About Isabel Ohakamma

Youth Leadership and Policy Advocacy

Isabel Ohakamma, a 20-year-old UVA Posse and Echols Honors Scholar from Houston, Texas, has been selected for prestigious youth initiatives like the Youth250 Bureau [2][7] and Mental Health America's first Youth Policy Academy (YPA) cohort [8]. As a YPA member, she advocates for changing school systems to better serve youth mental health, noting negative effects faced by peers [5][13]. She represented the Coalition for Student Wellbeing at the 2025 Amplify convening on tech and digital wellbeing [9] and serves as a NAMI Next Gen Advisor [6].

Digital Wellbeing and Social Media

Ohakamma leads efforts to 'Break the Algorithm,' co-authoring reports and leading equity-focused sprints at national convenings on social media's impact [1][4][10]. She explores how social media shapes youth identity, connection, and growth, drawing from panels and blogs at UVA's Youth-Nex Conference [15][16]. Her work critiques tech's role in mental health while pushing for equitable digital spaces [1][10].

Mental Health Research and Peer Support

A member of the Youth National Scientific Council on Adolescence (YNSCA) at UCLA, Ohakamma prioritizes youth input in mental health research, advocating for leadership in decision-making [11][12][14]. She contributed to reports on trailblazing youth peer support [3] and emphasizes science's role in navigating youth transitions like new schools [14].

Education and Systemic Change

As a psychology major at UVA, Ohakamma focuses on school-based interventions, highlighting how youth spend much time there and face mental health challenges [5][13]. She calls for adults to amplify youth voices in policy and research [5][11].