With my enrollment in Simon Fraser University under the Faculty of Applied Sciences, I hope to cultivate my skills in programming by enrolling in rigorous courses and pursuing co-op opportunities. Of course, there are significant costs that accompany my future plans; despite my parent’s sacrifices and contributions, I find myself in a position that requires external financial support.
When calculating my estimated costs using SFU’s budget estimator, I’m expected to spend ~$7000 for every term, which estimates to an average of $21,000 for every year. It takes approximately 4-5 years to finish my chosen degree, so my entire university expense would be a minimum of $84,000 to $105,000. My parents have been saving for my RESP which has about $30,000 saved, but our household’s combined monthly net pay of ~$5000/mo prevents them from contributing more into my education than they would have hoped, seeing that most of it goes to living expenses and sending money to other family members who need it more than we do.
Aside from applying for numerous scholarships, I have been developing my skill sets and knowledge to prepare for my transition to the abundance of opportunities in British Columbia. I yearn to reach peak levels of productivity, happiness, and introspection and have been spending every day seeking out ways to cultivate these aspects of my life. Whether it be through reading books for personal development, meditation, investing, weekly goal setting and reflection, journaling ideas, or effective time management, I’ve been able to learn more about myself every day, flourish in my current environment, work towards my utmost potential, and discover a clear direction in which I want my days and overall path in life to unfold. Empowered by such a driving force, I have been able to accomplish impressive feats that further develop my character.
First, I ran three e-commerce businesses, managing two of them entirely by myself. After over 650 transactions and maintaining a 98.9% positive rating, I learned the importance of innovation, perseverance, and customer satisfaction when running a company and started cultivating such skills to continue serving others in the future.
More importantly, I discovered my innate desire to contribute to the world; after independently learning the fundamentals of Kotlin and Android Studio from online tutorials and courses, I created an app that incentivizes productive work through user-determined rewards. Through my efforts, I hope to provide a solution for those who may feel unmotivated due to the ongoing pandemic, while expanding my technological skillset.
Equipped with entrepreneurial experience and perpetual autodidacticism, I aim to provide meaningful and innovative contributions to society that also serve as sources of income.
As of recently, I have been growing my YouTube audience; whether it be learning how to use a note-taking app or documenting the programming of my chess program in python, I aim to produce reflective and insightful content to help people learn and improve their lives. By providing such value to others, I hope to build a foundational community that is supportive of my future business ventures, while also potentially earning passive income through YouTube ad revenue, sponsorships, and affiliates.
To conclude, the ability to learn and positively impact the lives of others has added tremendous meaning in my life, and I want to transmute this energy into ideas that will pave the way to a greater society.
Fortunately, being a recipient of the Lift Parts Express Scholarship will be a catalyst for my aspirations, allowing me to focus less on my family’s financial security and more on the resounding impact I want to make in society. Inspired by the revolutionary breakthroughs in technology and science developed by companies to combat modern problems like climate change, COVID-19, and mental health issues, I’m eager to formulate innovative ideas that progress society. Once I find a societal need that requires innovation, I’ll use my talents and knowledge to build the foundation of a company that upholds my valued notion, cooperating with others who share the same passion and beliefs to make our mission a reality. My life will be dedicated to a life-long process of developing the relevant skills and coming up with the ideas necessary to thrive in such a crucial and stressful role. Although my time on earth is limited, my actions and ideas do not have to be, for I confidently know that my spirit will continue to live on through my life-long contribution towards innovative technology.