The people behind our work
Founder
Yvonne Kong, BS, is the founder of LEAP and a program therapist at the Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center in Seattle, WA. She is deeply dedicated to advancing mental health awareness for under-represented communities. Her experience and dedication led her to establish LEAP, aimed at providing culturally-relevant resources and safe spaces for AAPI individuals affected by eating disorders.
Chief Executive Officer
August Sriwattananon is a third-year neuroscience student aspiring to become a physician focused on patient advocacy and innovative research. He founded this nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of eating disorders (EDs) within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, with the goal of bridging cultural sensitivity and personalized mental health care.
Chief Financial Officer / Outreach Director
Allison Kalmick is a pre-medical student at Santa Monica College with a strong passion for mental health advocacy and a growing interest in neurology, particularly the intersection of neuroscience and mental health. As Chief Financial Officer and Outreach Director at LEAP4Asian, she helps coordinate fundraising initiatives, develop community partnerships, and expand the organization’s educational and outreach efforts. Driven by her passion for mental health awareness and reducing stigma, Allison is dedicated to advocating for more accessible, inclusive, and culturally informed care, particularly within underserved communities. Through her involvement with LEAP4Asian, she hopes to help create a more supportive environment where individuals feel understood, represented, and empowered to seek the care they deserve.
Director of Research
Carlotta Profera is the Director of Research for LEAP4Asian. Throughout her time in this nonprofit, she has collaborated with her research team to develop their very first research poster, which has been accepted to multiple conferences, including John Hopkins. Her work includes organizing research projects, assigning tasks to team members, and collaborating with her team in order to create an impactful project. She is very excited to see how the projects develop in the future!
Director of Marketing
Sophia Lowey is an Early Childhood Education student at Santa Monica College. She enjoys supporting her community, regardless of age or background. Sophia has always been interested in social media and marketing, which has led her to help create a diverse profile for our Instagram page, LEAP4Asian.
As the Director of Marketing, Sophia is responsible for managing the information shared on our social media platforms. She assigns posts to other members of the marketing team and revises their work. Sophia has formatted multiple posts to help reach anyone in need of support.
Sophia is a dedicated and hardworking individual whose goal is to support people in the AAPI community who are struggling with eating disorders. Her main interest in creating our platform is making resources and support easily accessible, such as ensuring that the hotline is easy to find on our page.
Ultimately, Sophia hopes to spread awareness about the importance of learning about the struggles faced by diverse communities through the power of social media.
Website Developer
Isabella Inio is a Computer Science student at San Diego State University who enjoys combining creativity and technology to help others. She is passionate about web design, UX/UI, and creating digital spaces that are welcoming, accessible, and easy to navigate.
Isabella built the LEAP4Asian website to help share resources and support for people in the AAPI community who are affected by eating disorders. Through this project, she was able to use her skills in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and design to create a platform centered on awareness, education, and accessibility.
She hopes to continue using technology and design to create meaningful websites that connect people with the information and support they need.