Some principles I want to live by:
- Be earnest. Do things for the love of things, not for the prestige or to say “I’ve done it.”
- Be a good person at heart. Be generous, be helpful, be humble. I have broken this rule many times, but I try to keep on it.
- Be optimistic! In the future, in people, in the world.
- Build things that matter. Fund things that matter. Do things that matter.
- Be able to surround myself with good people. The hard part is cutting away not good people, even if they are friends.
- Never stop learning.
- Always be high integrity, even when it costs you. The shortcuts aren’t worth it.
- Always form first principled opinions on things, and then find the strongest critique of those opinions.
Personal missions I want to achieve in the future:
- 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.
- Discovering new therapeutics for memory loss, including 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, although indirectly now.
- How do I fund young people doing things that matter? The importance is not the monetary fund (which, unless I become a billionaire, is likely a small amount in the thousands) but in my ability to push and motivate and encourage young people to dream bigger, and do things that matter for the world. Build! Invent! Innovation! Don’t become yet another doctor, lawyer, or a consultant. The difficulty is the selection funnel and finding individuals that match what my values and principles for the world.
- Abolish the academia/PhD culture in America. PhD programs are a net-negative for society. Teach people to research for the sake of enjoying discoveries, not for the sake of publishing in fake prestige journals with misaligned incentives and a predatory working environment with little gain.
- 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 obtain more money.