Angela Le, Sophomore, University of Virginia
Angela Le is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Virginia majoring in both Psychology and Cognitive Science and minoring in Data Analytics. Growing up in an Asian household and community, Angela constantly witnessed and experienced the stigma surrounding mental health. Seeing firsthand so many people in her life struggle with mental illness, she was inspired to pursue a career in mental health counseling. Her experiences motivate her to educate others about the importance of mental health and work to provide mental health resources to those in her community, especially those with limited access. Therefore, she currently volunteers at a crisis hotline to assist callers through empathetic listening and provide crisis intervention and appropriate referrals. Angela also currently works with AASuccess, a nonprofit that focuses on youth development, where she serves as a co-lead of the Mental Wellness team and is responsible for supporting the mental health and well-being of the organization. Additionally, as a volunteer of AASuccess, she is one of the co-leads of the upcoming Healthcare Symposium, which aims to empower and support aspiring medical professionals.
Grace Shimizu Tonnu, Senior, George Mason University
Grace Shimizu-Ton Nu is a senior at George Mason University, majoring in Biology with a minor in Neuroscience and aspires to a career in the field of dentistry. She is one of the co-leads in a community healthcare symposium that aims to provide an insight on the issues of healthcare. Having been raised in an entrepreneurial-focused household, Grace has both witnessed and been taught the ins and outs of running a business. As she has matured, human science has captured her interest. The mechanisms of how the world and body interacted steered her to a career in the health field. With her knowledge of business and her interest in science, eventually led her to explore different healthcare practices that would allow her to become a resource for those in need while providing an opportunity for her to give back to her community. She is currently working at a dental office where she has observed mistreatment of patients. She has a passion to educate patients in order to prevent this type of malpractice from occurring. Through her passion for ethical dentistry, Grace hopes to make the dental community honest and transparent for her patients in the future.
Vivian Cao-Dao, Junior, University of Virginia
Vivian Cao-Dao has a fascination with how science builds the world around us and how health and wellbeing shape the meaningful experiences of being human. As a result, she is drawn to opportunities that enable her to learn and explore health sciences while listening to the stories and experiences of others. She plans to pursue a career as a physician and is currently studying neuroscience as a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Virginia (UVA). In particular, Vivian has navigated and witnessed mental health struggles in friends and loved ones, especially in recent years of unprecedented historical events. Her experiences motivate her to help break down barriers for people to access resources and tools to support their mental health and general wellbeing. As a volunteer of AASuccess, Vivian is one of the co-leads in a community healthcare symposium to connect prospective healthcare professionals with experienced medical personnel in order to provide guidance and support to the future leaders of healthcare.
