The Magic of Collaboration: Anna Xiang and Dr. Sandra Thompson on co-writing for an academic journal

“Do you want to publish this manuscript?” Anna (Xiaoqing) Xiang didn’t expect such a response when she sent her article on adolescent mental health to Dr. Sandra Thompson, a social emotional counselor at Keystone Academy’s Center for Student Development (CSD).

Starting from Grade 9, Anna developed an interest in research on depression treatment and spent two consecutive summers exploring this in the laboratory. However, as the neuroscience experiments became increasingly advanced, more unresolved questions emerged.

“Why, despite so many experts—pharmacologists, neuroscientists, psychiatrists—working on this issue, does the number of depression cases keep rising? What are we missing?”

Seeking answers beyond the lab, Anna interviewed psychiatrists and psychologists working in clinical practice. Through those conversations, she realized the treatment gap for adolescents is wide, and public understanding of teen mental health is often limited—or wrong.

She also recognized that medication, while helpful, is just one piece of the puzzle. The broader social environment—encompassing school, family, and community—plays a crucial role. “Science alone can’t solve this,” she said. “This is no longer just a scientific issue. It’s a social issue—a public health issue that needs broad attention.”

With that in mind, Anna began to shift her approach. She turned from clinical and pharmacological questions to the social roots of depression, viewing society as an ecosystem that can nourish or harm its members. In her words, a society can provide nutrients—or generate toxins that lead to collective illness.

After months of research and reflection, she wrote a paper titled Confronting the Mental Health Crisis: Addressing Depression and Anxiety Among Adolescents Through Prevention and Social Renaissance. In the abstract, she writes:

We advocate for a holistic, prevention-oriented approach, emphasizing lifestyle modifications, social environmental enhancements, psychotherapy access, and psychoeducation intervention, for addressing these disorders. A multitiered strategy engaging educational institutions, clinical practitioners, and policymakers is proposed to foster an environment where adolescents can thrive.

That paper, bridging science and social policy, marked a turning point in her academic journey. After attending an Education Salon titled “Living with Uncertainty—How to Endure When Stability Slips Away” and listening to a conversation between her peers and salon speaker Professor John P. Allegrante from Columbia University, Anna decided to share the paper with Dr. Thompson.

“She understood the questions I was trying to ask,” Anna said. “And I wanted to hear her thoughts.”

That act of sharing led to an unexpected opportunity—and a challenging journey.

“When she first reached out and shared the paper with me, [I thought] it was just an ordinary document,” Dr. Thompson recalled. “I took my time and read through it. I was honestly amazed. Despite her being modest and uncertain, I could actually see the core of a powerful, well-informed, and original thinking process in the document.”

Dr. Thompson, a long-time researcher in psychology, was especially struck by Anna’s integration of evolutionary, social, and environmental theory—and her proposal of a concept she called “social renaissance.”

“The moment I read it, I said to myself, ‘That knowledge shouldn’t be kept here,” she said. “It should be shared with the world. And I did not want her voice to go unheard.”

That’s when she asked Anna directly: “Have you considered publishing it?”

Anna was surprised—and unsure.

“I didn’t think I could do it,” she admitted. But Dr. Thompson reassured her: “Don’t be afraid. I’ll guide you through every step. Just tell me—do you want to try?”

Ana said yes. She wanted her ideas to spark conversation. And so, the two began the process: identifying journals, preparing submissions, and revising drafts. The first submission was rejected. However, a second journal showed interest and sent the paper to two reviewers. Publication was still uncertain—it would depend on multiple rounds of revisions and editorial approval.

Anna began what she now calls a “hard and winding path.”

“The reviewers didn’t know I was a high school student,” she said. “They addressed me as ‘Dr.’ and gave very rigorous, sometimes harsh feedback.”

She was overwhelmed by the first round of comments.

“That’s when Dr. Thompson really stepped in,” she said. “We reviewed every sentence together. I sent her my revisions, and she always responded quickly. Without her, I probably would have given up.”

Then came an unexpected hurdle. During the Spring Festival, while traveling with her family, Anna received an email: after two rounds of review, the journal planned to reject the paper. There was one last option—a formal rebuttal. She panicked.

“I was afraid all my work would be wasted,” she said. At the same time, Dr. Thompson was vacationing in Europe—seven hours behind in time.

But Dr. Thompson didn’t hesitate. “As soon as I told her, she came online,” Anna said. “She helped me understand what a rebuttal letter was—and had already drafted a version before I even figured out what to do. I was a mess, but she was calm, patient, and encouraging.”

After three intensive rounds of revision, the paper was accepted and published on March 21.

Back at school, news of the publication spread quickly. Teachers and classmates were thrilled—and curious: How did a high school student navigate such a complex academic challenge? What was it like to collaborate so closely with a mentor? How had their understanding of mental health changed through the process? And where would Anna’s research go next?

With these questions in mind, we interviewed Anna and Dr. Thompson to look back on this unique academic journey. Through their story, we hope more students will be inspired to explore challenging questions, seek mentorship, and engage with academic writing—not as a task but as a way to make a difference.

Interview with Anna Xiang and Dr. Sandra Thompson

Q: Your paper introduces the original concept of a “social renaissance.” What inspired this idea, and how do you define it?

Anna Xiang (AX): I was first reminded of the Black Death in the late Middle Ages—one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, which killed an estimated 25 million people in Europe alone. That catastrophe forced people to confront the fragility of life. It led many to question religious authority, turn to humanism, and refocus on human values and reason.

In my view, today’s mental health crisis is a similar wake-up call. Like the Black Death, it urges us to reflect deeply on life’s meaning—not to wait until disaster strikes before we begin to question our values. That’s why I propose the idea of a “social renaissance”: a call to action to harness the transformative power within a crisis to bring about social change.

This renaissance involves reestablishing core values—much like the original Renaissance. It calls for rebuilding interpersonal connections, restoring social trust, encouraging civic participation, and reviving spiritual meaning. These are not easy tasks. But must we always wait for disaster before we are moved to change?

At the same time, the concept of a social renaissance is also about raising public awareness of the limits of modern medicine. While medicine is essential in responding to mental health issues, we shouldn’t over-rely on it. Many hypotheses about depression remain unproven, and there is a growing tendency toward medicalization. We need to be cautious. The deeper work lies in identifying and addressing the root causes—many of which are embedded in our social environment.

Q: These days, topics like anxiety, depression, and adolescent mental health are widely discussed—both in the media and offline settings. While it’s essential to give these issues attention, could the constant focus on them actually contribute to more anxiety? Should we acknowledge that anxiety can’t be eliminated entirely and instead learn how to live with it?

AX: These conversations are necessary—we can’t avoid them. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2020, depression is the second leading cause of disease burden worldwide, and it’s projected to become the top cause by 2030.

My hope is that through open discussion, people will be encouraged to develop healthier ways of coping with chronic stress, build cognitive resilience, make positive lifestyle changes, and even extend support to those around them.

Sandra Thompson (ST): To some extent, anxiety can be beneficial. Think back to your school days - why did you keep studying? Often, it was because you feared failing. Anxiety is closely linked to fear. Not knowing what grade you might get creates a sense of urgency, motivating you to prepare and perform well. In this way, anxiety keeps you alert and focused, pushing you to excel.

However, it’s important to assess your own experience. When does anxiety stop being helpful and start hindering your learning? If anxiety prevents you from concentrating, taking care of yourself, or engaging in social relationships, then it becomes a problem. Excessive anxiety can isolate you and undermine your wellbeing.

Understanding your personal relationship with anxiety is the first step. As highlighted in research on adolescent wellbeing and social identity, recognizing how anxiety affects your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors allows you to seek appropriate support.

Whether through counseling, cognitive strategies, or culturally sensitive approaches that consider personality and social context, there are tools to manage and reduce anxiety.

Q: What did you learn while writing this paper? Did any of your views change during the process?

AX: Writing this paper taught me that even when dealing with social issues, we need to approach them with the same rigor as in the natural sciences. That means using clear logic and backing every argument with evidence and data.

At first, I was a bit too casual. I assumed that since these were common social issues, most of the points were just common sense, and that everyone already understood these things. I thought I didn’t need to justify or carefully build each argument. But I realized that’s not the case. A clear and rigorous line of reasoning is just as important in social science writing.

I also learned that I don’t need to wait until everything is perfect before sharing my work. Even a rough draft is worth discussing. By showing it to my teacher early on, I was able to get valuable feedback and discover new ideas through that exchange.

Q: How is publishing a paper different from regular classroom learning?

AX: Publishing a paper is a learning process, not just a way to present results.

Along the way, you receive feedback from reviewers with different perspectives. Each round of revision brings new suggestions, and with every update, you learn more. It can be challenging, but it’s also incredibly valuable. It teaches you how to absorb expert opinions, think critically, and approach problems creatively. That’s been the most important part of the experience for me.

ST: She’s right. It is actually an intense process of self-discovery. It builds resilience in you and helps you become disciplined.

Imagine, Anna was just a high school student, and her work would be peer-reviewed by professors and doctors in different parts of the world. We didn’t know what feedback they would have. I told her, ‘Your work will go out like a human being but will come back like a skeleton.’ They threw so many aspects away, and they wanted us to merge what they feel is right. So, it helps you also to be patient.

We went through three rounds of reviews, and one to two reviewers almost rejected it. And then, the last part was between one reviewer and the publishers to decide if they would accept or reject. Why?

Because Anna introduced a fresh perspective that challenged conventional thinking. While much of the existing research on behavior and mental processes such as the biological and cognitive approaches emphasized on internal mechanisms, Anna urged us to consider the profound role of society and social representations. Many researchers tend to overlook these social dimensions, not probing deeply enough into how cultural and group identities shape experiences. Thus, they could not grasp and come to terms with what this young student was telling us. So, basically, when you go through this process, it builds your academic muscles.

Wherever Anna is now, I’m sure she’s proud of herself. She has that tough skin because she’s gone through peer review standards and now finds herself in the space. In fact, she’s the lead writer. She’s the corresponding author, so she will be receiving emails from other journals wanting her to also review works of authors. Imagine a student in this grade level reviewing the works of professors and PhD holders. She must be proud of herself. And then also she would be invited by other journals to publish articles related to their themes or topic of interest. They will reach out to Anna and say, ‘We would want you to publish with us’, ‘We want you to review’. So, she’s now in that space of an academic colleague who can, in fact, proudly peer-review academic works.

Q: Anna once shared that she sees your relationship as more than that of a typical teacher and student—more like that of a mentor and apprentice. What have you gained or reflected on through this close collaboration?

ST: During Chinese New Year, when everyone was having fun and recharging for the upcoming semester, Anna and I were working across different time zones. I was in Europe while she was here. Every day, I was happy to say, “Hi, Anna, let’s do this.”

I just didn’t care [about messaging her via Teams during the holiday] because I promised her from the start, “I want us to complete this.” I didn’t want her to feel at any point that I was even giving up. So, the pressure on her felt like, “If Dr. Thompson is not giving up, how do I give up that trust?” What shook me was when the paper was accepted, her mother wrote to me and said, “Anna almost gave up.”

It made me understand that when you are supervising students, it’s not only about academics but also their emotional state. I did not think about her emotional well-being at that point because I felt she developed the scripts, which she loved to continue writing. It made me come to terms with the fact that if you are working with a student, along the way, check on their emotional well-being. But I also think one thing she held on to was ‘our trust’ that was built right from the start of the collaboration.

AX: Working with Dr. Thompson made me realize the importance of making use of the resources around me.

At Keystone, there are many teachers who are capable of guiding student research and who have strong academic interests of their own. If you’re willing to reach out, learn about their past work and publications, and start a conversation, you’ll find they’re more than happy to help. For example, I initially shared my draft with Mr. Chris Liu, our psychology teacher, and we brainstormed ways to refine the ideas in my paper. Teachers are very open to collaborating with students.

I also found that working with a teacher on a publication is very different from learning in the classroom. In class, it’s easy to lack a sense of urgency or purpose. But once you commit to publishing a paper, you take on a stronger sense of responsibility—to do the research, revise seriously, and engage actively with your teacher. In that sense, the process of publishing became one of the most effective and meaningful ways of learning for me.

Q: If a student wants to improve their academic writing skills, where should they start?

ST: Start with passion. You should first be someone who has an interest in even writing. When the interest is there, then find a subject or subjects that you have an interest in. Yes, Anna is a pure science student but ended up in a with the Psychology discipline. Sometimes the interest won’t necessarily be in the field you are in now. It can be elsewhere, and that’s okay.

The moment you know the subject, then find which areas under it you are interested in. The broader subject for Anna, for instance, is psychology. Her broader interest is abnormal psychology. Then look for a specific subtopic. For Anna, it’s depression and anxiety. These are also subtopics under abnormal psychology because we have several mental health disorders.

Once you find these subtopics or areas of interest, be curious about them. How do you become curious? By reading published journals or books about that topic. So here, you are finding the bigger interest, focusing yourself, and then reading about it.

Once you begin to narrow down, you’ll see that something pops up for you. “Oh, I have an interest in this. I want to know how adolescent mental wellness, especially depression and anxiety, are impacting them.”

So, the moment you find the topic, the area, and then you read and find what you want to write on, ask yourself, “What do I even want to write on?” Put it down. “Is it a problem I want to solve?” Write it down. “Where are the problems coming from? Where is this problem coming from, and how do I solve it?” Continue to read, and then you do, most importantly, what we call free writing. Sometimes, students don’t immediately bring structure. No, just do free writing, even if you have to write a hundred pages.

Once you are done writing, now find an adult, a supervisor, or a teacher and then speak to them: this is the area of interest or problem you have identified. “This is where the problem is now and this is how I want to solve it. Please, I need your help.” The moment you get that adult involved, it is their role to bring structure and help you clarify some doubts. You will realize that those 100 pages begin to shrink to 50, then they will be cut down to 20, and the structure will emerge. This same adult is the one who guides you. Just find one person. If they are busy, they will refer you to another person. In the case of how Anna and I did it, we used Teams where we conveyed our thoughts.

In the nutshell, the moment you have that passion, engage with reading peer reviewed papers, free write, find the supervisor, and you begin to put your thoughts into structure.

Q: What support does the Keystone community provide for students who are interested in exploring academic writing?

ST: The ability for students to respond to standard essay questions in the classroom setting functions as a foundational writing experience. Additionally, higher students undertake extended essays identifying problems and developing solutions, demonstrating more advanced academic writing skills. Every student in my opinion, within this community, possesses some level of academic writing ability.

Keystone Academy offers a rich environment for inquiry, which we can continue to strengthen through mentorship and opportunities for publication. My experience with Anna reinforced a vital lesson: when student passion is paired with dedicated teacher support, remarkable outcomes emerge. Globally, few high school students publish articles, and relatively few teachers do as well. When these two forces combine, a passionate student and a supportive mentor, the impact can be transformative, fostering resilience and scholarly growth.

Our community thrives when we celebrate and elevate such collaborations. At Keystone, we make it a point to honor various forms of academic achievement - whether it’s a student interview, a teacher’s recognition, leaders’ achievement, or student publications - because each contributes to our collective culture of inquiry and excellence.

By fostering environments where curiosity, mentorship, and cultural understanding intersect, we build not only academic skills but also the “academic muscles” (similar to Anna) needed for students to tackle complex challenges confidently and contribute meaningfully to their fields.

Let’s continue to nurture and celebrate these successes as integral to Keystone’s mission and vision for holistic student development.

Q: What do you most hope readers will take away from your paper? If we view a paper as a form of action, what kind of impact or inspiration do you wish to leave with your audience?

AX: I hope readers will recognize the need to search for new solutions—and that this effort shouldn’t be limited to scientists alone. People from all sectors of society should be involved in finding ways to drive social change within their own fields.

For me, publishing this paper is also an opportunity—a way to connect directly with researchers and academics who might read it. That connection creates the possibility that meaningful change can begin.

Following the publication of their paper, Anna and Dr. Thompson were invited to present at several academic conferences. This summer, they will travel to Singapore and South Korea to share their research with a wider audience.

This new beginning leads to a broader academic world—one that invites more Keystone teachers and students to explore, contribute, and grow.