Where the Light Enters: Healing Journey of Asian American Youth

“The wound is the place where the light enters you.” — Rumi

I first heard these words in my medical anthropology class during my senior year of college, a time when I was struggling to reconcile my academics with the mental health challenges that were quietly shaping my everyday life. That quote stayed with me. It reminded me that our negative experiences can be doorways to healing, growth, and deeper understanding of ourselves and others.

Today, those words hold even more meaning as I reflect on my journey as an Asian Chinese immigrant, and now as a Master of Public Health student committed to advancing health equity in the very community that raised me. I’ve come to understand that the silent struggles so many of us carry are not just individual burdens. They are symptoms of a larger issue that is both cultural and systemic.

The Wound — An Unseen Crisis
In many Asian American families like mine, success was measured by what we accomplished, not how we felt. Straight As were celebrated. College admissions brought pride. But sadness, anxiety, or trauma? Those were often left unspoken and unacknowledged. Talking openly about mental health risked “losing face,” not just for ourselves, but for our families. So, we stayed silent. That silence didn’t disappear with age. Instead, it followed us into adulthood and became part of how we deal with stress, relationships, and even how we seek help.

Today, that silence is showing up in heartbreaking ways. In Los Angeles, nearly 30% of youth aged 12–17 report symptoms of depression, and suicide rates have risen by 15% since 2022, according to a 2024 Huntington Psychological Services study. Specifically among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander youth, suicide was the leading cause of death among those aged 10–19 in 2021. Behind these cold numbers are real young people in our communities who are burdened by high expectations, cultural stigma, language barriers, and deep feelings of isolation. In many cases, their pain goes unnoticed, their needs go unmet, and their voices go unheard.

“The mental health crisis facing our youth is a wound. But through our Power Time program, it opens for light when we create brave spaces where youth are not only supported but empowered to support one another. Because healing doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in community, with compassion, courage, and connection leading the way.”

These statistics are not just numbers. They are a wake-up call. A call to action to create safe, affirming, and culturally grounded spaces where youth can feel seen, heard, and supported. In a 2024 qualitative study of Asian American youth mental health, a 16-year-old shared, “We go to our friends more than a trusted adult or professional because we can’t trust [them].” They’re highlighting a pathway to healing: peer intervention. Youth are already turning to each other. What they need now are the tools, the structure, and the support to make these peer connections even more powerful and healing.

The Light — Power Time: Youth Mental Wellness Peer Mentorship Program
I am excited to introduce my Health Equity Challenge proposal, Power Time, an afterschool youth mental wellness peer mentorship program in partnership with Chinatown Service Center (CSC).

Power Time envisions a community where youth feel empowered to speak openly about their emotional well-being. It is a space where seeking help is seen not as weakness, but as strength. It is a place where cultural identity is a source of strength and healing, not something that holds them back.

Mental health support should not only be available when someone is in crisis. Emotional challenges often develop over time, which is why it is so important to have open and ongoing conversations. The more we talk about these issues, the more likely individuals are to seek help early before it becomes a crisis. By focusing on prevention and offering culturally grounded resources, tools, and support, we can ensure that youth never feel like they have to face their struggles alone.

What inspires me most about Power Time is its commitment to working within culture, not against it. Rather than relying on Western mental health models that may feel unfamiliar or even stigmatizing, this program embraces a peer-led approach created by and for Asian American youth. Through Power Time, we will provide culturally relevant training and resources to equip high school students with the tools and knowledge to become peer health educators (PHEs). PHEs will be supported by existing youth center staff and a graduate student intern at CSC. Together, they will develop a Power Time session toolkit to help PHEs facilitate mental wellness activities for their peers as part of CSC Youth Center’s after-school academic support program.

These sessions will include mindfulness, meditation, guided imagery, art, and games grounded in traditional Chinese medicine. Through these activities, PHEs will share knowledge, model healthy coping strategies, and create supportive spaces for open conversation.

The mental health crisis facing our youth is a wound. But through our Power Time program, it opens for light when we create brave spaces where youth are not only supported but empowered to support one another. Because healing doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in community, with compassion, courage, and connection leading the way.