Jason grew up with a deep sense of responsibility—he knew how to work hard, care for others, and keep moving forward. But when it came to talking about pain, there wasn’t always space for that. It wasn’t something his community often named, let alone discussed. “As a male and as an Asian American, mental health was often taboo,” Jason says. “Growing up, I had friends who struggled with mental health, and I didn’t know how to support them. I’ve had friends die by suicide. Their deaths shocked me—and stayed with me.”
Born to parents who immigrated from Hong Kong, Jason grew up in a culture where vulnerability had no place. His family, like many, focused on survival–making sure the physical needs were met. “When you’re worried about being able to put food on the table, conversations about emotional safety just didn’t happen.”
During the pandemic, Jason saw people he cared about struggling quietly with their mental health. It made him realize how often people were facing things alone. In 2023, Jason trained to become a volunteer crisis counselor at the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center, hoping to be someone others could turn to when in their hardest moments. He is now part of a team that helps to field more than 160,000 crisis contacts a year. One quote from training still anchors him: “It’s often not the suffering that kills—it’s the silencing of that suffering.”
Through volunteering, Jason has become a safe space for others—and for himself. “Being a counselor has changed my life. I’ve learned to sit with people in their pain, not to fix them, but to hold space. And it’s helped me have hard conversations with people I love.”
The impact has rippled outward. As Jason became more vocal about his work as a crisis counselor, family members began confiding their own hidden struggles.
“I’ve realized that vulnerability begets vulnerability,” he says. “It’s easier to carry something heavy when others help you hold it.”
As a member of the Didi Hirsch Next Gen Council, Jason works to expand access and awareness, especially in communities where mental health is still rarely discussed. His approach is simple but intentional: opening space for conversations that once felt impossible.
“Even something as small as a post or a single conversation can start to chip away at the stigma,” he says. “It starts with one person speaking up, and that makes it easier for others to do the same.”
Guided by two principles, Jason stays grounded in his work: “Meet people where they are” and “Be kind, because everyone is fighting a hard battle.” He believes that when we listen without judgment and create space for others to be vulnerable, healing becomes possible.
“It’s not about fixing people—it’s about sitting with them in their dark places.”
