Jessica Minhas is a human rights advocate, author, social entrepreneur, and media commentator who makes complex human rights issues relevant, understandable and actionable for audiences of all ages.

For the past 12 years Jessica has worked in media, carefully producing inspiring media content on complex human rights issues; and the survivor advocacy space, crafting economic empowerment programs and investigations on behalf of sex trafficking victims. 

This pursuit is borne from passion– everything she does is colored by a commitment to shed light on issues normally silenced in shame, and offer hope to those without it. She challenges audiences to think globally, empowers them to find their purpose, and cultivate their unique voices for the common good.

In addition to her humanitarian work, Jessica is the Founder and CEO of I'll Go First, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to leveraging media and technology in order to provide remote psychosocial care to marginalized trauma populations throughout the developing world, and is working on her first book- an investigative memoir entitled, “I’ll Go First”- following her personal journey of searching for her biological family and finding her life's calling. 

Jessica graduated from the University of Central Florida, and has completed graduate studies work in Journalism at NYU, Global Mental Health Trauma and Refugee Recovery with Harvard Medical School and is currently a pre-medical post-baccalaureate candidate with Columbia University. She has been honored as a Rising Leader by the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards, is a recipient of a Noble Award on behalf of The Blind Project, and is currently a Hive Global Leader, a New York New Abolitionist, a Global Shaper on behalf of the World Economic Forum and a United Nations Global Accelerator.

PATIENT ADVOCATE

In 2017, Jessica was diagnosed with a rare form of Encephalopathy. In addition to becoming a non-traditional medical student, she is also a fierce patient advocate and speaks regularly on chronic illness and collaborative patient care.