Meet our Team
Board of Directors
CELINE NGUYEN
Founder and Executive Director
Celine is a senior from Southern California who is passionate about raising awareness for mental illness, as she suffers from one herself. Anxiety has oftentimes taken the reins on her life, especially because of her active involvement and leadership in academics and extracurriculars such as Model UN and CSF. She is also an alumna of the ALA California Girls State, an intern for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and the Co-Director of Global Outreach for another student-led nonprofit known as Medicine Encompassed. In her free time, Celine manages her small boutique business and interacts with others within the community. She has also recently started a GENup chapter in her school district to encourage youth civic engagement through education reform. Although it may sound like a lot, she has learned from her involvement and the corresponding anxiety that she can manage it more effectively when properly educated. It also helps that she is musically inclined, so singing and playing instruments help ease her anxiety! Celine is committed to learning and growing to be better, as she is more than her mental illness. She continues to believe that mental health should be prioritized; when you lose your mind, you lose yourself.
ALEXIS BUI
Director of Global Outreach
Alexis is a freshman at Rancho Alamitos High School in SoCal. Starting at a young age, she began taking an interest in the arts. At the age of 2, she was introduced to the piano and has acquired a few more instruments. She is also passionate about singing and has been dancing for about two years. Although she is not professionally trained in those areas, she tends to seek others' support to help her strengthen these skills. As a social butterfly, Alexis was involved in many clubs at school, and also at church. She is currently a Youth Leader in the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Program at her church. She has maintained this position for the past five years, and it has taught her much about leadership. She has learned to be patient and humble, especially when working with others. Along with that, during her middle school years, she was the ASB president, which taught her time management—a skill that has dramatically helped reduce her stressful schedule. Alexis believes that mental health plays a crucial role in one's well-being and should never be taken lightly.
ANDREW NGUYEN
Director of Development
Andrew is a senior in high school located in Southern California. He is deeply supportive of the mental health community as he has experienced it himself along with his peers, thus being a part of the Arts for Relief project is a great honor. He also indulges in both academic and leadership positions such as serving as president for Model United Nations (MUN), Capstone Scholars, California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and as vice-president for his school’s Student League. As for hobbies and passions, he is a part of the school’s Cross Country and Track and Field team as well as an avid practitioner of Taekwondo for 9 years. Being politically aware has always been a deep interest for Andrew as well as being involved in societal problems such as mental health, poverty, humanitarian crises, and discrimination - all components that can contribute to one’s mental aptitude. In times of decline, especially in stressful environments, he always finds time to learn about astronomy by using his own telescope and reading studies about fascinating new findings. Throughout his life, he has been committed to the very idea of learning and improvement. By being the Director of Development, he will continue to support all those who need it and find ways to better improve the mental well-being of all those around us.
LIANA LE
Co-Director of Design
Liana is a senior from Westminster High School. In her free time, she likes to paint and watch Netflix. She has an Instagram account dedicated to showcasing and selling her art. By the end of this summer, she hopes to open an Etsy shop to expand her audience. Liana has always resorted to art to relieve stress from her academics and extracurriculars. Due to her creative passions, she has a lot of experience with designing and creating visual appeals. She is also the WHS representative and Co-Director of Social Media/Graphics for a new campaign called Diversify Our Narrative HBUHSD. This initiative serves to reform the school curriculum to include more diverse texts and lessons that will represent voices of color. She believes that it is necessary to amplify these voices and initiate change in the school system. A fun fact about her is that her birthday is on Halloween!
NINA NGUYEN
Director of Finance
Nina is a senior from Anaheim, California. Although she currently lives in the U.S., she was actually born in Vietnam and moved across the globe at the age of 6. At that young age, she took advantage of the scholastic opportunity given to her by her parents and pursued education rigorously. Since then, she has commenced across grade levels with numerous distinguished awards and will be taking her 13th Advanced Placement course in the fall. Aside from her coursework, she is engaged in a number of clubs that she has been apart of since her Freshman and Sophomore year, including Model United Nations, Student League, Key Club, California Scholarship Federation, National Honor Society, and the CBO Simon Scholars. She has held 7 officer positions for those clubs and will be taking on an 8th as Arts for Relief's first Director of Finance. Outside of school, she has also been working at a local ice cream shop since her Sophomore year. All of that can be stressful for her to handle sometimes, so Nina has found ways to relax and unwind; when she is not doing homework, studying, participating in clubs, and working, she is playing tennis, gymming, playing with her dog, and scrolling through Instagram.
NISHAGIE HETTIARACHCHI
Director of Journalism
Nishagie is a senior in Southern California. She actively participates in Big Brothers Big Sisters of SoCal and partakes in various leadership roles, such as being the lead volunteer in numerous blood drives, being the captain of her high school's jumps team in Track and Field, and leading young students in her community. She is also a Senior dancer of a Kandyan troupe, Thath Jith Dancing Academy, which helps her take care of herself both mentally and physically. Some of her hobbies include reading, drawing/calligraphy, singing, and playing some instruments. As a teenager growing up in a world of social media and harsh news, Nishagie knows that it is difficult to take good care of your mental health. That is why she tries her best to commit time to herself and discover more about what makes her happy while helping others figure out what makes them happy as well.
ORI NGUYEN
Co-Director of Design
Ori is a senior at Garden Grove High School. Her biggest passion lies in visual arts but she also participates in numerous performing arts such as joining dance teams, choirs, and the Boys and Girls HOPE team. Currently, she is dedicating herself to learning new crafts in hopes to become a successful UX/UI designer. In her free time, she enjoys gaming, drawing, and watching twitch.
TINA HUYNH
Director of Marketing and Media
Tina is a senior from Southern California and is passionate about serving her community. This drive for civic engagement instilled impactful morals and ethics that have affirmed community service as a key element of her future. As reflected by her active leadership on and off campus as CSF treasurer, Simon Scholar student advisor, tennis club treasurer, and an intern for Titan Tutors, she has learned the impact and power of giving back and contributing to our community that's done so much for us. With the help of Titan Tutors, she furthered her aim to help dismantle the model minority myth and educate the Asian community on mental health. Currently, she has been taking advantage of her free time during this pandemic and has sewn more than 100 masks to donate for the PPE shortage at hospitals and towards supporting protesters for the Black Lives Matter movement. Also, she has used her passion for cooking and baking to establish an at-home catering service with proceeds going towards the movement and the masks. She joined Arts for Relief because she is in full support of reducing and eradicating the stigmas revolving mental health, which is so important for our wellbeing and for the wellbeing of society overall.
JULIANNE DUONG
Executive Senior Editor
Julianne is a senior living in Southern California who is interested in pursuing the arts. She is the vice president of her school’s Project Angkor club and one of the co-presidents of Academic Decathlon. Upon growing up, Julianne has faced a problems with depression and anxiety and the arts has greatly helped her. She enjoys several types of art such drawing and painting. She also plays five different instruments: piano, trumpet, flute, ukulele, and guitar and is beginning violin. She supports all arts programs as well as mental health care. She believes it is important that everyone has a chance to express themselves and feel supported.
Journalism Team
ASHLEY DE LA CRUZ
Graphic Designer, Junior Editor, and Mission Ambassador
Ashley is a senior from California who wants to help bring awareness toward mental illness, for she struggles with anxiety herself. At times, she finds herself battling it out with her anxiety when faced against certain situations and activities such as frequent public speakings toward small or larger crowds. On other occasions, her nerves get to the better of her when she needs to step onto the soccer field and play; but with her love and passion for the sport, she is slowly starting to overcome her greatest obstacles. Ashley has learned that staying focused and being determined to get the job done has helped her perform at her best. Sometimes whipping out her sketchbook and playing her favorite mix of songs manages to calm her down and just enjoy the moment. She is highly motivated to progress as an individual and reach her true potential!
JOCELYN NGUYEN
Junior Editor
Jocelyn is a senior at Rancho Alamitos High School in Southern California. She enjoys acting and baking to manage the stress and waves of anxiety that occasionally affect her, and with the support of her friends, she has grown to become a generally bright and optimistic person. When alone, she frequently tries her hand at new activities such as digital art and design, and she spends her free time on passion projects such as writing stories and podcasting. Although she has not had much experience in service outside of her school's Key Club and NHS, she is excited to contribute her skills to this new program to assist in relieving the stressors life holds and de-stigmatizing subjects. Mental health is a topic she takes seriously, and she aspires to become a pillar of support for others in search of acceptance and a friend.
KAYLEE NGUYEN
Graphic Designer and Mission Ambassador
Kaylee is currently fifteen years old and a sophomore at Fountain Valley High School in Southern California. She is passionate about drawing, writing, painting, calligraphy, bullet-journaling, and video-making. All in all, the most important hobbies to her revolve around visual arts. They always manage put a smile on her face and give her inspiration and hope, especially when times are difficult. Additionally, she is very passionate about volunteering and projects involving mental health, particularly because of her personal experience with mental health. Ultimately, Kaylee will always put her best efforts forward in helping others with their own mental health, as well as contributing to Arts for Relief.
MICHELLE NGUYEN
Graphic Designer, Junior Editor, and Writer
Michelle is a high school senior who resides in Southern California. She loves to express her thoughts through music, art, and creative writing, as they aid her in overcoming her emotional obstacles. Although the rigor of high school can be challenging at times, she finds ways to relieve her stress by engaging in her passions and community service. She has grown to love the different aspects of Psychology and hopes to become a clinical psychologist in the future. Michelle's goal is to expand her knowledge of mental health in order to better herself and to assist those around her.
LESLEY PHAM
Graphic Designer, Junior Editor, and Mission Ambassador
Lesley is a senior at Garden Grove High School. She can play 5 instruments and is on her school's varsity Track team. She is the recording secretary for KIWIN'S and tech editor for Key Club at Grove and is currently the principal cellist of Grove's Chamber Orchestra. She loves watching crime shows like Criminal Minds and NCIS and is a boba fanatic.
CASSIDY HO
Graphic Designer, Junior Editor, and Mission Ambassador
Cassidy is a senior at Pacifica High School. She is on the varsity basketball and track team. She is part of the NJROTC program at her school and plays 4 instruments. Her favorite shows are Criminal Minds and Glee.
KELLY HOANG
Junior Editor, Mission Ambassador, and Researcher
Kelly is a senior at Rancho Alamitos High School in Southern California. Her goal is to help the world become a better place in any way she can. She has a passion for music, which originated from her parent’s encouragement to play piano at the age of five. Aside from piano, her favorite instrument is her voice. Kelly will be entering her fourth year in choir this upcoming fall; Rancho Alamitos’ Vocal Ensemble and the Chamber Singers. After being the Secretary of the Choir Board for two years, she strives to become the President of the Choir Club this year. She is also a member of volunteer clubs around campus such as the California Scholarship Federation (CSF) and Key Club. Doing simple acts such as assisting a beach clean-up or handing out water bottles allows her to take one step closer at achieving her goal. Much like everyone else, she has her own insecurities, weaknesses, and flaws. She gets anxious, depressed, and stressed when her emotions become too difficult to handle. She is still on the journey of learning how to cope with this struggle and learning to love herself. This is why Kelly is driven to learn more about mental health and how to help others. She wants to help others learn how to love themselves and how to take care of their mental health as well.