About ACS-YA
The American Cancer Society Youth Ambassador (ACS-YA) Program traces its roots to 2015–2016, when Sophia Yeung, an adult advisor, and Ling Wu, ACS Chinese South Chair, began expanding youth involvement in cancer awareness and community service. Early initiatives, including the Youth Multimedia Contest and youth participation in Relay For Life, created opportunities for young people to engage with cancer advocacy beyond individual events. Over the following years, the program continued to expand through community collaboration, mentorship, and health education initiatives, including the Asian American Cancer Health Symposium and the Annual Youth Health Conference. Around 2020, these efforts evolved into a more formally organized youth program, bringing young people together across Southern California to lead initiatives, serve their communities, and advance cancer awareness.
Today, ACS-YA brings together passionate youth leaders who work alongside adult advisors and fellow volunteers to develop and lead initiatives that raise awareness, promote healthier communities, and create meaningful opportunities for youth to make an impact. Through education, community outreach, advocacy, and service, our members turn their passion into action.
Our initiatives include:
- Annual Youth Cancer Health Multimedia Contest — Empowering young people to raise cancer awareness through creative expression and multimedia.
- Annual Relay For Life — Supporting the fight against cancer through community engagement, fundraising, and survivor advocacy.
- Annual Cancer Health Youth Conference — Connecting youth with educational resources and opportunities to become informed cancer health advocates.
- Annual Asian American Cancer and Diabetes Health Symposium — Promoting health education and awareness while addressing the unique needs of Asian American communities.
- Healthcare Career Pathway Interview Program — Introducing students to healthcare professionals and helping them explore careers in healthcare.
- ACS-YA Club —Empowering students to bring cancer awareness, health education, and community service to their schools by establishing and leading student clubs that turn advocacy into action.
- ACS-YA ST🌎P: Let’s Recycle! — Raising awareness about environmental pollution and its connections to cancer prevention.
- ACS-YA ST🚭P: Stand Up to Prevent Tobacco Use and Cancer — Educating communities about the risks of tobacco use and the importance of prevention.
- And more! — Continuously developing new projects and opportunities to engage, educate, and empower our communities.
At ACS-YA, we believe that young people have the power to create meaningful change. Whether through health education, community service, creative outreach, or advocacy, every contribution brings us one step closer to a healthier future.
Have a passion for making a difference? Join us! We welcome enthusiastic young people who want to learn, collaborate, and use their voices to build healthier communities and a brighter future for all. Enrol using the link below!
https://tinyurl.com/enroll-ACS-YA
My Journey with ACS-YA
My journey with the American Cancer Society Youth Ambassador (ACS-YA) Program began in 2023, when I volunteered at the Asian American Cancer Health Symposium. At the time, cancer awareness was something I supported through community service, and I had no idea how personally relevant that work would soon become. Shortly after the symposium, I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, just before beginning my freshman year of high school.
Suddenly, I found myself experiencing the very challenges that cancer awareness initiatives sought to address. My perspective shifted from that of a volunteer helping others understand cancer to that of a young patient navigating treatment firsthand. When I later returned to ACS-YA as a patient and survivor speaker, sharing my story became a way to connect my personal experience with a broader mission: helping others understand the realities of cancer and the importance of supporting those affected by it.
What began as volunteering gradually grew into a deeper commitment to advocacy and youth leadership. Through ACS-YA, I discovered that cancer advocacy extends far beyond sharing personal stories. It also means making health information more accessible, creating opportunities for young people to lead, and bringing communities together around a common purpose.
Over time, I grew into the role of Youth Lead Ambassador for the Southern California Chinese American Chapter, taking on greater responsibilities across the program’s initiatives. I helped organize the Annual Youth Cancer Health Conference, the Asian American Cancer and Diabetes Health Symposium, and the Youth Cancer Health Multimedia Contest. From coordinating volunteers and serving as an emcee to supporting educational outreach, each experience taught me how to turn ideas into initiatives that engage and empower others.
One of the most meaningful aspects of my journey has been creating opportunities for other students to get involved. Through the Healthcare Career Pathway Interview Program, I helped connect young people with healthcare professionals and introduce them to different career paths. As Luminaria Chair for the 2025 Relay For Life, I also helped honor the stories of those affected by cancer and recognize the strength of the community that continues to stand beside them.
My commitment to youth leadership also extended to my own school. As a co-founder and co-president of the ACS-YA Club at Walnut High School, I worked to bring cancer awareness, fundraising, and community service closer to students on campus. I wanted my peers to see that making a difference did not require a particular title or years of experience; it could begin with a simple idea, a willingness to help, and a group of people ready to work together.
Looking back, ACS-YA has become much more than a volunteer program to me. It has been a community I knew before cancer entered my life, one I returned to with a different perspective, and one that has since given me opportunities to help others find their own voices. It has shaped how I understand leadership: not simply as taking responsibility, but as creating opportunities for others to contribute, grow, and be heard.
My journey with ACS-YA is still unfolding. As I continue to pursue my interests in healthcare and cancer research, I carry with me the lessons this community has taught me about compassion, collaboration, and the power of youth advocacy. I hope to keep building on what we have started and inspire the next generation of Youth Ambassadors to make their own mark in the fight against cancer.