Michelle Yao (she/her) is an undergraduate student at McMaster University. She is currently enrolled in the Bachelors of Health Sciences (Honours) program and pursuing a Minor in English and Cultural Studies. At McMaster, she is an Archway mentor; the Teaching assistant for the course Global Health Advocacy; the Communications Director for the school’s creative arts magazine, Incite; and a Resources and Advocacy Co-executive at the MSU Student Health Education Centre.
Having grown up around Canada’s Chemical Valley, she is especially passionate about dismantling structures that perpetuate environmental racism and colonial violence. Michelle’s undergraduate thesis revolves around the study of cultural competency in healthcare education. She is also studying the impacts of environmental racism on youth mental health with a research group affiliated with Global Water Futures and the McMaster Department of Pediatrics.