Our Team
Our motto, “youth to youth,” is exemplified through our student leaders from a diverse range of backgrounds. Many of us are first or second-generation immigrants and understand the struggles of moving to a foreign country; we are here to support you.
Shefali Meagher, Founder / Director
Mendota Heights, Minnesota
Hi! I’m Shefali Meagher, and I’m a junior at St. Paul Academy. I wanted to create Sincerely Gen 1.5 because I’m passionate about educational equity and empowerment. As a child of immigrant parents and one of the first kids in my family to go to school in America, I understand the struggles of adapting to the American system. I hope this organization will be instrumental in helping new immigrant and refugee youth adjust to school in Minnesota especially considering the large, unique immigrant population here! In my free time, I love playing my musical instruments, trying new foods, and watching Sherlock Holmes!
Carys Hsiung, Co-Founder / Outreach
St. Paul, Minnesota
Hello! I’m Carys Hsiung, and I’m a junior at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. After living in an expat community in Shanghai, China for seven years, I have interacted with a variety of immigrant communities, making me more interested in civic engagement, advocacy, and representing communities that have historically been underrepresented. I wanted to be involved with Sincerely Gen 1.5 to provide support to immigrant communities in Minnesota, primarily through education. In my free time, I love to draw, make food reels, and play the piano!
Zimo Xie, Co-Founder / Creative Design
Shoreview, Minnesota
My name is Zimo Xie, and I’m a junior at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. I immigrated with my parents to the U.S. over 10 years ago from China, experiencing the shifts in culture, language, people and more as I grew up. As a member of Sincerely Gen 1.5, I strive to connect with other immigrant youth and offer them a support system through our organization to help ease the transition into another country and culture. Some of my hobbies include playing violin, dancing and chilling out with my two cats.
Lani Ngonethong, Co-Founder / Advocacy
St. Paul, Minnesota
Hi, I’m Lani Ngonethong! I’m from St. Paul, MN. I wanted to be a part of Sincerely Gen 1.5 because I come from a family of refugees who fled Laos during the Secret War, and my family had a hard time adjusting to their new lives in the U.S. I want to help immigrant youth adjust to their new home. A fun fact about me is that I like to collect art everywhere I travel. So, my walls are covered with postcards and posters of every place I have visited. For fun, I like to play volleyball and badminton with family and friends.
Sophie Donahue, Co-Founder / Social Media
St. Paul, Minnesota
Hello, I’m Sophie Donahue! I wanted to join Sincerely Gen 1.5. because at St. Paul Academy, I was given a lot of help and extra support with my learning disabilities. I was struggling a lot with school and life before my diagnosis, so I hope to help kids who don’t have the resources to receive a diagnosis and are struggling with schoolwork. Some facts about me are that I have five pets and I love to paint and play the piano!
Advisory Board
Alexis Irish
Bio
Hey! My name is Alexis Irish and I am the Intercultural Life Program Specialist at St. Paul Academy. My work at SPA focuses on supporting students through programming in positive identity development and community building. Through my previous nonprofit work at Tree Street Youth in Lewiston, Maine, and at Community Mediation and Restorative Services in Minneapolis, I’ve always enjoyed working with young people and increasing their access to resources. I’m so thrilled to work with the wonderful students behind Sincerely Gen 1.5. and see them reach the goals they’ve set for themselves. When I’ve got the time I love to watch reality TV, tend to my vegetable garden (when it’s warm enough), and play basketball.
June Cheng
Bio
June is a business immigration lawyer and partner in Fredrikson’s immigration group. She is a trusted advisor for businesses, entrepreneurs, and investors in employment-based and investment-based immigration, and global mobility matters. June partners with businesses ranging from Fortune 500 companies, global enterprises, to mid-size employers, start-up companies, and individual investors across a wide range of industries such as life science, technology, food and agriculture, energy, and education. She partners with her clients in developing practical and compliant immigration policy and solutions to achieve talent acquisition and retention.
Outside of her work, June serves on the Board of the International Institute of Minnesota, a non-profit organization helping New Americans achieve self-sufficiency and full membership in American Life; and the Yaya Foundation for 4H Leukodystrophy, a patient-led rare disease advocacy non-profit organization dedicated to finding treatments and a cure for 4H Leukodystrophy and supporting the patient community.
KaYing Yang
Bio
KaYing Yang, President of RedGreen Rivers and KaYing + Community, has over two decades of unwavering commitment to social justice advocacy. Her illustrious career spans leadership roles in community organizing, policy engagement, and development efforts worldwide.
During the mid-1990s, KaYing played a pivotal role at the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) in Washington, DC, where she tackled disparities within the Asian American community. Her global engagements include significant positions at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group in the early 2000s.
Transitioning to Minnesota by the mid-2000s, KaYing assumed the mantle of Director of Policy for the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL). As an entrepreneur, she spearheads RedGreen Rivers, championing HMong artisans on a global scale, and leads KaYing + Community, a nonprofit consulting firm.
KaYing’s contributions have garnered widespread recognition, positioning her as a sought-after keynote speaker at prestigious events and serves as advisors to nonprofits, government and philanthropic groups. She was honored with the 2019 Bush Foundation Fellowship and appointed to President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in 2022.
Be Vang
Bio
With over 25 years of experience in urban teaching and educational leadership, she is a strong advocate for centering equity in addressing the achievement gap of students and the representation and voices of families of color in our educational system. A former public-school educator of eleven years, Ms. Vang currently serves as the principal of a high school in St. Paul. Ms. Vang is also an active member of the Twin Cities Hmong community, calling attention to the Southeast Asian American achievement gap and the empowerment of Hmong parental engagement in the educational system. Ms. Vang’s work stems from her belief that all students deserve the best learning opportunities our schools can provide. Her work is dedicated to challenging an irrelevant educational system and bringing awareness of and implementing equitable systems and culturally relevant strategies that can accelerate the academic success of students of color.