• Michelle Yap

    Community & Engagement Director / Staff Writer

  • Hi readers! I’m Michelle Yap, and I’m a high school senior! I am beyond excited to talk to you all on this amazing platform as a staff writer and as a community and outreach coordinator! Writing has always been a passion of mine, and I can’t wait to talk more about my perspectives and hear more of others. I’ve always been incredibly passionate about social advocacy and public speaking, and being able to openly discuss diversity and a wide range of perspectives is so important to me, whether it be in person, or through online forums such as The GroupChat for Change. My biggest passions lie in combining social awareness and advocacy to promote healthcare equity throughout the world, something that I plan on carrying with me for the rest of my life. I aspire to work in the medical field, and over time, I’ve learned just how important it is to have a full understanding of social inequities and public health to properly address health inequities and issues worldwide. As the child of immigrants, I’ve seen the dangers of inequities in healthcare accessibility and education both within our country and worldwide. In honor of my Indonesian heritage, I hope to raise awareness to the inequalities Asian individuals face within our country, whether it’s through media portrayal, workplace biases, or the social consequences of embedded racism. These experiences have shaped what I see myself doing in the future, and I hope to spread that awareness as I grow. My goals here at the GroupChat for Change are to bring awareness to events happening worldwide that are insufficiently covered in the media, provide a voice for those who don’t, and educate others on what truly matters. I hope to convey the facts to others about the injustices happening around us in a way that people can engage and empathize with, how they can support those causes, and inspire youth around us to make a change. Most importantly, I hope that my work inspires our generation to always think about the social and political status of our surroundings, regardless of what career they’re in. Our generation will be the next leaders of the world, and we need to be educated and aware of what is going on around us. Understanding and empathy is what drives progress.