Jason Lee, a senior at the Bronx High School of Science, was recently recognized for his advocacy on youth mental health with a state award.
Lee, a member of the Asian American Student Advocacy Project (ASAP) under the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), received the 2026 “What’s Great in Our State” Youth/Young Adult Award, recognizing young people who step outside their comfort zone to advocate for change in their diverse communities.
Lee, whose parents immigrated from China as young adults, told the Bronx Times that the statewide award “came as a big surprise to me.”
“Being recognized at the state level for work I just want to see done, it’s definitely kind of inspiring,” he said.
His work with ASAP comes at an opportune time. Across New York, youth mental health has presented major challenges, especially in the post-pandemic era. A 2025 report by the former City Comptroller’s office said that nearly 40% of New York City’s young people experience “persistent sadness or hopelessness.”
“Jason’s advocacy for Asian American and Pacific Islander youth is helping to reduce stigma and remove barriers to mental health care that these young people often experience,” said Dr. Ann Sullivan, commissioner of the state Office of Mental Health.
“By providing a strong voice for these youth and advocating for more equitable care, Jason truly exemplifies the spirit of ‘What’s Great in Our State’ and our efforts to reach young New Yorkers.”
The comptroller report also said that the vast majority of DOE schools are not well-equipped to handle such a challenge. More than 70% of New York City public schools lack enough social workers to meet national standards, and 53% lack enough guidance counselors, according to the report.
Even more discouraging, the comptroller’s office found that providing every DOE school with the nationally-recommended number of social workers and guidance counselors would cost the city up to $426 million annually.
As an ASAP member, Lee has tackled this issue and more. The group has advocated for more school counselors in DOE schools and conducted research and surveys to inform their work.
While the recommended ratio is 250 students per social worker, Lee said Bronx Science has only two social workers for about 2,800 students — he’s heard of even larger schools with only two.
Thinking, researching and advocating for issues affecting young people is new to Lee, who lives in Bayside, Queens.
He said growing up in a predominantly Asian neighborhood, he didn’t always think about his Asian identity. “Topics like anti-Asian hate weren’t really apparent to me,” Lee said.
He said he found it hard to put himself out there and speak openly about the challenges of life as a young person today. Much of his resistance came from a stigma in Asian American Pacific Islander communities, Lee said.
“The belief that if you seek any support with the mental health sector, you’re kind of seen as weak, or ‘Maybe I shouldn’t share this,’ out of shame or embarrassment to bring it to light.”
Even the general concept of mental health is sometimes framed as “Western propaganda,” he added.
Many people think of mental health in terms of disorders, such as anxiety and ADHD, Lee said. But the reality is more complicated.
For instance, among high achievers at a prestigious high school like Bronx Science, “crunch culture” is the norm — which Lee described as “pushing yourself to the point where you’re physically demanding more from your body in return for a higher grade on a single test, or things like that.”
When he first started high school, Lee said he thought this mindset was inherent and unchangeable. “We thought it was so normalized, it wasn’t worth mentioning.”
But two years as an ASAP leader have taught him that openly discussing these issues helps, even if it’s uncomfortable at first.
Many people don’t want to burden others, but “Being able to share how you truly feel is extremely important,” he said.
Lee said he hopes his award will inspire more students to use their voices. Although sharing personal thoughts can be “extremely uncommon” in communities like his, “Obviously, I’m not the only one facing these barriers or obstacles,” he said. “Being able to scare myself, resonate with other people out there, is something really important to me.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
