Our Story
Step Early began with a personal experience and a larger question: why don't more people know about this?
After experiencing family members navigate Alzheimer's disease, our founders recognized something troubling. They recognized not just the emotional weight of the disease, but the systemic gaps in awareness, early diagnosis, and accessible support. Many families face this journey without the information or resources that could make a real difference.
What started as a research project became a mission. Step Early was founded to change that, one workshop, one conversation, and one community at a time. With a focus on the United States, South Korea, and China, we are committed to building bridges between communities and the care and knowledge they deserve.
Karalim Cruikshank
President, Co-Founder
A junior at Westridge School, Karalim Cruikshank co-founded Step Early after witnessing firsthand how neurodegenerative diseases, specifically dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, can reshape a family’s life. While watching her grandparents navigate the disease, she realized how early awareness and treatment can make a big difference in disease progression, but how inaccessible this information is for many families.
Karalim was accepted into Westridge’s Global Scholars Program and has been investigating how early intervention can prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease for over two years. As part of Columbia's BrainSTORM Mentorship Program 2026-2027 Cohort, Karalim is currently conducting research on Alzheimer's disease. She is especially driven by the growing global prevalence of Alzheimer’s and the urgent need for community-level education, particularly in underserved and cross-cultural contexts. Through research experiences in neuroscience, computational biology, and environmental science, she’s become fascinated by how complex systems work and how scientific discovery can make a real impact on human health.
Katherine Duan
Director of Advocacy, Co-Founder
Katherine has always been interested in promoting political and legislative efforts through advocacy. She co-founded Step Early and directs its advocacy efforts with this passion in mind, seeking to expand care for those who don’t have it because they were never given access in the first place. Through her volunteering and participation in legislative action and community awareness, Katherine has often worked to increase awareness on essential civic issues. She's especially interested in bridging gaps in medical inequality. In the Asian-American community, layers of cultural stigma can surround seeking preventative help, especially for neurological conditions. Often, laws promoting Alzheimer’s treatment, care, and affordability tend to be overlooked.
The first step to fighting misinformation is providing information. When over 10% of America currently lives with Alzheimer’s disease, we need to increase political and public attention on how to mitigate and potentially end such an impactful issue.
Step Early was founded on our belief that access to information can change lives. Through education, advocacy, and meaningful connection, we aim to close the gap between communities and the Alzheimer's resources they need.
Meet the Team
Step Early is student-led, community-driven, and built on the belief that change starts with awareness.
Finley Nichols
Director of Design
Finley is a junior at Westridge School and the Director of Design at Step Early. She has been practicing graphic design for three years and is the co-head of the Westridge newspaper’s Design Team.
Skylim Cruikshank
Director of Education
Skylim is a freshman at Westridge School and the Director of Education at Step Early. With two grandparents affected by Alzheimer's disease, she cares deeply about spreading awareness through education.
Our Partners
