A typical day for most high schoolers doesn’t include co-sponsoring bills in the New York State Assembly, supporting free health clinics, and hosting peer education workshops. Then again, most high schoolers aren’t Alina Yang. Founder and president of the nonprofit Guardians of the Heart 501(c)(3), her work in cardiac health and prevention is creating a healthier future for Westchester residents of all ages.
Yang, a junior at Scarsdale High School, began her journey into cardiac health after witnessing her grandfather’s stroke over FaceTime during the pandemic. The event motivated her to investigate her family’s health, during which she discovered a history of heart disease and risk factors, such as diabetes, among her relatives. She learned that the number one cause of death in the United States is heart disease, yet about 80% of those deaths are preventable with lifestyle changes. There came her motivation to be different.
“I’m determined not to become another statistic…I can’t go back and change [my family’s] outcomes, but I can learn and I can act and I can try to make sure that our story doesn’t repeat itself in anyone else’s family,” says Yang.
Founding Guardians of the Heart
Yang found the resources and support at her high school to begin Guardians of the Heart 501(c)(3), a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness for youth about preventative cardiac care, in 2024. The foundation is a heart health octopus; its many arms provide information throughout expert panel webinars, partner for free health screenings in the community, table at health fairs, host children’s educational workshops, provide CPR and AED use training sessions, and work to amplify preventive legislation.
Guardians of the Heart aims to “educate and empower youth to combat cardiovascular disease” through the leadership of Yang and her fellow board members Leia Patel, Kaoruko Daito, Audrey Li, and Victoria Rodriguez. These high school students’ approach to cardiovascular change is prevention-based, and their unique perspective as young adults brings leverage to their message when talking to other young people who aren’t a typical audience for heart health campaigns.
“Youth are more willing to listen to youth, or to their friends and their classmates, and the communication that you build is very important in terms of efficiency but also in terms of building trust. It’s not that I don’t think adults are effective; I just think that in issues surrounding youth and our lifestyles, it’s definitely more resonant and more applicable when it’s youth doing the outreach,” Yang observes.
The organization’s advocacy initiatives are one of its “major pillars,” according to Yang, whose grassroots advocacy efforts have earned her a trip to Capitol Hill to champion heart health. She began working with legislation by cold emailing members of the New York State Assembly’s Health Committee alongside senators and other congressional representatives, offering support for their bills surrounding heart health and looking for ways to further support their work. She has met with assemblywoman Amy Paulin and discussed legislation surrounding CPR instruction in curriculums, cardiac emergency response plans, AED equipment, and EKG screenings for student athletes.
Supporting Heart Health in Westchester
Within the Westchester community, Guardians of the Heart has been working with the Westchester County Board of Legislators to write letters of support for bills and begin education on implementing CPR into the local curriculum. Guardians of the Heart advocates at Board of Education meetings and Board of Legislation meetings for youth heart health and prevention. Its impact has translated into working on getting schools Heart Safe Certified with Project ADAM, hosting CPR and AED workshops in extracurricular settings, and bringing Westchester Medical Center’s Mobile Medical Unit to provide blood pressure screenings for student athletes.
According to Yang, Guardians of the Heart gets most of its community interaction from working health fairs, which aren’t specific to cardiovascular health but instead typically cover health more holistically. Its table typically offers a heart-based trivia game, which has become a stage for community interaction and education. While some contestants are just focused on the prize, many walk away with new information or engage the Guardians of the Heart members in cardiovascular discussion to help broaden their education. The goal is to create a “low-pressure environment” around a “high-stakes cause,” Yang shares, making heart health accessible to more members of the population.
“They’re just trying to understand really, and that’s kind of the engagement that sticks,” Yang says. “I guess that’s been one of the most rewarding moments, to be able to see and witness my community learn and educate and be inspired by the work that we’re doing, and being able to empower them to also take control of their heart health from an early age. I think that that’s been a really great moment to be able to experience.”
Educating the Community
Outside of legislation, education is a critical part of Guardians of the Heart’s mission. Its expert panels, like the “Beating the Odds: Sudden Cardiac Arrest & CPR Awareness” webinar on May 30 featuring physicians from Northwell Health, WMCHealth, and other professionals in the cardiology field, aim to bring awareness to the importance of various risk factors and healthy lifestyles. The Guardians of the Heart leadership board comes up with the topics, and local experts from community leaders to nutritionists and doctors are invited to share their expertise.
While the expert panels are open to everyone (with Zoom registration), the library workshops are aimed at a younger audience. Activities like “Draw Your Own Big Heart” and read-alouds don’t just tell children to lead healthy lifestyles, but demonstrate how to live with a heart-healthy approach.
Much of the work Guardians of the Heart does is community facing, as it works to create equitable heart education across the Westchester area. The nonprofit partners with organizations such as Feeding Westchester, Westchester Medical Center, New York State Public Health Association, and more to put on events such as free healthcare screenings at farmers’ markets. Additionally, the Westchester-Fairfield Chapter of the American Heart Association, specifically executive director Dawn French, has provided Yang with the mentorship needed to succeed in the Westchester area; Yang has also received support from the nonprofit’s board of advisors.
“We’ve partnered with local libraries, farmers markets… generally, I think it’s been great to be able to see the community react positively and be able to realize what we’re trying to get them to realize or see the kind of impact our work has had, even if it’s not always easy,” Yang shares.
Passing the Torch at Guardians of the Heart
As Yang enters her senior year of high school, she’s looking for more volunteers and members interested in leadership positions to begin handing over the reins. She’s hoping to stay involved as much as she can depending on the location of where she goes to college but is also looking to explore different cardiology and public health organizations in the future. For the Westchester community, especially its youth, Yang leaves a message of hope and active prevention.
“Prevention is power, and that power belongs to all of us. While we cannot go back and change the past, we cannot go back and bring back those that we lost, we can work to ensure that fewer lives are lost meaninglessly,” Yang observes. “I would go back to the quote from Sheryl Sandberg [which shares the idea that] because we are aware now, let us change everything. As the youth who are going to be inheriting the challenges of our healthcare system, it’s up to us to take action. If we don’t do anything about it, no one will. We have to take initiative.”
Related: The Fight Against Cardiovascular Disease Is Strong in Westchester
