I'm the founder of Gen-Z for Change and a freshman at Harvard. Here's how I balance my day so I don't miss out on the college experience while building my non-profit.

Kohn-Murphy's civic journey started when he was in first grade: After officials in Washington, DC, banned chocolate milk in public schools, he wrote a 10-page report urging them to bring it back.

Though the campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, it sparked a passion for political engagement that has since turned into a nonprofit called Gen-Z for Change.

The nonprofit describes itself as a network of Gen Z political activists who use social media to engage young audiences, create partnerships, and fundraise for political campaigns. It says itworks with local, state, and federal organizations to effect policy change on topics including foreign policy, mental health, and climate.

Recently the organization has been busy mobilizing its community to vote in primary elections and educating members on timely topics including abortion access, gun violence, and anti-trans bills.

Its 19-year-old founder, Kohn-Murphy, who was on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for 2023, launched its social-media page in 2020 as a marketing funnel for a phone bank dedicated to Joe Biden's presidential campaign. To generate community engagement, he invited 15 creators to a Zoom call to discuss how they could share information, education, and encouragement with their followers.

"It started snowballing purely through relational organizing," he said, adding that the creators' followings ranged from a couple thousand to a couple million. "And I realized there is this huge desire among young influencers to use their platforms for good."

For the first year, Kohn-Murphy said, he spent time building the brand and working on a volunteer basis. He built the platform's infrastructure, created a posting schedule, and started to imagine what Gen-Z for Change could be outside of a TikTok account. In 2021, Kohn-Murphy submitted paperwork to make it a nonprofit.

Gen-Z for Change, which has 1.5 million followers on TikTok and more than 61,000 on Instagram, has partnered with the White House along with the legal-assistance and advocacy group International Refugee Assistance Project and the gun-safety platform Everytown, among other political organizations.

A day in Kohn-Murphy's life includes attending classes at Harvard, building the business, and trying to have what he described as a typical college experience.

This is an as-told-to story based on an interview with Kohn-Murphy. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

I'm currently in my freshman year at Harvard. I wake up around 9:30 a.m. and have my American Sign Language course most days.

I try to be as engaged as I can in classes, which can be difficult while I have so many other things on my mind regarding Gen-Z for Change. But I've always really liked learning, so I prioritize my school time, too.

After class, I typically have breakfast with a friend and then enter work mode for the next couple of hours.

In my free time between classes I focus on finishing homework and working on Gen-Z for Change.

Whenever I have free time between classes, I schedule meetings for Gen-Z for Change. Sometimes meetings are in person, but they're often virtual.

Recently, I met with the White House's deputy digital director to talk about digital strategy with creators. I also met with Pen America, an international literature and human-rights organization, to discuss a potential partnership.

In order for us to get other social-media users to care about our platform, it's been crucial for us to make the connection for our followers between being civically active and socially active. That's what's helped us grow so rapidly. In order to do so, we had to find and work with creators who acted as authentic as possible.

Additionally, in order to strike partnerships with major political organizations, we benefited from the fact that TikTok was still very much an emerging medium at the time of our launch. That allowed us to leverage our relationships as creators and with creators very effectively.

But it was difficult from a financial perspective because there was not a lot of money flowing into political TikTok at the time. Three years later, both organizations and creators now better understand how to use social media for business through trial and error.

I also regularly meet with my internal team at Gen-Z for Change. I talk with our acting executive director, strategize new campaigns, and meet with compliance lawyers or the fundraising team.

For founders building a community of users and business partners in any industry, you need to understand why you want to achieve a certain goal and be guided by that rather than just be guided by the goal itself. My overall philosophy is to be value-oriented rather than goal-oriented.

Over the last few years, I've tried to not think too far ahead. For instance, while we're working on a campaign or project, we're laser-focused on doing it to the best of our ability rather than setting too many arbitrary goals for the company without taking direct action.

In the afternoon I head to my writing class or a therapy session, which helps me prioritize my mental health.

Then I have lunch with a friend at Harvard's dining hall or engage in extracurriculars around campus like the Institute of Politics, a group designed to encourage civic and political engagement and community organizing.

I started this business when I was in high school and was extremely focused on building it — that came with a cost to my academics and social life.

When I started at Harvard, I decided to no longer be in control of day-to-day operations because I wanted to experience college and be a college student.

I'm so lucky and so proud that we've gotten to a place where I don't have to put out fires every day and where I don't have to fix every little thing. That's probably one of the things I'm most proud of as a founder.

It's been really important for me to hire help for the platform, especially as we continue to grow. It's given me that chance to lessen my workload and prevent burnout.

Also, while I love Gen Z's overall confidence, things like tax codes and nonprofit stuff are not written to be intuitive, so I've relied on other people around me who've offered their support and help.

After my afternoon classes are done and work is finished, I'll eat dinner before tying up any loose ends. I go to sleep around midnight, which is hours earlier than when I went to sleep while I was building the business in high school. I recently made that switch to ensure I'm getting rest.

Young founders should know there's a need for them to start businesses: If we want to see change, we have to make it ourselves.

While it can seem exciting to start something new, don't create something just to create it. Build something you're passionate about, something you could do for a long time and not get tired of, because being a founder is exhausting and frustrating. Along the way, know your purpose, and don't be afraid to ask for help.