Our Founder
Meet William He
At just 16-years-old, William founded Dream for America. A passionate leader and devoted public servant, William brings years of nonprofit and political experience to the table — no small feat for just a teenager. This past fall, William also served as a U.S. Senate Page representing his home state of Texas.
Inspired by President Franklin Roosevelt and Secretary Hillary Clinton to pursue a life dedicated to public service, William came from humble beginnings. The son of immigrant parents, his father grew up on a rice field in rural China and was the first in his village to go to college. His mother worked her way up from modest means and was the first in her family to travel overseas. Together, they came to America to get an education, start a family, and realize the American dream.
William also spent years as a tried and true organizer and volunteer for various Presidential and Senate candidates, including Sen. Ed Markey’s primary campaign and then Vice President Joe Biden’s successful 2020 presidential campaign. After all, what else could a 13-year-old do back then?
In 2021, William founded Bread for America, an anti-hunger nonprofit that raised over $40,000 to deliver 10,000 pounds of food to 1,200 Black & brown working-class communities in just 4 months.
In modern America, fire drills have been replaced by active shooter drills. At just age 11, William made his first foray into politics by phone-banking for March for Our Lives after the Parkland school shooting in 2018. Like many other Gen-Zers, entering politics was no longer a choice, but rather a necessity. Soon, William became a seasoned volunteer and went on to organize local Black Lives Matter events for racial equality and a rally for universal basic income calling for additional stimulus checks at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fast forward to today, William founded Dream for America to give young people of all walks of life a national platform to make advocacy accessible from city hall to the halls of Congress. Since fall of last year, William has been building up our team and our vision to build a Gen-Z movement harnessing the power of hope and love, and mobilizing a new generation of democracy defenders to take on far-right extremism both online and on campuses across the country.
William is also an ice cream connoisseur, aspiring dog owner, avid traveler, & devoted model airplane collector. Outside school and his passion for public service, William also rows varsity crew, dabbles in coding and filmmaking, competes on the Model UN & Debate team, studies Latin, and is fluent in both English and Mandarin. William is also currently working on a research project analyzing the U.S. welfare system and the need for a better alternative to address the needs of everyday Americans.