What Are My Core Values?
To build impact in the world.
And in doing so, to be honest, to be kind, to be open-minded, and to strive for greatness. After all, I believe that good cofounders are good people.
How so?
- By finding people with similar values as I do. By working for companies and with people who share my ideals.
- By recognizing that through the virtue of luck, I was blessed with a good life, and so I should help others. That means routine volunteering, donating food to the homeless, and protecting the environment.
- To listen first, make judgements later.
- And never stop building for a better future.
What Are Problems I Care About?
Sadly, the world has too many problems for me to tackle. Luckily, we can all make a difference. Through my life experiences, I’ve committed to:
- Stopping global climate change - especially to protect coral reefs from extinction. Coral reefs are biodiversity hotspots. Even though they make up <1% of the oceans, they support >25% of all marine life. Plus, they’re simply breathtaking to view. Currently, coral reefs are plagued by rising temperatures and ocean acidification - both key indicators of global climate change.
- Reforming education. Education has an increasingly transactional attitude, and thus is one of the few products whose consumers try to get as little out of it as possible since its market value is tied to credentials and prestige, not learning. As such, cheating is a rationale option for many students, much to the detriment of themselves and their peers. I wonder, how can we solve this problem with the rise of both personalized general intelligence? Perhaps AI advancements can bring about the greatest revolution in education in human history.
- Finding a cure for neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s. The passing of my grandmother from Alzheimer’s when I was young profoundly impacted by life. Interestingly, neurodegenerative diseases are among the top 7 leading causes of death in the world, yet is the only disease group to face increased prevalence rates - and without a cure, a solid prevention method, or even an understanding of why they occur. My previous 6 years research aims to address this problem, and I continue to research this problem.
What is My Vision for My Future?
I have a bucket list (ranked from most urgent to least urgent)!
- Build out Nanoneuro Systems. The energy sector needs a revolution to bring about a positive impact on global climate change. I love computers and technology, I love neuroscience and biology, and I’m vocal against climate change. Building Nanoneuro Systems is the intersection of all my interests, my visions, and my hopes for the future.
- To start the first, nationwide, full fund, merit scholarship for Asian students in the US. Demonstrating national support for Asian students, regardless of their already “successful” college enrollment rates, is the first step for greater Asian representation in the US. I aim to bring together the divided Asian communities - Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese - so we can stand stronger together. Working with New York Dollars for Scholars program to achieve this as a side-quest, but will transition to a larger part of my life as I graduate.
- To develop a new paradigm of college education, with a focus on real-impact building rather than handholding in-class lectures and prestige chasing. College goals are both artificial and gameable, but worse, they trap you into a default operational loop of wait for an authority figure to tell you what to do next. No. I’m a strong believer that students learn best when they do things they are passionate about, learn using their own fine-tuned method, and actively engage in learning rather than passive diffusion. I’m thinking about free tuition, but the university takes 0-1% of their student’s future salaries (based on salary bracket). The vision? To train the next generation of forward-looking builders solving hard problems. To eliminate student debt. To organically end cheating and foster collaboration. (Inspired by Buildspace!)