Chi Changemaker Scholarship

While conducting research on plastic pollution along the East Bay shoreline, I discovered an alarming pattern: over half of the 1,000 pieces of trash I collected were bottle caps. As an avid angler, I had seen this problem before. Bottle caps litter the same waters where fish feed, introducing toxins into ecosystems that communities depend on. Realizing that something so small could have such widespread impact motivated me to act. After learning that European countries mandate tethered bottle caps, I founded StoptheCaps.org and launched a campaign to revive California Assembly Bill 2779, which would require single-use plastic bottles to have tethered caps. My early work included lobbying state legislators, contacting beverage manufacturers, and creating educational videos to raise awareness about cap pollution. When Senator Padilla introduced Senate Bill 45 in December 2024, I saw an opportunity to expand my efforts. I built coalitions with organizations such as Californians Against Waste, Save the Albatross Coalition, and Zero Waste Youth San Diego. With their support, I became a youth spokesperson, organizing coalition letters, coordinating outreach, and keeping the public informed. I also organized a statewide letter-writing campaign targeting the CEOs of major beverage companies and lobbied at the State Capitol, where I hand-delivered my research paper, Locking in Change: Senate Bill 45, to Senator Padilla’s office. As a result, I was invited to speak at the 12th Annual Zero Waste Symposium in San Diego, presenting my campaign to hundreds of environmental leaders, policymakers, and industry professionals. Although Senate Bill 45 ultimately fell short after passing the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, the impact of the movement didn’t. What began as an individual effort grew into a broader youth-led push for corporate accountability and sustainable policy, showing me that progress is not always immediate, but it is cumulative. Although my advocacy has grown statewide, it remains rooted in my community. I have worked to give people tangible ways to engage—whether through writing letters, participating in cleanups, or understanding how policy shapes environmental outcomes. Moving forward, I plan to expand this work by continuing to advocate for sustainable packaging policies and corporate accountability at both the state and national level. I hope to pursue a career in environmental policy, where I can address systemic issues like plastic pollution at scale. What began as a simple observation has grown into a sustained effort to reduce environmental harm and protect the ecosystems that have shaped my life.

"Ineligible". That one word stood blocking my path at the doorway of every opportunity while my friends walked freely through. My H-4 visa status became a constant barrier, slamming shut each door that I approached—summer programs, internships, and scholarships—all inaccessible, no matter how qualified I was. Rather than accept the walls rising before me, I built my doorway through them. That doorway became Learn It, a nonprofit dedicated to providing free STEM education and college prep resources to students facing similar barriers. What started as small webinars on college applications and career pathways for first-generation immigrants like myself quickly became an international platform, reaching over 1,000 members across 40 countries. Determined to expand our impact, I organized the Learn It Global Hackathon, where 470 participants tackled health and sustainability challenges, judged by Meta, Amazon, and JPMorgan professionals. Through partnerships with organizations like Wolfram and Desmos, we distributed over $20,000 in prizes, ensuring young innovators had the resources to turn ideas into action. Beyond hackathons, I sought to bridge the gap between students and opportunities. I secured research internships at institutions like the Broad Institute at MIT & Harvard, Dartmouth, and UMass Amherst, proving that persistence could break through systemic limitations. These experiences reinforced my passion for computational biology and artificial intelligence and gave me the tools to mentor others navigating the same struggles I once faced. Now, I am expanding Learn It's reach by developing an AI-driven mentorship platform, connecting students with personalized learning resources and industry mentors based on their interests. I also aim to partner with local schools and libraries to integrate Learn It's resources into curricula and after-school programs, ensuring that students from all backgrounds have access to quality education. While I once saw "ineligible" as a complete stop, I now recognize it as an invitation to innovate. Every ineligible is an opportunity to be a Chi Changemaker—to transform obstacles into action and barriers into bridges for others.