Houseless Environmental Volunteers Initiative
Meet Our Team
Benjamin Jin
Co-President 26-27
Hi, I’m Benjamin! I joined HEVI near the start of 9th grade and am currently a senior at Archbishop Mitty High School. I love all the friendships and memories that I have formed through HEVI and aim to continue providing a sense of home for our volunteers. In my free time I’m a tennis player and amateur cook, and maybe if you come you’ll have the chance to try my cooking!
Anna Zhao
Co-President 26-27
Hello everyone! I'm Anna and I am a senior at Lynbrook High School. HEVI has been crucial in teaching me the importance of a bottom-up approach in addressing the housing crisis. Getting to know our houseless volunteers personally has helped me better support them while learning from their unique experiences.
Harvey Lei
Fundraising Director (2026-2027)
Hi, I'm Harvey Lei, and I'm a senior at Monta Vista High School. I am truly one of the people of all time and have memorized a lot of bad jokes. I joined HEVI because it is a great way to spend time outdoors while contributing to our community as a whole, simultaneously helping others as well as the environment.
John Oh
Vice President 2026-2027
Hi! I’m John Oh and I'm currently a senior at Cupertino High School. In my free time I enjoy playing bee and honey making games. I joined HEVI because it's a meaningful opportunity for me to contribute to the environment and support the local houseless community. It means a lot to me to be a part of a group that offers support to people in need. I am excited to continue working with others to create a positive impact on the community.
Daniel Zhu
Social Media Director 2026-2027
Hi, I'm Daniel! I joined HEVI my junior year and am currently a senior at Bellarmine College Preparatory. I came looking for a way to actually do something about houselessness in San Jose, and what got me to stay was that HEVI pays people for their work instead of just handing them help. These days I'm our Social Media and Outreach Director, so I'm usually the one behind the camera. In my free time I swim competitively and I've been skiing since I was six, so ask me about Tahoe and I won't stop talking.
Dawson Chen
Founder
Hello! I'm Dawson. I founded HEVI at the beginning of 2021 in hopes of actively becoming a part of the solution to both the housing and climate crisis. When COVID hit, significantly more people on the streets and less environmental volunteers. After many iterations, my friends and I set up a solution to provide environmental stipend opportunities for the unhoused. All of us are high schoolers eager to invent solutions in our community, so please help us further our mission!