Cindy Chen

Cindy Chen is a senior at Walnut High School whose impact already reaches far beyond any classroom. Appointed as the sole student representative from her school to the Los Angeles County Office of Education Student Advisory Council, she represents over 14,000 students in her district and helps shape policy decisions affecting more than 1.3 million students countywide. Through her leadership of Know Your Rights campaigns and student-led community projects, she has empowered hundreds of young people across Los Angeles County to find and use their voices. As the Founder and CEO of IgniteHER — the first organization dedicated to rhetorical feminism — Cindy has turned youth advocacy into a global movement. IgniteHER is a United Nations-recognized and partnered nonprofit with over 100 chapters across 66 countries, reaching 1 million people and training 50,000 girls in the power of their own voices. Cindy also serves as the sole U.S. United Nations Ambassador for Gender Equality, representing the U.S. and the UN Foundation in peace dialogues, youth diplomacy forums, and global policy discussions. Still in high school, Cindy is already living proof that young people do not have to wait for a seat at the table — they can build the table themselves. She aspires to serve as a California legislator, one of the youngest U.S. senators in history, and ultimately as a Supreme Court justice, bringing the spirit of grassroots movements into the highest halls of law.