Jiyoun Roh

Jiyoun Roh
Princeton University
Molecular Biology
Sophomore
La Crescenta, CA

I’m Jiyoun, a student studying molecular biology at Princeton University. I am an aspiring physician and advocate whose primary goal is to serve.

I volunteered for the first time through the Red Cross, where I was tasked with installing smoke alarms in vulnerable communities. In high school, I led the service branch of the Air Force Junior ROTC program, encouraged peers to donate at blood drives, and engaged in various service events, from teaching disaster preparedness to elementary school students to hosting community festivals. In the present, I am a volunteer in the NICU at a nearby hospital, a Peer Health Advisor who provides health-based support to fellow students, and an ESL tutor to Spanish-speaking adults. Although I particularly enjoy engaging in health-based service, I am content volunteering anywhere, especially when I can get others involved—the more the merrier!

In the context of advocacy, I focus on disability and Asian-American rights. As a mentor to a disabled younger brother, I have always been hyper-aware of the need for accessibility and awareness, especially in Asian spaces, where disability is hidden under layers of euphemisms and generations of shame. Currently, I am an inaugural executive team member of Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative (AADI), a nonprofit aiming to uplift disabled Asian-American voices while promoting accessible resources. So far, we have released a resource guide, while continuing to educate through social media and collaborate with a variety of organizations, including the National Institutes of Health.

I hope to further my advocacy work in the future, especially within the medical field, which so viscerally overlaps with disability. In fact, I view the medical field as a space where my passions in service, science, and advocacy align—part of the reason I am an aspiring physician.

In my free time, I like to rollerblade, read, bake, and most importantly, spend time with family and friends.