There are moments in life when it feels like it’s one obstacle after another. You keep hustling, giving, building, and yet somehow, you still feel like you are standing in the same place you started. But every now and then, you witness something truly special that reminds you that the work matters. The sacrifices matter. And perhaps, without even realizing it, you have come a long way.

Becoming a One Young World delegate was one of those moments for me.

I arrived at the summit with my usual checklist of things to do, hoping to explore partnerships that could help move my mental health advocacy forward. I have always cared deeply about mental health, which eventually led me to start Empath, a mental health platform that has served tens of thousands of Filipinos. That work has always been rooted in my own experience of navigating mental health challenges from a young age, and knowing what it felt like to search for support in a system where care was not always easy to access.

That was the story I carried with me into One Young World.

But it’s funny how you can enter an experience with one set of expectations, only to be surprised by what you did not know you needed.

Being in a room with young leaders from different parts of the world was incredibly energizing. Every conversation felt like a reminder that while our contexts may be different, many of us share the same desire to build a better world. I met people working on climate justice, education, peacebuilding, gender equality, public health, technology, human rights, and many more. Many came from communities that had faced immense challenges, yet they spoke with so much passion and hope.

It made me reflect on my own journey.

Sometimes, when you are so focused on building, solving, responding, and surviving the daily demands of advocacy and entrepreneurship, you forget to pause and see how far you have come. I came to One Young World expecting the usual outcomes I seek at conferences but instead, I found a moment for myself. A moment to step outside the urgency of daily work, appreciate what our team had collectively built, and realize that Empath’s mission is part of a much broader global movement.

During the summit, I was reminded that mental health is not separate from the world’s most pressing issues. It is deeply connected to education, employment, gender equity, poverty, conflict, and even climate anxiety. When people are mentally and emotionally unsupported, it becomes harder for them to participate fully in their communities, pursue opportunities, and live with dignity. This strengthened my belief that mental healthcare should never be treated as a privilege or an afterthought. It is part of how societies become more just, humane, and resilient.

One Young World also expanded how I understood leadership. I used to think leadership was mainly about vision, execution, and impact. While those still matter, I now see leadership as the ability to listen deeply, collaborate across differences, and remain hopeful even when the problems we face are complex. Meaningful change is rarely built by one person or one organization alone. It is built through ecosystems of people willing to learn from one another and work together.

Most importantly, One Young World reminded me that advocacy was never meant to be carried alone. The work can feel isolating at times, but there is comfort in realizing that so many people around the world are also trying, in their own ways, to turn care into action.

One of the most unforgettable parts of the experience was meeting Maria Ressa. Her wit, humor, grit, and intelligence were truly captivating. It was an honor to be in the presence of someone whose courage and work have created ripples of change not only in the Philippines but across the world. I remember watching her on television with my dad when I was younger, already in awe of the grit and passion she carried for what she believed in. To be in the same room with her years later felt surreal and deeply meaningful.

After the summit, I came home with renewed clarity and fire. I came home more committed to making mental healthcare more accessible and to pursuing work that can help build our nation.

The experience changed how I saw myself. As someone from the Philippines working at the intersection of mental health and technology, One Young World affirmed that our local stories and solutions matter on the global stage. We do not need to wait for change to come from elsewhere. We can build from where we are, using the wisdom of our own communities while learning from others around the world.

One Young World reminded me that hope is not passive. Hope is something we practice. It is found in the decision to keep building even when systems are imperfect. It is found in the courage to speak about difficult issues even when they are still surrounded by stigma. It is found in communities that choose to believe the future can be better because they are willing to take responsibility for shaping it.

Becoming a One Young World delegate was an honor, but more than that, it was a call to continue. It reminded me that the work we do at Empath is part of something much bigger: a global movement toward care, dignity, and human flourishing.

I returned home more grateful, more grounded, and more determined.

Because if there is one thing One Young World made clear to me, it is this: the world does not change only through grand gestures. It changes through people who choose, again and again, to turn their lived experiences into service, their hope into action, and their leadership into something that makes room for others to rise. – Rappler.com