Mee Yang-Lee

Mee Yang-Lee

Age: 37

Title: Director of human resources consulting office, Principal Financial Group

Family: Husband Seng Lee; five sons: Keezeng, Chaile, Chufeng, Cheseng, Kaison

A reason why she is a Forty: Mee rose above the obstacles and stereotypes as a teen mother married before graduating from high school, and continues to show her five boys the joy of volunteering and giving back to the community by finding ways to get them involved.

What drives her: Her mother’s example. “My mother is a shaman and respected as a woman in a fairly sexist culture. From a very young age, she taught me that women are capable of doing anything they set their minds to and to always see challenges as opportunities to grow from,” she said.

An interesting fact about Mee: She was married, had a child halfway through college and was working full-time, all before she obtained her driver’s license.