Guiying (Angel) Zhong is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and serves as a Research Associate at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. A youth mental health advocate and scholar-activist, Angel’s lived experience profoundly shapes her research focus. She understands firsthand the impact of stigma, intergenerational trauma, and culturally misaligned care, while also recognizing the transformative power of community care, intergenerational solidarity, and peer support.

Angel centers her work on uplifting the self-determination of communities and youth, believing that research should amplify voices rather than prescribe solutions. During college, she helped launch initiatives like Pacific Thrives!, a peer-to-peer holistic wellness education program, and organized efforts to provide free menstruation products on campus—projects that reflect her commitment to community-led health promotion.

Currently, Angel is engaged with the Promoting Community Conversations About Research for Effective Solutions (PC CARES) team, contributing to curriculum development aimed at expanding their community health education model to new topics and audiences.

For Angel, leadership is about fostering connection and collective impact. She draws inspiration from Grace Lee Boggs, who said, “We never know how our small activities will affect others through the invisible fabric of our connectedness. In this exquisitely connected world, it’s never a question of ‘critical mass.’ It’s always about critical connections.”