Gratitude - April 2023
April brought me a lot. Practicing gratitude was the most important daily reminder and kept me grounded.
Welcome back to my monthly update where I explain my highlights from each month as well as my biggest takeaways and lessons learned. For those that don’t know me, I am a 17-year-old student in Toronto interested in working with different emerging technologies to find solutions to the world’s many problems.
This month, I partnered with a local charity to run a fundraiser with 500 attendees raising over $150,000 for their mission, won the election to become student body president at my school, and started my Moonshot project. A very exciting month to dissect!
But first, if you didn’t get a chance to check out my March newsletter, check it out below.
Speaking in front of 500 people and raising >$150,000
Mental Health is a challenge.
Twelve months ago, I co-founded a youth service organization focused on providing local charities with manpower and consulting services from students across the GTA. I had big aspirations for this group, but never did I think we would help raise six figures for one of these charities as our first project. And never did I think I would have been waist-deep in organizational politics for six months.
The organization we partnered with is a Toronto-based youth helpline and one of the leaders in North American youth mental health services.
In November, we decided to bring former NBA player Mahmoud Abdul Rauf to Toronto to speak at this joint mental health fundraising event. You can read my March newsletter to learn more about this legend.
And so we got to work. Inviting Canadian politicians, hustling corporate sponsorships, and preparing presentations and speeches all culminated in one of the most rewarding nights of my life.
From this event alone, we were able to raise over $150,000 to further support students experiencing mental health issues for years to come. What an incredibly rewarding outcome.
Furthermore, I now have a hero. A man who grew up with nothing as a poor black kid in Gulfport, Mississippi stood up for his principles and beliefs, sacrificing a multi-million dollar NBA career for his convictions and the progression of society.
The Back Story
This 6-month journey leading up to the event was anything but smooth…
On top of having to deal with the logistics of coordinating multiple groups at once, I also learned how difficult it is to build and run an organization. We had people quit our team at very critical times, people question the organization’s intentions, and while we were working hard to meet our sponsorship targets, people were nervous about our capabilities and ability to deliver on our commitments.
For a large part of this experience, I had a growing pit in my stomach and a voice inside that said this project was going to crash on top of us and we would disappoint everyone who trusted us.
At times, maybe it was fear driving us more than our mission but heck it worked. The project actually worked out better than planned and all the blood, sweat, and tears in retrospect were all worth it, even just for the experience.
Some of my biggest takeaways were:
Have clarity of the final vision at all times
Make sure other people are motivated by that same vision
Hold people accountable to their commitments
Resolve unnecessary conflict before it amounts to a serious roadblock
Invest in and nurture valuable relationships
Over-communicating > under-communicating
If you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one
As I look back on this experience in totality, the outcome and the deep friendship developed while working in the trenches were worth the hardship.
…most definitely an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.
Winning Student Body President
When I was 12 years old, I had just moved to Toronto from Charlotte, NC, and essentially restarted my life. My earliest memory in Toronto was the day when our school's Student Body President, the esteemed Head Boy, stood before the entire student body to deliver his heartfelt speech at the convocational ceremony for the 2018 school year. It was a memorable experience to witness this 17-year-old student take charge, captivating the attention of the entire school as he shared his personal journey of growth throughout his high school years.
In that moment, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and inspiration. As the new kid in town, not yet understanding the lay of the land, a flicker of determination ignited within me. I made a silent promise to myself that someday I would be the one standing there, speaking with conviction and wisdom, leaving an indelible impact on those who would listen.
And now… I am that 17-year-old kid who once dreamt of this very moment.
Sidenote, who put their fingers in front of the camera??
In writing this section of my update, I am reflecting upon my growth and the opportunities that have come my way. Each step forward has been a testament to the unwavering support people have given me.
This achievement, this long-cherished dream-turned-reality, holds an unparalleled place in my heart.
I still have towering mountains to conquer, but I want to pause and take this moment to extend my heartfelt appreciation to those who have played a pivotal role in my journey.
And as I share this story with you, I hope it ignites a spark within you, reminding you of the wonderful people around you and the value of expressing your gratitude for their support.
Can lasers put an end to climate change?
Am I crazy for thinking this? Probably.
Am I crazy for trying to develop a plan to make this work? Most definitely.
I’ve spent the past three weeks working with my team on a “Moonshot” project. Taking from Google’s Moonshot Factory, X, a moonshot solution applies a technology that is within 5 years of inception to a global problem that affects millions or billions around the world.
**We even got to talk to the CEO of X, Astro Teller, about how to create moonshot level disruption
More specifically, my team and I are working on a solution for ultrashort laser pulses to decompose O3 molecules in the tropospheric ozone layer to slow the greenhouse effect.
Essentially, we are working on a solution for high-energy photons to come into contact with O3 molecules to reverse this process here:
And it’s not easy.
This month has consisted of reading a lot of research papers and trying to understand some pretty advanced concepts in chemistry and physics to bring this crazy idea to life.
Most definitely a shot at the moon. To be honest, we are not even sure this solution will work, but we are having a jolly old time trying to figure it out.
This project culminates in my team building a mock company that carries out this Ozone decomposition process. We will be pitching this project to Toronto Venture Capitalists next month for feedback.
Subscribe to receive next month’s edition where you will get to see the final product and presentation.
**This is an actual picture of one of my co-founders and me trying to save the world from climate change.
Podcast of the month
The GOAT of education (sorry Navid).
What a story.
Growing up dirt poor as the only brown family in New Orleans gave Sal Khan the motivation to work hard and prioritize education. His drive sent him to MIT, then Harvard, then to a Hedge Fund making six figures. Quite a comfortable lifestyle.
But his hours of free time after the markets closed on the East Coast gave him time to pursue his own hobbies, one being tutoring his younger cousin back in New Orleans. Little did he know his tutoring sessions would transform into video lessons that helped hundreds of local students propel themselves in school.
So he quit his comfy job to run this non-profit full-time. Why? Because he had a Mission: to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere.
I’ve always been a huge Sal Khan fan because of the sacrifice he made to leave his high-paying job to make an impact in the lives of the bottom billion. We have all used Khan Academy at some point in our lives, but the biggest impact this platform has is not on us in North America.
This platform reaches girls in Afghanistan who are barred from attending school, giving them the opportunity to continue their education and attain scholarships in North America and Europe that change the trajectory of their lives.
And Sal is even integrating GPT-4 into Kahn Academy. Now why is this so important? Because tutoring is typically something only wealthy students can afford and often gives the wealthier students an edge over those who can not afford a human tutor. But now, everyone has equal access to the new Khan Academy GPT-4 tutor creating a completely level playing field.
We need more Sal Khans in the world.
What does May look like?
Launching my Moonshot project
You’ve gotten a sneak peek of the project we are building, but there are still hurdles to jump before this idea is executable. Tune into May’s newsletter for the full presentation and project launch.
Job and Internship Hunt
Summer is creeping up FAST. I could’ve sworn we entered the New Year like last month…
I’ve been procrastinating looking for a job for the past 2 months and now I am going to make it public that I will use May to land an internship or job. If I do not have an update by next month’s newsletter, well, that’s just embarrassing. If you are building a startup or know of a similar opportunity, please reach out and I’d love to chat. Watch out for next month’s newsletter to see if I actually execute this.
That’s all for April. It was amazing to see some of the fruits of my labor from the past few months and reflecting on these moments will help me create more opportunities for the future. Be sure to subscribe for free to get May’s edition straight to your inbox.