Joyce Yao (she/her) is an MSW-MPH candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a passion for immigrant and refugee adolescent and young adult mental health. Before graduate school, she explored a range of interests including receiving a BSPH in health policy and management from the Gillings School of Global Public Health, working on an organic vegetable farm in rural PA, supporting NC local food policy coalition organizing, and facilitating language and cultural exchange in rural, indigenous Taiwan. By learning therapy and community-based participatory research skills, she intends to thread all of her experiences to support adolescents and young adults navigate life challenges and grow in values-aligned ways using the strengths of their multicultural identities and communities. She will pursue licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker after graduating in 2027 with the hopes of also staying grounded in advocacy and community-centered research to support her clinical work. In pursuit of a balanced life, she attempts to make time for cooking/baking, reading cookbooks, farmers markets, and biking around town.