Meet Our Scholars

Kai Huang grew up in San Jose, California and came out as bisexual and transgender in high school. Despite the lack of support from their parents and school administration, they became president of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance and successfully advocated for trans students to be called the right name and pronouns, and for the establishment of more gender-neutral restrooms on campus. Upon coming to the University of California, Los Angeles, Kai built a network of support with mentors, friends, and chosen family. Before his second year, Kai informed his unsupportive parents that he was becoming financially independent of them due to their threats to withdraw support if he transitioned. At the UCLA LGBTQ Campus Resource Center, Kai worked as an outreach intern as well as a co-founder and co-lead for the Advocacy Committee. He also engaged in advocacy and healthcare as a director of Transgender UCLA Pride, Community Advisory Board member for the UCLA Gender Health Research Collaborative, clinical navigator for the LA LGBT Center, activism coordinator for Lavender Health Alliance at UCLA, and the inaugural undergraduate student representative for UCLA’s Trans Wellness Team. Upon graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology, Kai began working as a health education associate in the Center for Trans Youth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Kai will attend the University of San Francisco School of Medicine in Fall 2022 and will continue on zir path to becoming an out queer and trans nonbinary Chinese American physician who provides and advocates for accessible trans and nonbinary inclusive healthcare.