Helin Wang is defined by her deep roots in the under-represented neighborhood of Alief, in Houston, TX. Whether organizing large-scale community events or advocating for policy change, Helin leads with the conviction that the people most affected by a place are the ones best positioned to transform it.

She is most proud of her work as Events Manager for AliefVotes, a student-founded nonprofit dedicated to mobilizing youth political participation across the Alief community. She spearheaded the AliefVotes Annual Youth Conference, bringing community members together directly with local city councilmembers, state representatives, Congress members and dozens of nonprofits to address their issues.

Helin also founded and heads Global Rising Innovators in Policy (GRIP), a youth policy fellowship launched through the Institute for Youth in Policy. GRIP’s competitions give young people the tools to develop real policy solutions for the issues that affect their lives.

Additionally, Helin serves as Vice Chair of the Houston Mayor’s Youth Council, representing the interests of both district F youth and the youth of Houston at the municipal level. As a Mary Beth Tinker Fellow at the Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, she met with 80 congressional offices and dropped into 200+ offices to advocate for mental health, public school funding, and secure firearm storage. She also serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of her school newspaper, The Kerronicle, and president of a mentorship club at her school.

Helin plans to attend law school and then work on Capitol Hill in civil rights law.