2025 Power of Resilience Scholarship Winner

The summer before Cindy He entered eighth grade, a close family member developed an eating disorder. Cindy witnessed how deeply the disorder affected both her relative and her family. Because her family members were unfamiliar with mental health issues and were either attending college or working full-time to support the household financially, Cindy stepped into the role of caregiver despite being the youngest in the family. She provided emotional support while her family struggled to understand and navigate the difficult situation.

Managing her caregiving responsibilities alongside school, extracurricular activities, a part-time job, and household duties was a significant challenge. Providing consistent emotional support for someone facing mental health challenges while managing her own commitments was mentally and emotionally exhausting, especially because mental disorders often bring moments of disagreement, frustration, and uncertainty.

Despite these challenges, Cindy remained deeply committed to her academic growth and was determined not to let the difficulties at home disrupt her goals. She viewed education as both a privilege and an opportunity to build a brighter future and pursue her aspirations. Along the way, she developed strong time-management skills, learned to advocate for herself, and practiced empathy and intentional listening to better support her relative. She also sought guidance from her school counselor and confided in friends, recognizing the importance of building a strong support system. She learned the importance of managing stress, focusing on factors she could control, and remaining hopeful even during challenging times.

While the experience was difficult, Cindy learned resilience is essential for achieving one’s goals. Resilience consists of continuing forward despite pain and uncertainty, trusting perseverance will eventually lead to meaningful outcomes. For her, the goal was helping her family member recover and bringing stability to her home. Instead of feeling defeated by the challenges she faced, she chose to view them as motivation to keep moving forward. Cindy believes difficult moments can lead to personal growth, a sense of relief, and the rewarding realization everything will ultimately work out.

Cindy grew up in Des Moines, Iowa with an older brother and sister. Throughout high school, she demonstrated a strong commitment to service and leadership. She enjoyed tutoring elementary students in arithmetic and spelling while building meaningful connections, and managing her local library’s summer reading program to distribute free educational materials and promote equitable access to learning. As a graduate of the Youth Leadership Initiative, a civic leadership enrichment program, she organized donation drives for Des Moines’ largest food pantry network, engaged directly with community leaders, and developed the skills to advocate for and address pressing societal challenges.

Cindy is also deeply passionate about research and its potential to drive significant change. Through the AP Capstone program, she conducted original research examining how family dynamics influence mood and stress among advanced high school students from diverse backgrounds. She further expanded her research experience as a youth intern with Up for Learning, an educational equity nonprofit dedicated to advancing student-centered education, and currently contributes to research on economic development and social welfare in developing countries.

Cindy is honored to receive this scholarship, which will support her continued education and goal of advancing the economic and social well-being of under-resourced communities. By bridging her interests in economics and psychology, she hopes to address economic barriers to mental health and design culturally competent treatments for diverse populations. Cindy is currently a first-year studying Economics at Princeton University.