More Than an Award: What the 2026 Youth on the Rise Honor Means to Me

Recently, I was deeply honored to be named a 2026 Youth on the Rise Honoree by People Newspapers in recognition of the social impact of the Hoperation Fund. On April 30, I was invited to attend the awards ceremony, which turned out to be a truly memorable and inspiring evening.

It was a wonderful night during which I had the opportunity to meet many remarkable individuals, including another Youth on the Rise honoree and the distinguished 20 Under 40 honorees. These individuals are making meaningful contributions to our communities and demonstrating exceptional leadership in different fields. I especially enjoyed speaking with several of them and learning about their journeys and passions.

During dinner, each honoree was invited to the stage to answer questions from the host, share personal experiences, and reflect on their nonprofit and community work. I felt deeply honored to speak about my journey leading the Hoperation Fund over the past three years, share my perspectives on youth leadership, and discuss the mission behind our work.

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While receiving this recognition was incredibly exciting, what made it especially meaningful was not the title itself, but what it represents: the growing impact of a mission I care deeply about. To me, this honor reflects years of dedication to fundraising, investing, donating, educating, and community service through the Hoperation Fund, which I founded and lead. More importantly, this recognition belongs not only to me, but to the entire Hoperation Fund community, including our members, advisors, guest speakers, donors, and supporters who have contributed to our shared mission.

The idea of founding the Hoperation Fund came from two important observations. First, many people work incredibly hard and earn solid incomes throughout their lives, yet still struggle financially later in life because they were never taught how to manage and invest money wisely. Second, many nonprofit organizations and research institutions dedicated to solving pressing global issues often do not receive the attention or funding they truly deserve. Seeing these challenges inspired me to ask an important question: Could investing be used as a force for positive social impact? That question eventually led to the founding of the Hoperation Fund.

The Hoperation Fund is a charitable investment fund built around two missions. The first is to empower both students and adults through financial and investment education. The second is to amplify financial resources through fundraising, donations, and thoughtful investing to support nonprofits and organizations making meaningful contributions to society.

At the center of the Hoperation Fund are four pillars: fundraising, investing, donating, and educating. Over the years, I have worked alongside our members to organize fundraising activities, introduce our mission to the public, and attract capital contributions to support our investment portfolio. By applying my skills and research in investing and artificial intelligence, I have managed the fund’s portfolio with a long-term perspective. Each year, the majority of investment profits are donated to nonprofit organizations in need. In addition, I regularly organize financial and investment lectures for students and adults, both online and in person, and invite professionals in finance and investing to share their expertise and experiences.

As of May 16, 2026, the Hoperation Fund has grown to 152 members across 24 U.S. states and 4 other countries. Our financial education lectures and workshops have reached more than 3,000 people, and our investment returns have supported more than 10 nonprofit organizations.

This kind of impact does not happen overnight. It grows through small actions, setbacks, persistence, and the support of many people. I feel incredibly grateful to have watched the Hoperation Fund grow from just a few students into a community of more than 100 members, and from less than one thousand dollars in capital to a fund managing more than thirty thousand dollars.

Looking ahead, I remain committed to continuing to grow the Hoperation Fund so that we can support even more nonprofits, educational organizations, and communities in need. My hope is that one day, our mission can expand globally and help organizations around the world create lasting positive change.

Above all, this award is about far more than personal recognition. It is a reminder and encouragement to keep building, learning, giving, and believing that finance, when guided by purpose, can become a powerful tool for social good.

I would like to end this post with a quote by legendary investor Paul Tudor Jones that deeply resonates with me:

“Kindness, just like capital, compounds over time.”

As the Hoperation Fund continues to grow, I hope we can continue to compound not only financial resources, but also kindness, opportunity, and meaningful impact in the lives of others.