I am Julia Sun, a senior from Barrington High School. As a first gen, low income, immigrant student, I did not feel like I belonged in my majority white, privileged, suburban high school. Many counselors in public high school, especially in mine, don’t provide enough support for first generation, low income students nor encourage students to go beyond community college. Fortunately, I attended a camp last summer where I learned about these opportunities so I am more prepared. But there are many students who aren’t well-informed about these opportunities and general information, such as freshman year grades matter or you can afford to go to good colleges. This is why I started First Gen Support, to close the achievement gap that was perpetuated by the lack of resources in the public school system. I started First-Gen Support on July 28th, 2020, my 18th birthday, and now it has grown to having more than 17 hundred followers on Instagram and we have a team of 10 dedicated students from all over USA. We have hosted SAT study groups and a panel featuring college students talking about their early round application processes. Our Instagram posts have been shared and endorsed by 40+ high school counselors and college prep organizations. We post weekly about opportunities, resources, and stories. My goal with FGS, a non profit organization, is to be THE information hub that captures all the resources for first-gen, low-income, and immigrant students in one place.

Cherry Sung is a 14-year-old climate activist from South Korea and the founder of a "ForTheYouthByTheYouth" organization called Greener is Cleaner, which aims to empower youth to take action for their futures. She is a unique, self-motivated individual who loves interacting with international students and sharing her experiences. Overcoming the most fatal mental illness of anorexia nervosa, Cherry has gone through an exciting journey set by herself. Now, she is looking to involve as many more people on her journey to create a change.

Urvi Agarwal is a fifteen-year-old founder of Curious Case of COVID, a global, student-led nonprofit organization working towards tackling misinformation about the pandemic and spreading awareness about various global issues related to it. She's been involved with a number of NGOs working towards the inclusion of children with special needs, environmental consciousness and tackling period poverty. She tries to use her platform to advocate for change.

Sarah Frank is a teen author of two books: One Chance and Two Secrets. She is also the founder and president of a nonprofit called Simple Studies. She is a high school senior from Florida!

Amber Beck is a sophomore in high school from Pennsylvania with a passion for learning more about current events, music, and writing. She is the founder of Current Events for Teens, an organization with the mission of educating teens on current events in a relatable and simple-to-understand manner.

Arissa Roy is a 14-year-old activist from Canada and the founder of a global youth-led initiative- Project Power. She is an altruistic individual who finds purpose within social impact work. She has collaborated with many organizations including the Malala Fund, Unsinkable Youth, Project Giveback, Plan International and more. She strongly believes in the power of storytelling and that is why her unique story is at the forefront of all her endeavors. Moreover, Arissa uses social media platforms including Youtube to spread messages of positivity and kindness into the world

Meet Ali Debow! The first featured changemaker in our See You in Five series. Born and brought up in Hong Kong, freshman at NYU Shanghai, avid runner, traveler and connecter, she is the Founder of Alive Vibe, an interactive virtual event platform connecting people from around the world!