StudentLetters to Strangers, SBS
Diana Chao is a first-generation Buyi Chinese-American immigrant from Southern California. Diana founded Letters to Strangers (L2S) when she was a sophomore in high school after bipolar disorder and a blinding eye condition nearly ended her life. By beginning to heal through letters, she discovered that writing is humanity distilled into ink. Today, L2S is the largest global youth-for-youth mental health nonprofit, impacting over 35,000 people annually on six continents and publishing the world’s first youth-for-youth mental health guidebook for free. L2S also operates the first toll-free 24/7 pan-African mental health hotline out of its Liberia office. For this effort, Diana was honored by two U.S. Presidents at the White House, named a 2021 Princess Diana Legacy Award Winner, 2020 L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth, and Oprah Magazine's 2019 Health Hero.