You’re Not Alone is a youth-led organization that aims to empower, amplify, and develop the voice of teens in the United States and beyond. We aim to raise awareness for mental health stigma through art, writing, and other forms of creative expression.

You’re Not Alone seeks to connect youth with others who share the same struggles. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many youths’ mental health to decline; thus, we aim to create an outlet discussing mental health-related topics that are swept under the rug. Check out our alumni!

Our Team

Executives

Gia Shin
Founder

Gia (she/her) is a 16-year-old high schooler from NJ who enjoys learning about why we are the way we are. She likes to explore her Asian American identity through writing personal memoirs and journaling. Aside from writing, Gia enjoys playing the violin and dancing K-Pop. Through this initiative, she hopes to shed light on the stigmas surrounding mental health and spread the message to her friends that they’re not alone.

Christine Chen

Christine (she/they) is 19 and an incoming freshman at Princeton. They live in Shanghai, China, although they go to school in the US. They joined YNA in hopes to further my advocacy work to raise awareness and provide a safe space for teens, just as they’ve been an ally and advocate for Climate Justice, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ rights. Besides working for YNA, she is also a writer with two published pieces in Dogwood and Bellevue, as well as a handful of works recognized in the National Scholastics Arts and Writing Awards. In her free time, she loves to read, sing, go on nature walks and runs; she is also an avid thespian.

Audrey Cha

Audrey Cha (she/her) is a 17-year-old high schooler from New Jersey who is deeply committed in advocacy and awareness work. She loves working with the non-profit organizations You’re Not Alone, F.A.R.E, Asian American Youth Council, and Family Touch, where she can give back to the community. For hobbies, Audrey enjoys playing the violin, dancing, crafting, and working on her All About Allergies service project. Audrey has strong leadership skills and experiences which she contributes to You’re Not Alone as a member of its Executive Board. She hopes that she can help teens to feel more supported and loved through this organization.

Lina Kim

Lina (she/her) is a 16-year-old who is interested in the welfare of humans, animals, and the environment. She uses her creativity to create art and jot down ideas for stories. During her spare time, she enjoys playing volleyball, listening to music, and exploring new worlds through anime, webtoons, and novels. By being a part of this youth-led organization, Lina hopes to play an active role in spreading mental health awareness, as well as grow as a person herself, along the way.

Tracey Liu

Tracey (she/her) is a 16 year-old high schooler from IL who spends her time with her nose in a book. She likes to spend her time catching up on the news, as well as reading biographies and thrillers. Aside from reading, Tracey enjoys jamming out to passive-aggressive playlists that she has created, and also journaling. By joining this organization, she hopes to empower other teens in spreading awareness for mental health as well as reminding them that they matter.

Writers

Nicole Lew
Blog Writer

Nicole (she/her) is a freshman uni student passionate about theatre and film. She lives in Malaysia and is fluent in both Chinese and English. Besides watching c-dramas and tv shows, she is also an avid reader who recently discovered the joy of writing. Being a talkative introvert who takes time to warm up to people, she never had many friends. But joining YNA’s discord server has given her a new sense of belonging, and she wishes to spread the word “You’re Not Alone” to others. She also goes by the alias Ever, the same name as the main protagonist in her favourite novel.

Esther Park
Blog Writer

Esther (she/her) is a current high school student from NJ who enjoys learning about current events. Some of the topics she’s currently exploring are race and gender theory as well as drug policies. The motive behind YNA inspired Esther to join because she feels that discussions about mental health are necessary and should not be stigmatized. In her free time, she enjoys watching Studio Ghibli films and listening to music.

Designers

Graphic Designers

Clara Lee

Clara (she/her) is a freshman from NJ who is a passionate mental health activist. Some of her hobbies include playing tennis and enjoys going out with her friends. Although she is very active and passionate about her work, she loves to be lazy sometimes and sit on her bed watching Netflix. She is passionate about spreading mental health awareness through graphic design and other art mediums. As someone who deals with anxiety she hopes to spread more awareness on the subject and connect to teens who also struggle.

Ingrid Shen

Ingrid(she/her) is a 17-year-old high schooler from Taiwan, and enjoys drawing and reading in her free time. She hopes that she can help spread awareness of mental health by being a part of the team.

Valerie Kuek

Valerie (she/her) is from Malaysia. She is quite fond of reading, sewing and writing at the moment. She has decided to join YNA because she does not think that mental health was given enough emphasis and importance. Her go-to drink is matcha but there’s only one place that’s up to her standard ❤

Folasade Oyerinde

Phoebe Kim

Illustrators

Wilson Li

Wilson Li (He/Him) is a high school student from China who goes to school in Toronto, Canada. Wilson joined YNA because he can deeply resonate with teenagers who undergo mental issues and wish to help them by bringing awareness to this less spoken issue. Wilson loves learning about neuroscience in his free time, as he believes it is a key step to overcoming mental illnesses. As a blog “illustrator” in the team, Wilson doesn’t actually illustrate; rather, he makes origami (folding paper) artwork to represent human emotions and figures. He has been practicing this art since elementary school, and loves it because it brings calmness and peace to his mind. He also hopes to introduce a less common type of art to YNA. In his free time, Wilson loves to watch and play soccer & tennis, and is very excited for the 2022 world cup.

Social Media Manager

Sammie Shim

Sammie (she/her) is a 17-year-old high schooler from Colorado. She is interested in understanding mental health through research and writing and learning more about her Asian heritage. She joined YNA to help raise awareness about and destigmatize mental health in her community, as well as help create safe and comfortable spaces for others to share their stories. In her free time, you can find her skiing, listening to music, or sleeping.

Website Managers

Aimee T.

Aimee (she/her), also known as Aim, is a homeschooler from Indonesia who writes her own music and volunteers at her local church community. Aside from music, Aim enjoys writing fiction, cooking, gardening, and gaming in her spare time. Aim joined YNA because she understands what it was like to be lonely, and she hopes that her artistic creations and her contribution to YNA will help others who might experience the same situations she used to be in.

Serena Sang

Serena (she/her) is a 17-year-old student from Canada who loves reading and coding! She likes to listen to music, and play Minecraft when she has the time. With the help of YNA, she hopes to bring more positivity online! She believes mental health is a topic that everyone should be comfortable talking about. Serena seeks to raise awareness about destigmatizing mental health with the help of YNA! ❤

Merch

Kayley Vu

Kayley (she/her) is a 17-year-old high schooler from Texas who practices UI/UX, branding, and product design in her spare time. She enjoys piano music composition, digital and traditional illustration, reading, and networking with different people. Deeply interested in public healthcare economics and systems, she means to completely understand all health aspects, especially mental health and wellbeing, in order to help revolutionize the industry for the better through product design and health management work. Besides working for YNA, she is the Head of Design for CASH Club Corp. (a youth initiative that educated young students about investing) and is the Creative Director of the Hope Squad (a peer-nominated and teacher recommended suicide prevention training class) at her school.

Sue Ee

Marketing Director

Nicole Jacob

Nicole (she/her) is 15-years-old and from Bergen County, NJ. She joined YNA to help spread awareness about mental health and the movement to help teens around the world. She wants to emphasize the importance of mental health to others and allow them to know that their feelings are valid. She enjoys baking, doing track, listening to music, and reading. She also likes to go on walks, hang out with friends, and visit new places.