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From CASL Client to Vice President at Fairlife LLC
Li Mei Ruan’s journey shows how a single opportunity can change a life.
Volunteering & Support
When Li Mei first stepped into the CASL office as a client, she found more than a place to help her community. She found mentorship, professional exposure, and the first threads that would eventually weave into a remarkable career. With guidance, experience, and the confidence she built at CASL, Li Mei unlocked doors she never imagined, leading her all the way to a VP position in corporate leadership.
In this reflection, LiMei shares how mentorship, opportunity, and community not only helped define her path, but also shaped a lifelong commitment to lifting others up.
Stories like this are possible because of supporters who believe in investing early, in mentorship, and in community. Your support helps CASL continue creating spaces where young people can discover their potential and feel safe being their whole selves.
LiMei's Story
Growing up, I spent a lot of time at CASL. I was fortunate to find incredible mentors there—coaches and adults who didn’t just guide me academically, but offered real life advice. They believed in me and in my potential long before I ever understood what that potential might be.
At the time, I had no clear view of what was possible for me. I certainly didn’t see it myself. My parents, like many immigrant parents, didn’t have a roadmap for career paths or long-term opportunities in this country. But my mentors at CASL did. Through after-school programs, work opportunities, and constant encouragement, they saw something in me that I couldn’t yet see on my own.
They trusted me with responsibilities and experiences that most people my age simply didn’t have. As a very young high school student, I was given office experience and meaningful roles, and as I grew older, those relationships continued. Each step of the way, they opened new doors and challenged me to grow.
CASL was also the first place where I felt safe being my whole self. I didn’t have to choose between identities—I could be as Chinese as I wanted and as American as I wanted.
Life as a first-generation immigrant isn’t easy. No matter how driven or proactive you are, there will always be hurdles. Because of that, I feel a deep responsibility to give back. If I can help even one person who is navigating challenges similar to what I faced, it would mean everything to me.
I received so much support along the way, and I want to pass that forward. I don’t yet know exactly what that will look like, but I hope the next chapter of my life is less about my own career accomplishments and more about the impact I can have on others—especially those who, like me, are still discovering what’s possible for them.
— LiMei Ruan
Vice President of Portfolio Strategy and Insights, FairLife LLC
Help Support CASL Education Programs
Stories like this are possible because of the people and programs that believe in young people before they believe in themselves. CASL has been that place for LiMei, and it continues to serve as a source of guidance, opportunity, and belonging for many young people navigating complex challenges and uncertain paths.
Support from donors makes this work possible. A gift to CASL helps sustain mentorship, after-school programs, and early career opportunities for first-generation immigrants and youth who deserve the chance to discover what’s possible for them.
If this story resonates, consider supporting CASL so the next young person can find the same sense of belief, belonging, and encouragement that helps transform lives.
