Ashley Jun

From mere thoughts of who could give TED and TEDx talks, I became an organizers for a wonderful event that brought youth insight from one of the most diverse communities in U.S.. Everything I do comes from a place of love I have for learning and sharing that to others. I work on city, county, state, national, and even international levels voicing issues such as mental health and mental disabilities, tobacco prevention, reproductive rights, affordable and accessible technology, and education. Love is passion, curiosity, and the biggest gamble of timing/chance that makes everything worthwhile. Thank you for letting me share TEDxYouth@McKinleyPark with you, and I hope you take something away from it all that is personal to you.

A move between cities felt like that of different worlds. No longer did I subconsciously walk around like a mirror for the school girls in plaid skirts and white polos. Tears, instead, uncontrollably burst out from no longer having to hide behind facades of fitting in as local organizations embraced my family with new understandings about life with mental disabilities. It showed me that there was so much I didn’t know and that no one would bring it to me unless sought out the information myself. Topics like sex and reproductive rights, tobacco and nicotine, and mental health were foreign to me because I didn’t grow up on the same social timeline as my friends. Because Edison wasn’t ready to have those conversations in the house, it was an unspoken understanding for me to also not know. So, I dedicated hours outside the home day-in-and-day-out on to teach myself those very topics through volunteer positions. My parents knew of every opportunity I took and constantly supported me, which gave me the confidence to follow any curiosity I had and reach higher feats. From being Vice President of my school’s Queer Straight Alliance club, Peer Educator for Planned Parenthood, chair of the Sacramento County Youth Commission, Coach for Special Olympics Northern California, Board Member of the California Youth Advocacy Network, to Swimmer Coach for the National Korean American Sports Festival, I gained insight and converted the facts and figured into something digestible for people to understand and learn from too. I knew there would be people who didn't know they were naive to such impactful topics, so I wanted the helping hand as their heads got pulled out of the sand of ignorance, like a gentler version of being unplugged in the Matrix.

Community, Connection, Conversations, Determination, Family, Grit, Life, Love, Mindfulness, Open-mindedness, Patience, Reading People, Sharing, Speaking