NAMI CA Youth Leadership

NAMI CA Youth Leadership Council

Meet our current members!

Chris Leung

Chris Leung is a passionate youth mental health advocate and Psychobiology major at UCLA, shaped by a family history of complex mental health challenges. He co-founded and co-led his high school’s NAMI chapter, spoke at the NAMI CA Youth Symposium, and was part of an advocacy team that met with state legislators. His experience includes neuroscience research on mental disorders and volunteering at Sierra Meadows, a therapy nonprofit. For over a year and a half, he has served as a Crisis Counselor for the CA Youth Crisis Line, providing direct support to young people in need.

Cami Nelsen

Cami Nelsen is a mental health advocate and college student studying business management. As the Founder and CEO of nonprofit organization, The RecoverED Project, Cami works to provide resources, education, and support for those in eating disorder recovery and their families. In support of raising awareness about digital safety and mental health, Cami has also been featured in the Dove Self Esteem Campaign, Cost of Beauty Commercial, and has engaged in policy advocacy, including sharing her lived experiences at a congressional briefing. Furthermore, as a former intercollegiate athlete, Cami advocates for student-athlete mental health, and was the 2023-2024 winner of the CalHope Courage Award.

Simran Kaur

Simran Kaur, an 18-year-old from Modesto, CA, is an incoming freshman at UC San Diego, where she’s working toward becoming a psychiatrist. As a first-generation college student, she got into mental health advocacy after seeing how few resources existed for underrepresented communities in Central Valley and how cultural stigma kept people from accessing the ones that did. She is the president of her high school’s NAMI on Campus and founded the first ever NAMI Youth Leadership Council in Stanislaus County, where she chairs students from all over Stanislaus County to get students involved in mental health education and advocacy at the local level. Her long-term goal is to provide culturally responsive psychiatric care, specifically for communities that have been historically underserved.

Madison Lam

Madison Lam is a high school senior from Orange County who is very passionate about mental health advocacy and resource accessibility. In her free time, she likes playing with her dog, hanging out with her friends, taking photos at the beach, discovering new spots to eat at, and listening to music.

Leona Liu

Leona Liu is the Secretary of the NAMI Club at Glen A. Wilson High School, where she has two years of experience supporting mental health advocacy and student engagement. In her role, she assists cabinet members in planning and executing club initiatives, tracks member attendance and service hours, and records detailed meeting minutes. She has also contributed to the organization of multiple on-campus mental health events, including workshops, NAMI California’s Youth Symposium, and GAWHS NAMI’s annual school-wide mental health assembly. In addition to her work with NAMI, Leona is an active member of HOSA and has completed over 170 hours of volunteer service for the Mental Health Committee. Her experiences include supporting the NMDP registry through swab kit packing, preparing care packages for hospitals, and advocating for mental health awareness and research through walks and campaigns. Outside of her leadership and service roles, Leona enjoys painting and arts and crafts. She values creative expression as a therapeutic outlet and believes in the powerful connection between the arts and mental well-being, a perspective that continues to shape her passion for mental health advocacy.

Eden Hadar

Eden Hadar is student at Stanford University pursuing a BS in Symbolic Systems and an MS in Community Health & Prevention Research. Outside of academics, she is the Treasurer for the RecoverED Project, a fully youth-led nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about eating disorders and promoting recovery. Her interest in this work is deeply rooted in a commitment to improving access to mental health resources and supporting young people in navigating their own recovery journeys. In her free time, Eden enjoys traveling, doing pilates, trying new matcha spots, and playing board games.

Madeline Townsend

Madeline (Maddy) Townsend is an aspiring Fashion Designer, with a history and passion for mental health awareness, from a small mountain town in Northern California. Her passion for fashion has been with her since she a little girl, in both creativity and initiative. She is honored to be part of the Youth Leadership Council where she can help others come together and talk about the things that are hard to talk about.

Former Youth Leadership Council members