Sacred Hearts Academy senior Megan Lee sits with her laptop open as messages from volunteers appear on her phone. As debates over immigration enforcement continue across Hawaii, Lee leads outreach through her nonprofit, See It Through My Eyes (SITME).

Many of those messages come from student volunteers helping coordinate service projects and share community stories through the organization.

Lee founded the student-led organization last year to amplify stories from communities often overlooked. Through advocacy, service and social media, SITME encourages people to consider the lived experiences of families affected by issues such as immigration enforcement and economic hardship.

“See It Through My Eyes isn’t just a request,” Lee, of Honolulu, said. “It’s an invitation to understand the quiet battles, hidden hopes and unspoken truths of our world, a world unseen and a story untold.”

Lee serves as founder and chief executive officer of SITME, which currently includes about eight student members working in areas such as social media marketing, international recruiting and community outreach. Members also help connect individuals to social services such as food banks and advocacy groups responding to immigration enforcement actions and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit delays.

Outside of SITME, Lee also holds leadership roles on campus as president of the Academy’s band council and vice president of the student council.

Band director Michael Han, who has worked with Lee for a few years, said her initiative and organization stand out across those roles.

“Megan is very proactive when it comes to planning and bringing people together,” Han said. “She communicates clearly, takes initiative and follows through on projects.”

Lee said experiences working with student groups across campus have also shaped how she approaches leadership within the nonprofit.

Through SITME, Lee said she hopes to connect community service with conversations about empathy, policy and lived experience.

“The truth is hard, but pain is necessary for change,” Lee said. “The stories people share with us are stories we hold close to our hearts when we commit ourselves to service and advocacy.”

Immigration raids conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency have raised concerns among families and advocacy groups across the state. Advocates say such operations can separate families and create lasting fear, particularly for children. In Hawaii, where many households are multigenerational, Lee said the impact can affect entire families.

Lee said SITME’s work focuses on raising awareness and encouraging people to consider the experiences of others.

“We understand we’re living in an ever-changing world centered around activism through social media and in-person experiences,” Lee said. “To promote awareness and support for our keiki, ohana and kupuna, we currently volunteer in person or remotely.”

SITME amplifies community stories

The nonprofit has partnered with organizations such as She’s In Office to advocate against immigration raids in Hawaii and educate young people about how political decisions can affect real families.

Lee said storytelling remains at the heart of the organization’s mission. SITME collects and shares stories from community members, including parents facing food insecurity, students navigating mental health challenges and kupuna dealing with rising health care costs.

By sharing those experiences, Lee hopes others will better understand perspectives different from their own.

“To look at other people’s perspectives through a lens that is not your own,” Lee said when asked what the phrase “See It Through My Eyes” means to her today. “Understanding that everyone has their own story to tell and taking the time to see it through their eyes is something our organization advocates for.”

Finding inspiration in personal experience

The idea for SITME began during a summer evening at the Diamond Head lookout as Lee watched the sunset with friends from elementary school. While spending time together, they reflected on negative school experiences. One friend told Lee she was “lucky” to attend private school.

Lee said the comment surprised her.

“I was taken aback,” she said. “Yes, I’ll admit I am privileged to have the life I live, but my life was far from perfect. I thought to myself, I wish they saw it through my eyes.”

The moment left Lee feeling misunderstood and unsure how to express her story. It was also when Lee said the phrase “See It Through My Eyes” became her response to feeling unseen and unheard.

Overcoming early challenges

Although she first considered creating the organization during her sophomore year, Lee said funding challenges and early skepticism slowed the process.

“When I brought it up to the Board of Nonprofits of Hawaii, they kind of looked down on me,” Lee said. “They ridiculed me for being so young. But persevering through that and understanding that just because they thought I wasn’t good enough didn’t mean I wasn’t good enough helped me keep going.”

Lee said SITME has filed paperwork to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, but the process was delayed during a federal government shutdown. Until the designation is approved, the organization’s donations are taxed.

Despite financial challenges, Lee said the work itself keeps her motivated.

“I realize that at the end of the day, I don’t need money,” she said. “All I need is the satisfaction of knowing our organization made someone’s life just a little bit easier.”

Leading through collaboration

As the organization grew, Lee said balancing school responsibilities with leading a nonprofit created new challenges. Coordinating meetings, organizing service projects and responding to community needs require constant communication and time management.

“There are days I sit in bed and think, why am I even doing this,” Lee said. “But I know the people who helped me start it are always there for me. It’s not just me running it — there are a whole group of people behind the scenes who do some of the heavy-duty things I can’t do myself.”

Public relations and media outreach member Keira Wheeler, a senior at the Academy, said Lee sets clear expectations while maintaining a supportive environment.

“One challenge I’ve seen Megan face is encouraging everyone in the nonprofit to do their part and attend meetings,” Wheeler said. “She dealt with it by creating a rule that if you miss a certain number of meetings, you’re no longer part of the organization.”

Lee said working with a team has also helped her learn to accept different perspectives.

“In a team setting, we all want to do things our own way,” Lee said. “But being in that environment helped me see that different perspectives aren’t a bad thing.”

Lee said she strives to lead collaboratively rather than through hierarchy.

“I don’t want to be just another bossy CEO who is strict and scary,” Lee said. “I want to be another member of the team.”

Han said Lee’s ability to organize events, connect with community partners and help secure support from local businesses reflects skills often associated with entrepreneurship.

“She’s good at taking an idea and seeing it through,” Han said. “That’s something entrepreneurs need — being able to organize people, manage projects and keep moving forward.”

Although Lee will graduate this spring, she said she plans to remain involved with SITME while attending college and hopes to recruit more student leaders to continue the organization’s work.

For Lee, the goal remains the same as when the idea first formed: helping people better understand experiences beyond their own.

“Understanding that everyone has their own story to tell is the first step toward helping our community understand one another,” Lee said.