Jessica Tobes is a high school senior from Raleigh, North Carolina. As a second-generation Filipino American, she is passionate about enhancing AAPI voices in her community, especially surrounding issues such as mental health and media representation. She has been involved in numerous AAPI advocacy groups, engaging with organizations such as Act to Change, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, and Girls ASPIRE as a Youth Ambassador. Additionally, she is involved in online literary publications like Cathartic Lit Magazine and BreakBread Magazine. In her free time, she loves rating films on Letterboxd, traveling with her family, and solving the New York Times’ daily Wordle. Jessica hopes to engage more with her local AAPI community as a Youth Mental Health Ambassador with Thriving Asians. She intends to pursue political science and journalism in college, with a dream to promote equality and truth in media and law.