Meilan Xu - Gold Award

School: Westview High School
Category: Young Adults (16-25)
Hours: 289.5

Meilan is the founder and President of the Phoenix Hanfu Society (formerly Phoenix Hanfu Team) at the Oregon Chinese Coalition (OCC). Over the past three years, she has led 185 volunteer participant-visits in presenting Hanfu performances at 40 cultural events, promoting Chinese heritage and fostering cross-cultural understanding. Her work has helped amplify cultural voices and build bridges to diverse audiences.

In addition to leading the society, she has served as Emcee at 10 Chinese Lunar New Year Galas and cross-cultural events in Oregon and Washington and has been featured on local television stations (KOIN6, KGW, KPTV) to advocate for cultural awareness. She is also committed to documenting local community culture through Youth Lens Real People Real Stories interviews and media projects.

This is her third year as lab leader of Parliamentary Debate and first year as lab leader of Extemporaneous Speech for Westview Speech and Debate, one of the largest clubs at Westview and one of the biggest teams in Oregon. Meilan has qualified for OSAA State Championships in 2023, 2024, and 2025. She was a state quarterfinalist in 2025. She qualified for NSDA Nationals in 2025, finishing third in the North Oregon District. Every week, Meilan trains new and returning teammates in her debate event, leading to successful results at tournaments. Additionally, she is president of OHSU Science Ambassadors at Westview, a STEM mentorship program focused on teaching science to elementary school kids in an engaging and hands-on way. As co-president in her fourth year with Science Ambassadors, Meilan helps lead meetings and communicates with parents, mentors, kids, and teachers.

Oregon Chinese Coalition is proud to recognize the volunteers who consistently take the time to make a difference in the lives of others. Therefore, it is a great honor to present the Community Volunteer Service Award (CVSA) to Meilan Xu.