresented in traditional school music programs. Through daily coaching sessions led by experienced Songs4Smiles musicians, participants will develop musical independence, collaboration skills, confidence, and ensemble communication. Students will also learn how music can positively impact local communities through outreach and service. Each session will conclude with a public performance for families and community members. Besides musical training, Songs4Smiles also hopes to cultivate mentorship, leadership, and social responsibility among both participants and student coaches. By creating accessible opportunities for chamber music education and community engagement, Songs4Smiles hopes to foster a supportive environment where young musicians can grow artistically while learning the value of service and collaboration. Team Lead: Ella Zhao, Peimeng Xu
Team Member: Michelle Yu, Sofia Zhao, Amy Wu Project Abstract: This project aims to create a Native Seed Library to be used by the residents of 4S Ranch so community members can grow native plants in their personal gardens. This makes up for some of the habitat loss in our local ecosystem caused by continued development and landscaping using exotic plants. The process works in a few phases: we will build and install a physical seed library structure outside a community garden, then spread awareness about the benefits of native plants through online and in-person platforms. We will keep a record of the library’s usage and in the future see more gardens filled with beneficial native plants and the whole host of Southern California’s unique biodiversity that comes with it. Safer Routes San Diego: Enhancing Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Through Neighborhood Road Audits8/8/2026 Team Lead: Derek Kang
Team Member: Dylan Zhang, Eric Wu Project Abstract: Our project seeks to protect, advocate, and improve the roads of San Diego. First, we aim to protect the pedestrians and cyclists of San Diego. By auditing hazards in streets, missing or ill-maintained crosswalks, and deteriorating sidewalks, especially near schools, parks, and low-income neighborhoods, we aim to protect residents from everyday road hazards that may have gone unnoticed. We do this through in-person field audits and real-time reporting via the city’s “Get It Done” application. Not only do we want to highlight these present problems, but we also want to promote urban investment. Our team seeks to map infrastructure defects and write a detailed report, ultimately delivering our concrete recommendations, like bike lane expansions and daylighting intersections, directly to the city council district office. We hope our youth perspective will help shine a light on this underreported issue in the city and kickstart a larger movement for public safety. Lastly, we aim to help transform how young people engage with local government and community. We plan to design an app that allows users to report issues within their community beyond just the San Diego city borders. Our ultimate goal is to drive civic action through youth-led advocacy and reporting. Team Lead: Chris Lin, James Qian, Joyce Yan
Team Member: Coco Ye, William Cheng, Yiqian Wang Project Abstract: This summer initiative is dedicated to empowering neurodiverse students through connection, practical learning, and community. For many neurodivergent children and youths, the summer months present a significant challenge. The abrupt loss of the school-year routine can lead to increased stress and a sense of loss. Without the daily framework of the classroom, social isolation often sets in, further limiting opportunities to engage in the natural social interactions that build essential life skills. Our project centers on recurring, structured workshops designed to equip neurodivergent students with essential real-world life skills that are often underrepresented in traditional academic settings. Each workshop would target a specific competency area, such as financial literacy, where they would learn budgeting, understanding expenses, and making informed purchasing decisions; public transportation navigation, where they would interpret schedules, plan routes, navigate through airports or stations, and ask for help; other social scenarios, such as ordering food, grocery shopping, or job interviews; and other fun activities, such as art, music, and outdoor events. Team Lead: Arwen Fu
Team Member: Isabella Chau, Katie An, Yu Fu Project Abstract: Generations United is a return project from last year that focuses on helping out the senior community of San Diego. We are currently working with Serving Seniors to teach any elderly people how to proficiently navigate the internet. We plan to visit assisted senior living apartments around San Diego and teach lessons to the elderly there in different languages as well, mainly in Mandarin Chinese to help both Chinese and American seniors adapt to the technology as it becomes more and more prominent in our lives. Team Lead: Yangminyan Wu
Team Member: Charles Liu, Mia Shim, Dylan Yang, Lori Cheng Project Abstract: This project aims to conduct an in-depth study into mental health of Asian American youth through interviews with professionals in the field of mental health. We will compile their professional insights regarding the mental health of Asian American youth, examine the specific mental health challenges faced by Asian-American youth and the strategies used to address them, and publish a series of reports in the magazine to achieve science popularization. Art has the unique ability to untangle deep emotions, and ART EXPRESSION plays an important role in healing and therapy, which is reflected in two key points: (1) through art expression, we can create artworks that transform personal inner experiences into shared experiences, thereby fostering social empathy, reducing stigma, and evoking emotional resonance among youth; (2) through art expression, we can use this non-verbal, creative process to release suppressed emotions, restructure internal cognitions, and facilitate self-exploration and healing. We plan to host a public lecture on THE POWER OF ART EXPRESSION to the local community to advocate art expression. We also plan to finish a research paper focused on the application of art expression in mental health interventions for Asian American youth based on our work of interviews and release it publicly. Team Lead: Max Yang
Team Member: Emily Wu, Sophia Wu, Katelyn Li Project Abstract: Smiling Stars is an AYLUS San Diego volunteer program launched in September 2023 to support children with autism through reading, communication, and social engagement. This summer, our team expanded the program’s scope while continuing weekly online reading sessions that strengthen literacy and communication skills. We introduced more in-person activities, including playground outings, hiking, outdoor games, and group activities. These experiences gave children opportunities to practice communication, teamwork, and friendship in relaxed, supportive, real-world settings. They also helped volunteers build stronger relationships with participants and create a more engaging learning experience beyond online reading. To improve efficiency and support future growth, we also began developing AI-assisted resources, including reading materials, activity plans, and volunteer guides. These tools help reduce preparation time, improve consistency across sessions, and make it easier to train new volunteers and expand the program to serve more families. Student volunteers played an active leadership role by planning activities, coordinating with families, and creating an inclusive environment where every child felt welcomed, encouraged, and supported. Through these summer initiatives, Smiling Stars has evolved into a more comprehensive, sustainable, and scalable community program that enriches the lives of children with autism while fostering youth leadership and service. |
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