Preston Lieu is a senior at Meridian High School, a public high school located outside of Washington D.C. in Falls Church, Virginia. He is interested in government and politics, with a focus on political polarization.
In the summer of his junior year, Preston ran an election drive at Governor’s School, helping 100+ teenagers register to vote and providing resources for young adults to find factual news and become informed in their decisions. He was also a Yale Young Global Scholar during the summer of his senior year, studying politics and law with high school juniors and seniors from 200+ countries around the world.
He has served as the student liaison for his city’s Electoral Board since his freshman year, working alongside three chair members to plan and execute local, statewide, and national elections for the 11,119 registered voters in Falls Church City. He attends elections, helping election officers fulfill their duties while ensuring the elections are conducted fairly and properly, without issue. Most notably, he organized and led his city’s first ‘I Voted’ sticker contest this past year, incentivizing students from the city’s middle and high schools to create a sticker that will be used for the 2024 presidential election.
Preston focuses on mobilizing marginalized groups and communities through his writing. He has been a staff writer for The Yappie since his freshman year, a must-read news briefing on Asian American + Pacific Islander power, politics, and influence. He highlights important policy news affecting AAPI communities and the work of AAPI elected officials. In addition, Preston is the owner and head editor of Dialogue & Discourse, a publication on Medium with over 13,000
followers that promotes news and ideas worthy of discourse.
Preston has experience with young activists and voices through founding Youthward, a nonprofit organization that connects young activists with youth organizations. His work has been recognized by NBC and Fox.
In his free time, Preston enjoys playing soccer, drinking boba, and eating Korean food. He is also an avid debater, ranking 4th in the nation and obtaining 6 bids to the Tournament of Champions, championing the Saints Classic, placing 3rd at Harvard and Michigan, and top 8 at Columbia.