Heang Ly, Youth Leadership Program Director
Heang Ly has over ten years of experience in youth development in the areas of college access, community organizing, and violence prevention. She is currently the Project Manager for the Peer Leadership Institute at the Boston Public Health Commission. Previously, she managed community and school youth leadership sites at the Center for Teen Empowerment for five years. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She also holds an Ed.M in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She strongly believes that every youth, no matter the background, given the right support and guidance has the ability to be successful and empowered. The experiences she had growing up female in the Cambodian culture in particular has fueled her passion to work with Asian female youth.

Jen Cheng, Marketing

Jen Cheng is currently the Office Coordinator of the Office of Student Leadership Programs at Wentworth Institute of Technology. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Northeastern University, but decided that she wants to pursue a career in Higher Education, preferably in Student Affairs. Throughout her undergraduate years, Jen was actively involved with student organizations. She is passionate in helping the Asian American community and had volunteered through Children’s Hospital and Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center. Jen is excited to be a part of ASPIRE because finding her Asian American identity was one of her greatest achievements of her college life. In her free time, Jen enjoys eating desserts, taking pictures, taking walks in Boston, and playing video games.

Megan L.Skillman, Events Cooridator / Volunteer

After graduating from Wellesley College in 2008, Megan began work as a Research Associate at the Public Health Advocacy Institute in Boston, MA. In 2009, Megan attended ASPIRE's Asian American Women in Leadership Conference. She was inspired by the strong, dynamic speakers and volunteers she met there. The following year, she served as a Speaker Relations Co-chair on the conference team and enjoyed her experience so much that she participates in ASPIRE as an Events Coordinator year-round. She is grateful for the friendships she has formed with ASPIRE members and feels strongly that ASPIRE helps fill a pressing need and among Asian American women in the Boston area.

Sandra Kim
Sandra Kim is an educator with a passion for the youth, arts, education, mentorship and health/fitness. She received her various educational degrees at UCLA, Teachers College at Columbia University and Harvard Graduate School of Education. In her current position as Office Coordinator of Residential and Campus Life at Wellesley College (http://www.wellesley.edu/ResLife), Sandra is working on projects to bring increased awareness and education to the community-at-large about issues of mental health and wellness within the Asian-American community. Her goal is to create a safe place where students of color can feel comfortable in discussing culturally sensitive issues. A former youth pastor and high school teacher, Sandra strongly believes in the power of mentorship as a tool in breaking the silence in mental/emotional challenges. In her spare time Sandra enjoys the theatre arts, dancing and teaching kickboxing.

Sarah Ferguson Rudy Conference Director
Sarah Ferguson Rudy is passionate about event planning, non-profit organizations, and extreme sports, especially snowboarding and mountain biking. She currently is a Senior Event Manager for two health policy departments at Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University. These departments are dedicated to improving the health care system by convening forums and presenting the highest quality research to legislators, stakeholders and the public. Prior to her event work at Brandeis, Sarah worked at Wide Horizons For Children, an adoption agency in Waltham, as the Korea Program Coordinator. At Wide Horizons, she helped families adopt children from South Korea, advocated for children with special needs, and counseled families throughout the adoption process. Sarah saw her work at the agency as a stepping stone into the Asian-American community and felt honored to be working beside Asian women who were making a positive impact in the world. She hopes her efforts at ASPIRE will open up connections and networking opportunities for other Asian-American women. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Human Development from Eckerd College.

Szeman Tse, Speaker Series Chair

Szeman Tse is currently the Assistant Director of Development Research at the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  Prior to joining the Symphony in fall 2009, she spent eight years in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at Boston University.  Born in Hong Kong, Szeman moved to the United States at the age of two.  She grew up in Schenectady, NY, and moved to Boston in 1997 to attend Boston University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology. Since January 2002, Szeman has been a volunteer with the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK), New England’s only non-profit organization dedicated to preventing domestic violence in Asian families and communities, and providing services to survivors.  She has been actively involved with ATASK’s annual fundraising benefit, the Silk Road Gala, as well as the agency’s Children and Families Program.  Szeman is excited to be part of the ASPIRE team! 

Van Nguyen, Speaker Series Chair
Van is an on-site property manager for a 111-unit apartment complex in Cape Cod, and also manages other real estate investments in MA and other states on the east coast. Van graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in political science. With prior work experience in the family real estate business, Van got her real estate broker's license and has experience with mortgage lending. Since 2005, Van has been involved with VietHope, a non-profit organization that provides educational scholarships to financially disadvantaged students in Vietnam, with their fundraising efforts. After attending the ASPIRE conference in 2006, Van was impressed by the multitude of talented, empowering panelists and the professionalism of the organizing team. Van is excited to finally be part of the ASPIRE team!