By Flora Gonska:
Many people may not realize how pivotal non-work experience has become. Unpaid internships and other in-field work give young people a huge leg up; unfortunately, not everyone has access to those opportunities. Mission Impassionible is an organization dedicated to providing underrepresented groups with interdisciplinary opportunities through education and mentorship. Read more from the founder below!
FG: Tell us all about you and your organization!
Hi! My name is Katherine Wei, and I’m a rising junior from Arizona. In school, I play for the volleyball team, participate in speech and debate, science fair, National Honor Society, She’s the First, and Red Cross. I’ve always been really passionate about STEM and poetry as well as social activism, specifically advocating for equitable education. That’s why I created Mission Impassionible, which is an organization dedicated to providing underrepresented groups with interdisciplinary opportunities through education and mentorship. Currently, we are planning a mentorship program to cover the areas of writing, science, and technology!
FG: Why do you think it’s important for your generation to let their voices be heard?
It’s important for our generation’s voice to be heard because we are the youth, and the future is in our hands. By letting us express our opinions and views on the world, we can shape our world to be even better. Additionally, our generation is so talented and has so much potential to do great things, thus why I know that by letting our voices be heard, we can spread our ideas globally, helping to improve the current state of our world.
FG: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
I’m a little bit of both. I’m optimistic in that I hope the turmoil and chaos of the current day will get better as time passes, and I think that it will as long as our voices are heard and reforms are made. I’m pessimistic in that if these changes are not made, I don’t believe that the world can heal, move on, or improve. That’s why I think it is absolutely vital for Gen Z to participate in social justice and activism, as well as be educated in current events, politics, and other interdisciplinary topics.
FG: What are the most important issues facing our world right now? And in the future?
Some important issues are obviously police brutality, the Yemen crisis, and of course the pandemic. In the future, there’s a possibility that the pandemic will still be an ongoing issue, but I also believe that climate change is one that needs more awareness.
FG: What does your organization offer that helps the world be a better place?
Something that my organization is working on to offer right now is a mentorship program where qualified high school and undergraduate students mentor middle school students in the areas of writing, technology, and science. This program will of course target underrepresented groups such as low-income, first-generation, POC, women, etc. We hope that programs such as these will help make the world a little bit of a better place by striving for more equitable education. In the future, we also plan to hold panels and workshops covering specific topics in science, tech, and writing.
FG: Please tell us all about your current campaigns, projects, and endeavors.
Again, Mission Impassionible’s primary project right now is the mentorship program, but we do plan to expand and do other projects such as a tutoring platform, creating a database for study guides or helpful course material, virtual workshops, and an informative newsletter filled with opportunities. A personal project that I am working on right now is conducting research on Alzheimer’s disease, specifically looking at particular genes and how they affect the beta amyloid plaques in the brain.
FG: Tell everyone where to find you online and on social platforms.
Mission Impassionible’s Instagram is @missionimpassionible, and you can email us at missionimpassionible@gmail.com. We're on Facebook and Linkedin as well. My Instagram is @katwei and LinkedIn is @katherine-wei05.
FG: If there is anything else you would like to say, please do!
Mentor and mentee applications for our program will be open soon, so make sure to keep and eye out and apply!
A Cleveland, OH, native, Flora Gonska is a non-binary trans woman from a big family. She's a writer, video producer/editor, and artist. An avid supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and equality movement, she has lived in Los Angeles for three years, and she's involved in and enjoys writing on politics, the LGBTQ+ community, and life in the U.S.