Cindy Xie, a senior at MIT, is on a mission to bridge communities facing intertwined social and environmental challenges. Whether collaborating with students in the Netherlands to devise innovative floating cities or interning with grassroots environmental justice organizations, Xie firmly believes that impactful climate action stems from collective efforts and system-wide changes.
Her journey has taken her to a myriad of community organizations across the globe, from Malaysia to Cabo Verde, where she immersed herself in the social and cultural contexts of environmental issues. “Collective change is crucial in climate action,” she emphasizes. “Everyone must contribute to building viable solutions.”
Recently, Xie returned from Kuala Lumpur, where she participated in the Planetary Health Annual Meeting at Sunway University. This conference connected her with a worldwide network of researchers, practitioners, and students committed to enhancing human and planetary health amid growing environmental crises.
Since January 2023, she has also been an active member of the Planetary Health Alliance, collaborating with various organizations at the intersection of human health and environmental sustainability. As a campus ambassador, she orchestrated events at MIT highlighting students’ interests in climate change and its health implications while fostering community and well-being.
Building Community from the Ground Up
Majoring in urban studies and planning, while pursuing minors in anthropology and biology, Xie is concurrently working towards a master’s in city planning, which she plans to complete next year. Her diverse academic background has shaped her comprehensive perspective on public health, emphasizing the integration of science, spirituality, and the arts. “MIT offers enriching opportunities to connect scientific discipline with other fields,” she notes.
In her role as a campus ambassador, Xie organized an Earth Month club mixer, merging diverse groups from the Institute focused on climate, health, and social justice. Additionally, she spearheaded a year-long initiative called “Cultural Transformation for Planetary Health,” wrapping up last month. This series, in collaboration with the Radius Forum and other partners, examined the cultural dimensions of the climate crisis, particularly its effects on health and well-being.
Xie also contributed to the Planetary Health Alliance’s Constellation Project through a Public Service Fellowship at the PKG Center. She describes this endeavor as an initiative to unite individuals worldwide in discussions about spirituality, climate, and planetary health.
Her experience includes internships at the Comunidades Enraizadas Community Land Trust, the National Institutes of Health, and the World Wildlife Fund U.S. Markets Institute. She also embraced global learning through the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI), spending her Independent Activities Period in Amsterdam and two months in Cabo Verde, where she began research on the health impacts of climate change.
The Transformative Power of Storytelling
Storytelling has always been a passion for Xie, serving as a lens through which to explore culture and health within various communities. This interest fuels her work in medical anthropology and drives her involvement with the Asian American Initiative (AAI), a student-led organization committed to pan-Asian advocacy and community development at MIT. As a member of the executive board and co-leader of the Mental Health Project Team, Xie fosters dialogue on holistic mental health approaches.
“Discussions around mental health stigma can sometimes misrepresent these issues as community faults,” she explains. “It’s vital to highlight alternative frameworks for understanding mental health beyond the conventional individualistic models prevalent in U.S. higher education.”
Last spring, Xie’s team conducted a listening tour involving Asian American clinicians and community organizations in Greater Boston, solidifying their connections. Their active participation included volunteering at the Asian Mental Health Careers Day during the Let’s Talk! Conference at Harvard and joining hundreds of peers at the East Coast Asian American Student Union Conference at Yale University.
On campus, the AAI hosts informal discussions addressing themes like familial ties and the pressures of overachievement. Xie participated in a storytelling night alongside MIT Taara and the newly established South Asian Initiative, witnessing firsthand the unique power of collective storytelling.
Cultivating Community Through Writing
Xie’s affinity for writing—both creative and nonfiction—has blossomed as well. She contributed to The Yappie, a youth-led news outlet exploring Asian American and Pacific Islander policies, and penned articles for The Tech, MIT Science Policy Review, and MISTI Blogs. In the past year, she was a spread writer for MIT’s fashion magazine, Infinite Magazine, where she interviewed a local streetwear entrepreneur supporting sexual violence victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This year, she performed a spoken word piece in the “MIT Monologues,” an annual showcase of personal stories covering themes of gender, relationships, race, and more. Her poetry has been published in Sine Theta and featured in MassPoetry’s 2024 Intercollegiate Showcase. Xie has also enjoyed her time in the a cappella group MIT Muses, often attending live music events. She fondly recalls immersing herself in Cabo Verdean culture at a recent concert in Dorchester, “The crowd was electric,” she reflects. “It felt just like being back in Cabo Verde, and I cherish these local connections.”
Upon graduation, Xie aims to extend her interdisciplinary reach, interested in a career spanning policy or academia, focused on collaboration and building partnerships. Her international experiences through MIT have ignited a passion for global work in the future.
Photo credit & article inspired by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology