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Student spotlight: Immanuel Kelly (Manny), aspiring actor and creator of Disney Channel bully skits

November 25, 2025 by with comment off

(Photo courtesy of Immanuel Kelly) “Immanuel Kelly (Manny)”

Jesse Nguyen
Connector Editor

At UMass Lowell, there are many students with inspiring stories and exciting careers. One of them is Immanuel Kelly, also known as Manny and @mannythemann1 on Tik Tok and @mannythemanzz on Instagram. He currently has 81.8 million likes on TikTok, and in just 15 days, his account has grown from 700,000 to over 1.5 million followers. 

Kelly is a 19-year-old freshman, planning on majoring in business. He primarily posts comedy skits of him at UMass Lowell campuses approaching students and acting like a bully from Disney Channel toward them, saying nonsensical, cringy and satirical punchlines. The editing style of his videos, the candid reactions of students and the cleverly written dialogue are the highlights of his videos.  

Although Kelly experienced the most account growth from filming at UMass Lowell, he has been creating comedy-skit content since 2021, with the first appearance of his Disney Channel bully persona appearing in 2024. Kelly’s motivation in making this content comes from childhood, “I made my first skit when I was in fourth grade on my school iPad, and it was like a dancing video, and I showed my mom and she laughed so hard… it motivated me to just start making skits for my family throughout middle school and really start posting skits freshman year of my high school.” For a while, he didn’t have a following of any kind, but seeing people smile made him continue creating.  

The nature of Kelly’s skits, walking up to strangers and acting like a character, requires a certain amount of confidence to pull off. This confidence didn’t come naturally for him however, and he had to put consistent work towards it, saying “I didn’t grow up with a lot of confidence at all… I really kept to myself for a very long time… even when I do [the skits] now, I get like little glimpses of what it was like to just say hi to someone… and saying hi was everything. I just kept training myself to increase my confidence more and more… I think something that really helped me was my acting class with my directing teacher, Mr. Grossman [Wellsley High School] he helped me so much.” Kelly partook in a play during his high school career, and that elevated his confidence and helped alleviate his fear of putting himself out there.  

Because his skits involve working with strangers and getting candid reactions, there will be situations where people won’t play along. Kelly puts people’s privacy and comfortability at his utmost priority when creating content, saying “I immediately wave to the cameraman and be like ‘delete it, delete it.’ and I’ll go to the person and be like ‘All good we’re gonna delete that, sorry for bothering you. I hope you have a great day.’” He also intentionally tries to target people who aren’t doing much at the moment and avoids being disruptive to people doing things of importance. His skits usually last around 40 seconds as well. “Even if I had the idea that they might not want to be bothered, I don’t want to walk up to them.”  

Kelly’s first skits only involved him and the students he was pranking, but recently his skits have gotten increasingly more complex with additional side characters. stories and dialogue, thanks to his creative process. In the morning, he goes through his ideas and circles the ones he likes the most. After his first couple of classes, he’ll start drafting the script. Kelly’s friends are often involved in his videos, and he organizes and choreographs everyone’s actions. The placement of the cameraman, the order everyone takes, and what everyone says is rehearsed and for Kelly, can be a multi-hour-long process. 

Kelly getting recognized for his work feels like a dream come true for him, but he has faced some difficulties navigating college with the amount of attention he has on him. “A lot of people are very ingenuine, I would say when it comes to talking to me. And now it’s kind of like the friends that I’ve made so far into college will continue to probably be some of my only group of friends because now everyone I meet knows exactly who I am… my online persona is their first perception of me, so it’s hard to show the actual genuine side of me.”  

Despite this, he does admire the UMass Lowell community, saying “A lot of people really do take a liking to others… I really do admire that about the school; it’s building an environment of people who are generally nice to others and will consider others… I feel like I’ve had a very good experience here.”  

Although his social media career is booming, Kelly’s true motivation is to become an actor, a career he really resonated with in his senior year of high school. He’s currently looking at different acting agencies and is deciding which ones to sign with. “A lot of the stuff I post online is very satire, it’s very comedic, so it’s hard to tell that I suppose, but I do very much want to act and have acting gigs… Although I do like social media, I know for a fact my dream is to become an actor. I’m sure if I decided to keep building social media, it could work, but that is a very tiring thing… and I want to have an education obviously. So, my idea right now is that I keep posting on social media, but I do want to transition becoming an actor as soon as possible.” 

 

 

 

 

Men’s Soccer eliminated from American East Semifinals

November 25, 2025 by with comment off

(Photo Courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics) “Graduate Shunnosuke Nakajima clears the ball to the opponents side of the field.”

Tristin Henson

Connector Editor

The River Hawks Men’s soccer team (7-7-4) was eliminated from the playoffs in the American East semifinals on Nov. 12th. They faced off against the No. 2 Bryant Bulldogs (16-1-2), losing 4-2. The start of the match was rough, with Bryant gaining two quick goals in succession at the 00:39 and 4:45 minute mark.

However, it seemed like the tide of the game could potentially shift, as Bryant was not able to make their next goal so easily thanks to No. 24, Jorge Ortega, who was able to block their shots until Bryant scored their next goal at minute 28:41. With two minutes left in the first period, No. 12 Ethan Young was able to secure a goal.

Again, this held a lot of promise. While Bryant had quickly gained the upper hand, they had seemingly used up a lot of their energy in those first couple of minutes, scoring the first few goals. The River Hawks could potentially have had the chance to turn the game around, and gaining that first goal at the end of the first period provided a lot of much-needed morale.

At minute 47:55, No. 4, Aamir Ketbache, secured a goal with a penalty kick. At minute 52:55, No. 10, Iñaki Esnaola, shot at the Bulldogs. No. 24, Jorge Ortega, saved a goal again at minute 61:47. The second half was fast-paced and brutal, but much more active than the first half on the River Hawks’ side, with shot after shot being deflected by both teams.

The River Hawks were pushing, trying their hardest to at least get a tie with Bryant. However, this push also caused a lot of fouls, and while they were called for both teams, they were called more often on the River Hawks’ side. No. 12, Ethan Young, tried to get one more goal on the opposing team at minute 80:36 before he, too, was fouled.

With only 23 seconds left in the game, Bryant unfortunately scored one more goal against the River Hawks. This game was a hard-fought battle, and going against Bryant was no easy feat, sticking on brand with the theme of this season for the River Hawks: perseverance.

Overall, the River Hawks have had a very successful season, coming out as a bit of an underdog team, as this was their first playoff berth and playoff win since 2019.

Head Coach Kyle Zenoni stated, “It’s been an unreal season, we are making progress, and I couldn’t be prouder to be the head coach of this team. The support from our administration, coaches, students, and student-athletes this year was truly special.”

So, what’s next for the men’s soccer team?

Well, it seems they are ready to train hard to come back even stronger and hopefully go even farther next season. As Zenoni put it, “We are getting better. We will continue to grow and push the limits with this program. It was a good season and I’m excited to build on it.”

A new season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League kicked off in Lowell on Sunday

November 25, 2025 by with comment off

(Photo courtesy of Boston Fleet Athletics) “Fleet goalie #31 Aerin Frankel makes a save en route to a shutout in the regular season opener.”

Jason Cooke

Connector Editor

Hosting the Montréal Victoire at the Tsongas Center, the Boston Fleet dropped the puck on its 30-game season last Sunday.

The Fleet is embarking on its third year in the PWHL and has called Lowell home for the previous two campaigns. However, this season, Boston will only play eight games in the Mill City, a decrease from the 11 the team played a year ago. Four of their home games are set to be held at Agganis Arena at Boston University instead.

The Fleet missed the postseason last year after posting a lowly 9-6-5-10 record after advancing to the Walter Cup Finals in the debut season of the new league in 2024. Boston ultimately fell in an all-important fifth game to the Minnesota Frost, a game that boasted a lot of hype and triggered ticket prices to soar at the Tsongas.

That said, a lot has happened in the PWHL since then. Expansion rocked the league, with the Vancouver Goldeneyes and the Seattle Torrent joining as the seventh and eighth teams, creating a shockwave of implications throughout the existing original six clubs.

Boston certainly felt the hit, relinquishing star player and team captain Hilary Knight in the expansion process while also losing promising young skaters in Hannah Bilka and Sydney Bard. Knight, who led Boston in scoring last season (15-14-29), is a big loss.

Boston also has a new coach and a plethora of new players on its roster. Here is everything you need to know about the Fleet this season.

Kris Sparre was named Boston’s new head coach last summer after the departure of Courtney Kessel, who served as the bench boss for the team’s first two seasons. She left to coach at Princeton.

Sparre has a laundry list of coaching experience, including in the American Hockey League, and will be looking to inject life into a roster that has 12 new faces on it. Sparre has already made his presence known behind the bench and on the ice. During training camp, the new coach was seen buzzing around the ice with the team, encouraging them during drills.

Megan Keller, who donned the “A” the last two seasons, has been promoted to team captain to replace Knight’s leadership role. Keller has been a mainstay on the backend for Boston and was fourth on the team last year in points (5-8-13).

Keller succeeds the most in the consistency department and hasn’t missed a game for Boston yet. She’s skated in all 54 regular-season games and eight postseason matchups, and she has been a solid two-way defender.

“This is a huge honor,” Keller said in a press release. “It’s so special to be a part of this team and especially this leadership group. It’s an important task at hand and I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity ahead.”

The Fleet signed all six draft picks taken in the draft last summer. All of them are expected to be impact players. Haley Winn, however, has emerged as a clear-cut favorite to log a lot of minutes for Sparre this season.

Winn is a dynamic two-way defender who has impressed so far in training camp. She skated with Keller on Boston’s top defensive pairing in a recent preseason game against Montreal in what is expected to be a dangerous combination.

Winn played college hockey at Clarkson and tallied 14-32-38 in her last season. Elsewhere, look for returning stalwarts Alina Müller (7-12-19) and Susanna Tapani (11-7-18) to lead the offense behind standout goaltender Aerin Frankel.

“We’ve built a roster that reflects exactly who we want to be as a team- fast, physical, and relentless in every zone,” said the Fleet’s general manager, Danielle Marmer, in a press release. “This group brings a blend of proven experience and hungry new talent, and they’ve shown from day one that they’re willing to put in the work. We’re excited for Boston to see a team that competes with purpose and plays with identity every single night.”

Lowell hockey in need of an identity

November 25, 2025 by with comment off

(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics) “The River Hawks celebrate a victory on home ice as a team after the game.”

Jake Messer

Connector Editor

With nearly a third of the season in the books, the UMass Lowell River Hawks are currently 5-7 on the year and are sitting tied for seventh in the Hockey East standings. It’s an underwhelming start for the premier athletic program, but one that can be remedied quickly in the coming weeks.

The team, which is notably solid, has been very 50/50 this season. They get one win; they lose the next. They have good offensive production; they have a lackluster defense. They have a solid special teams group; they have given up the second-most shorthanded goals on Hockey East: three.

Everything is on the fence, but this is a much more welcome problem than being a bad team, which they are most definitely not. However, recent results have only reinforced their inconsistent characteristics.

On Nov. 15th, Lowell lost to RPI 2-0 on the road, a game in which they won the shot battle and faceoff battle, but they were still unable to score. The night before, they lost to Union 7-1, another game where the number of shots taken were even and the faceoffs went Lowell’s way, yet they still lost in blowout fashion despite winning important aspects of the game.

“Today, we will share in this team’s loss,” said Head Coach Norm Bazin. “The team practiced well this week, so we were hopeful that it would translate. Unfortunately, we were clearly a step off all night. Every aspect of our game will need to be better.”

The thing is, the team is good in most categories. The problem is they aren’t necessarily great in any. If they want to break the inconsistency stigma that surrounds them at this time, they will have to do one simple thing; adopt an identity.

Whether it’s becoming an offensive juggernaut, a stalwart defensive group, or even a hard-nose, in-your-face, physical hockey team, this season’s River Hawks need an identity to play behind if they want to put together a winning streak that carries into the playoffs.

If coach Bazin felt that an offensive approach was the best way to go, graduate captain Jay Ahearn would certainly be the face of that style of hockey, with his five goals being the most on the team, and his three assists being tied for third.

Another player that could lead the offensive surge is freshman Dalyn Wakely, a forward that is currently leading the team with seven assists and in points with nine – quite impressive numbers for a college rookie.

What if there isn’t enough firepower? Bazin could favor being a defensive team. Players like senior TJ Schweighardt and freshman Nate Misskey are leading the team in blocks with 16 and 11 respectfully. Now, as a team, they are currently second to last in the conference with 126

blocks, but they have the second-best penalty kill unit, with 85.1% of their penalties. It just might work; it would just take a conscious effort, and bodies would be put on the line every night.

Show-lining this defensive approach would be the two-headed monster of senior Samuel Richards and freshman Austin Elliot. As a duo, they have made 304 saves, posted a .911 save percentage and are averaging a 2.55 GAA, some of the better numbers that Hockey East has seen this season. What makes this special is that Lowell has two solid goalies, whereas most other collegiate teams rely on one netminder throughout the campaign, something Bazin can easily capitalize on.

If neither of these options are suitable, there is nothing wrong with turning the clock back to hard-hitting and gritty hockey style. Being physical and not giving an inch is what hockey is at its core, and while teams like Boston College and Maine have moved away from that, these teams are always the hardest to beat.

Laying out, finishing checks, constant forecheck, digging down deep for the puck – these are the characteristics that old-time hockey is filled with, and they still serve a purpose today. Games aren’t won on physicality, but they can be used to bring the team together and play as one. Just like the current-day Florida Panthers, physicality always compliments talent and skill on the ice.

Looking ahead, the River Hawks head to Lake Placid, New York, to compete in the Adirondack Winter Invitational. On Nov. 28th, they will face off against Clarkson. The next day they will take on St. Lawrence, a chance to set the tone, whatever that may be.

The Lowell Spinners are back and ready to play ball in 2026

November 25, 2025 by with comment off

(Photo courtesy of Bruce Preston, UMass Lowell)

“The community celebrated the return of the Lowell Spinners as the latest franchise of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at a press conference held at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell. Wearing the team’s new uniforms, front row, from left, are franchise team leaders Matt Scibilio, Dawy LeBron and Ben Croteau. Back row, from left are, Lowell Spinners Chairman and CEO John Croteau, Lowell City Manager Tom Golden, UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen, UMass President Marty Meehan and Spinners Principal Owner and Chief Baseball Officer Marc Deschenes.”

Jake Messer

Connector Editor

The Lowell Spinners are returning to the Mill City in 2026 after a five-year hiatus from Merrimack Valley. This time around, the team will be a part of the Futures League, a collegiate summer baseball league showcasing New England’s best up-and-coming ballplayers since 2011. This change is crucial, as they are no longer affiliated with the Boston Red Sox in any capacity.

The sudden death of the Lowell Spinners came back in 2020, when Major League Baseball decided to restructure the minor leagues due to a myriad of reasons, including the Covid-19 pandemic, financial concerns, and a decrepit stadium. The pileup of these issues led to the removal of the Spinners.

During the team’s five-year hiatus from Lowell, LeLacheur Park remained, being jointly owned by UMass Lowell and the city. The university eventually bought out the city for full ownership of the park back in 2022 for one million dollars with the intent to make some necessary renovations.

Now, thanks to financial backings from new owners Marc Deschenes and John Croteau, the Spinners are right back where they belong.

Deschenes, a former UMass Lowell shortstop in the 90’s, was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 1995 MLB Draft and by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 1999 MLB Rule V Draft. He went on to enjoy a 13-year professional baseball career, concluding with the Pawtucket Red Sox. Croteau is a businessman going on 42 years in the technology industry, most recently as CEO of Pison Technology, a neurotech startup based in Boston. Earlier in his career, he served as President and CEO of MACOM, a public company that reached $4.5 billion enterprise value and became Lowell’s largest private employer.

“To the fans, I want to say how proud we are to bring summer baseball back to Lowell and LeLacheur Park,” said Croteau, the team’s new chairman and CEO. “Restoring the Spinners name was the clear and natural choice — it connects us to something far bigger than the game itself. It pays tribute to Lowell’s textile mills that helped ignite the American Industrial Revolution, and it reflects the grit, hard work, and community spirit that built this city and continues to inspire our players, partners, and fans alike.”

The team, which was shown off in a press conference at Tsongas, concluded with the team’s new logo and jerseys being unveiled, which is now a spool of red yarn holding a baseball bat, and the colors of the old Spinners remain with the jerseys consisting of the classic red, white and… blue? Yes, light blue, as that will be the color of choice for the alternate jersey for the Spinners throughout their comeback year. Blue is new, but it does align with some of Lowell’s other teams’ colors; UMass Lowell’s River Hawk sports, for instance, dawn a dark blue along with red and white.

Slated to begin next year, in mid-to-late May, the Spinners will be the seventh team to join the Futures league and will be managed in the dugout by Head Coach Kevin Graber, one of the most accomplished coaches in all of prep baseball, as he was won the CNEPSBL Championship five times with a different teams along the way, making him a great choice to reboot the ballclub.

With the Spinners back, showcasing the next generation, the fans, once more, have a chance to see players dawn the Mill City threads before making it to the show. Players who suited up for the Spinners before becoming household names were Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Kevin Youkilis, Clay Buchholz, Hanley Ramirez and Jonathan Papelbon, among many others who stopped by going through injury rehabilitation.

The city of Lowell finally has their Spinners back, and this time for good. Come May, a team that brought so much joy and pride to the city will return. Fans of all ages will fill LeLacheur Park, just like times of old, and watch as America’s pastime plays out under a starry summer night sky.

UMass Boston hosts student leadership summit

November 25, 2025 by with comment off

(Photo courtesy of Benjamin Heffner) “UMass Lowell students at summit”

Benjamin Heffner
Connector Editor

On Nov. 15, UMass Boston hosted the second annual UMass Student Leadership Summit, open to students from all four UMass campuses in Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell.

The summit, titled “Leading with Purpose and Well-Being,” focused on an exploration of leading with purpose and balance, including discovering individual strengths, reflecting on individual values and motivations and learning how to set healthy boundaries and manage responsibilities.

Joanne Dunbar, Senior Associate Director of Student Life and Involvement, helped plan the summit for UMass Lowell and said the summit prioritized student mental health.

She said, “we know that students can oftentimes put taking care of themselves on the back burner with all of their commitments, so we really want to make sure we can infuse that into leadership.”

The event began with a keynote address from Hannah Monbleau, Associate Director of Student Life and Well-Being, who talked to students about finding their beacon of light, referencing UMass Boston’s mascot Bobby the Beacon.

She said, “it’s really important that you remember who you are as a person and hone in on your skills as a leader.”

Monbleau also commented on the summit, saying, “it’s all about taking care and staying true to yourself through your leadership.”

During the day, students attended various 55-minute sessions, ranging from workshops covering personal boundaries and self-control to a nature walk along the ocean.

One of the sessions was led by Dunbar, in which she talked about the importance of values.

She said, “students were able to identify what values are most important to them at this time in their life, and then how to align those values in congruent ways that make sense for leadership positions.”

Dunbar added, “we often times take roles so that you can build skills or find a place to belong, so it’s important to have conversations about what matters most and how students can align that with the things investing their time.”

One of those representing UMass Lowell in attendance was Student Government Association (SGA) President Gavin Robillard, who said it was “one of the most informative conferences I have attended.”

Robillard added, “unlike most conferences, which showcase successful student government initiatives or feature unfamiliar speakers, this summit focused on the well-being of leaders, which matters greatly in today’s society. I am grateful to have been invited to meet so many leaders within our thriving UMass system.”

Feedback following the summit was positive, with students agreeing that they had positive takeaways, particularly in areas of reflection and self-reflection.

Dunbar said, “I think students felt they had a stronger understanding of their own well-being and how to infuse it into their leadership role.”

Plans for a third annual summit are already well underway for next fall and will be hosted here at UMass Lowell.

Dunbar acknowledged, “We maybe need to offer additional sessions to increase what we’re offering to students and also to be able to open it up to even more students from all four campuses, but we’re excited to host and see what it will become.”

“Where Winds Meet” blows away gamers

November 25, 2025 by with comment off

(Image courtesy of SteamDB. “‘Where Winds Meet’ exemplifies the wuxia genre.”)

Rosalie Pineda
Connector Staff

“Where Winds Meet” has garnered a large fanbase just days after its release, and for good reason. This free-to-play, open-world wuxia ARPG just dropped on Nov. 14, offering an impressive range of gameplay, from fighting bosses and designing an avatar, to building a home base and playing with friends online.

The wuxia setting for this kind of game is quite novel in the global space. Players take control of a jianghu, a wanderer that explores tenth-century China and fights with superhuman martial arts. From there, the path the jianghu takes is up to the player.

Visually, the game is impressive. Many of the environments are a delight to the eyes, feeling fresh and alive. The game rewards exploration by hiding little secrets throughout the world.

Character customization is varied, although certain hair colors and outfits are locked behind the in-game store and gacha system. The jianghu’s face is extremely adjustable, and many players have already posted cool and amusing designs to the online gallery, replicating celebrities like Michael Jackson in-game.

The combat is fluid and customizable, complete with a skill tree and branching paths. Players can upgrade gear and collect materials from the overworld. Players can even engage in debates with NPCs. Depending on the choices players make, NPCs can be a new friend or foe.

Another strong point is the sound design. Not only does the soundtrack perfectly capture the ancient aesthetic with traditional instruments, but the studio took care to include a fun variety of sound effects that add a layer of life to the world.

This extends beyond crunching grass and flowing water. For instance, on the PS5 version, performing the eavesdropping function causes whispered dialogue to sound directly out of the controller’s speaker. Little details like that demonstrate how much thought was put into this part of the game.

Still, every game comes with issues. People have encountered problems navigating the UI, especially on the console. Figuring out the menu can be overwhelming, and sometimes button prompts are unclear or just nonexistent, so hopefully future patches address these problems.

There have also been bugs with the voice acting or dialogue prompts, although Everstone Studio has been steadily rolling out fixes for these. The English dub overall is good, but the Mandarin voice acting is especially immersive.

There’s also the cosmetics gacha. The gacha system in this game is much more complicated than an average gacha game. It’s also important to note that the gacha is not required to experience the full game, since it is purely pulling for cosmetics. No player can overpower the other by spending money.

Light spenders are suggested to do some quick research to figure out how to make the most of their budget, as there are ways to get store currency at a discount, or even for free in the overworld. Players who are completely uninterested in spending money will find it more difficult to save up for pulls, but it is doable with some patience.

People who enjoy games like “Breath of the Wild”, “Elden Ring”, “Witcher 3”, “Genshin Impact”, “Wuthering Waves”, “Final Fantasy XIV” and even “Infinity Nikki” will no doubt find something to enjoy here.

“Where Winds Meet” is an incredibly ambitious game with so much to offer. A review based on just several hours of gameplay can only scratch the surface of this enormous, on-going project. For anyone interested, the game is free to download for PC, PS5 and from the Epic Games Store.

Grade: A

Disability rights advocate Alice Wong passes away

November 25, 2025 by with comment off

(Photo courtesy of MacArthur Foundation) “Disability rights advocate Alice Wong”

Amy Lam

Connector Staff

Alice Wong, a disability rights advocate and author at age 51, died on Nov. 14 at a hospital in San Francisco.

It is important to note the issues in the disability community, “People with disabilities face inaccessible educational, professional, and social environments. They face stigma and discrimination. Moreover, society fails to recognize that disability is a part of being human, partially because practices and places fail to account for disabled ways of being in the world,” said Dr. Becca Richards, Professor of English, UMass Lowell faculty staff.

On March 27, 1974, in Indianapolis, Wong was born and diagnosed with spinal muscularatrophy, a neuromuscular disease that slowly weakens the muscles.

Her parents, Bobby and Henry Wong, were immigrants from Hong Kong. Doctors told them their daughter wouldn’t live long. 

She graduated with a master’s degree in medical sociology from the University of California, San Francisco.

She made many achievements and received awards for her work. In 2024, she was awarded a MacArthur genius award for her work in disability activism. 

Her experiences as a person with a disability shaped her to work on a variety of projects related to advocacy.

As the founder of the Disability Visibility Project — which originally began as a collection of oral histories of people with disabilities in partnership with StoryCorps — this project evolved into an online platform dedicated to amplifying disabled voices and the culture.

She also expressed the need to work with people whose identities are overshadowed on top of their disability such as, women of color, LGBTQ+ people, and immigrants. 

In her memoir “The Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Voice”, Wong wrote a detailed collection of personal stories and commentary on social issues concerning the struggles of the people inside the disabilities community. There are chapters published on the ADA, the Olmsted Decision, Medicaid and the COVID-19 pandemic. All containing major decisions that serve as the foundation to either leverage or harm the community.

She also contributed to social media movements such as #CripTheVote and #AccessIsLove.

In 2013, President Barack Obama appointed Wong to the National Council on Disability. She was the first person to use robot telepresence to attend the 25th Anniversary of the American Disability Act at the White House.

After losing her ability to speak, Wong relied on text-to-speech software to speak. She worked with CommunicationFIRST, a nonprofit committed to protecting and advancing rights for people with communication-related disability in using augmented and alternative communication on the advisory council.

She also cofounded Crips for eSims for Gaza with Jane Shi and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. This project raised over $3 million to support people in Gaza to connect to the internet.

Known for her strong online presence, she often contributed to Teen Vogue and other outlets.

Sandy Ho and Yomi Young, friends of Wong, talked about her legacy on Here & Now’s WBUR and NPR, respectively. 

“Alice Wong was a hysterical friend, writer, activist and disability justice luminary whose influence was outsized,” Ho sent an email to NPR, “Her media empire, the Disability Visibility Project, left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape of our country. The legacy of her work will carry on.” 

Young spoke with Here & Now’s Elissa Nadworny about memories of Wong from throwing elegant parties and host friends in her San Francisco apartment, her connection to the world and generosity in giving care packages to strangers, and her bougieness. 

To honor Alice Wong, Young said, “I think we can honor Alice by speaking truth to power, and I would say just keep pushing.”

“She used her life force to bring other people’s stories and lives into the disability conversation and community. She amplified others’ talents and experiences. And she always wrote with righteous anger, silliness, joy, creativity, and generosity,” Dr. Richards said in honor of Alice Wong.

Young relayed a message Wong left to the disabled community in her death announcement, “Don’t let them grind you down. I love you all.”