Christine Hoang
Oregon State University
Christine Hoang, a third year student at Oregon State University, is a change agent and student leader active in advancing educational equity, mental health promotion, and inclusion and belonging for all, especially LGBTQ+ students on campus. Over the last three years, they have worked in a myriad of capacities to support students' sense of community and belonging at OSU. They actively work to de-stigmatize mental health issues through their work with the Counseling & Psychological Services Board and promote social justice for LGBTQ+ students through their work with the Pride Center and Rainbow Continuum. Christine utilizes art and story sharing in their work to create spaces for their peers to build empathy and understanding for each other's experiences and identities. Christine's efforts to build a better world center on creating spaces for identity-based education, reflection, connection, and self-love. Their social change work is guided through the premise that self-acceptance and personal transformation is a prerequisite that leads to social transformation. Christine is a multi-faceted civic leader who has consistently sought out ways to utilize their skills, passions, and talents to improve the greater OSU community for all.
Personal Statement
I first became involved in addressing the stigma surrounding mental health as a young person through my personal experiences. After I got to OSU, I have been continuing the same work through the Counseling & Psychological Services Board. I have gotten more involved with the Pride Center under Diversity and Cultural Engagement, as well as the Educational Opportunities Program, and became much more aware about intersectonality of identities and the critical significance of community for students, especially those from historically underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds. In these areas, I have come to understand how systems of oppression are interconnected and make it difficult for folx with marginalized identities to have equitable access to opportunities and resources. This is why I have dedicated much of my involvement to creating spaces for creative expression, thoughtful dialogue, empathy building, and self-care. On campus, I co-lead a student organization that promotes equity and inclusion for LGBTQ+ students, Rainbow Continuum. I am also involved in a local nonprofit that provides crisis support to folx with cases of domestic violence and sexual assault. In essence, my involvement includes campus programming, direct service, and advocacy to develop mental health services and create a just space for all LGBTQ+ students.
