Hey Hey! I’m back 👋
For the past semester, I was so busy living my college life, which is why this is a combined update for Q3 & Q4 again. I should really make it a goal to write QUARTERLY newsletters instead of half-yearly ones🤔
Compared to my Q1 & Q2 this year, the second half of 2023 has felt more unpredictable and uncertain. I see life as ocean waves with ups and downs by default. We should ride the wave during the high and take the lows as opportunities to compound growth.
Growing Pains
College is a time where our identities, worldviews, and relationships with ourselves and others constantly change. We might feel like we have it all figured out momentarily, but fortunately and unfortunately, we outgrow environments quickly.
A physical transition from one place to another is easy to adapt to. During a mental transition from a stage of stable development to a phase of rapid advancement, growing pains are inevitable.
This semester, I was seeking a new professional interest and finding my place in a living community, the eTower(entrepreneurship tower).
→ After putting a stop to a tutoring business I’ve been running for the past two years, I didn’t know what to pursue next in entrepreneurship. Hence, I did everything to increase my surface area of luck: attend speaker events, schedule coffee chats, say “yes” to diverse activities. Whether I took the wrong process, had the wrong mindset, or luck was not in my favor, I found myself stuck in a loop with little progress in clarity.
→ Simultaneously, as a new resident, I wanted to find common ground with twenty other entrepreneurs at eTower. I’ve never stayed in a living community before. When our personal lives were integrated with each other, I realized I was a bit more introverted than I thought. I do things independently by default. However, strong bonds are built by sharing one’s thoughts and experiencing parts of life together.
After two months of struggling, my learnings accumulated to a point where I had more defined outlooks🌱. *A special thanks to everyone who’s contributed valuable suggestions and opinions for me to consider!
→ It’s easier to merge interests than to trap myself in a perpetual state of analysis paralysis. Instead of optimizing for a “most suitable” entrepreneurial pursuit, it’s better just to pick a field I’m curious about, and dive into it. For me, it’s content creation. Since November, I’ve been uploading weekly videos on my YouTube Channel. Pls DON’T check it out and pls DON’T subscribe 😉 I’m currently looking for opportunities in the creator economy to understand the industry more!
→ The true value of community goes beyond formal conversations and planned activities. Being in a community is about sharing your journey, not just the destination. It’s about bringing up the small but interesting encounters in your daily life, talking about the struggles that you’re facing, and celebrating everyone’s achievements. These interactions are less valuable when you consciously try, though. Slowly, I understood that relationships and bonds form naturally when you open up to people around you. Keep your (mental) door open!
To add, a mindset that’s helped me endure moments of emotional discomfort is telling myself that these are all temporary struggles, not permanent obstacles. It’s a choice to show up, especially when it’s hard.
💭“I’m not always going to feel lost. If I keep trying, I will be able to develop a career pathway that feels right for me.”
💭“I’m not always going to feel distanced from other community members. After spending more time together, very soon, we’ll become close friends.”
Achieving some milestones was my source of energy⚡️, too. I had a checklist of mini goals I wanted to accomplish during 2023 and fulfilled most of them!
Semester highlights:
Made a First Day of School reel for Babson College’s social media page! After seeing other students’ videos earlier this year, it’s been a goal of mine to create my own short-form video as well. I cold messaged the social media department and offered to make them a video. This paid collab was a small dream-come-true moment for me 🥹.
Placed second🥈 for the IBM-sponsored challenge at HackMIT, and it was also my very first hackathon! The venue closed between 1- 8am for this 24hr competition, but the entire team decided to pull an all-nighter and work on our hardware solution, FireNET, a wildfire detection device. Cans of sponsored Red Bulls got us through haha 🔋.
Learned to say “no” - I don’t feel as guilty for rejecting invitations and choosing not to spend time with some people.
Stayed at a Founder’s House in San Francisco for 10 days. College is still very much a bubble. Stepping into the tech startup space and detaching myself from a stereotypical “business school culture” has been extremely beneficial for broadening my vision. I love observing distinct ways of thinking and life approaches from different types of people; exposure enables me to make effective decisions.
There’s a lot of room for improvement, but my gym routine was more consistent this semester compared to the last one. Made an effort to eat healthier too🥗!
Made more time for my personal well-being. I’ve never paid much attention to self-care, but realized that I have to take care of myself in order to feel my best and function well :) I developed a hair routine and invested in skincare products to reduce dark eye circles, increase skin hydration, etc.
What’s next?
In addition to creating content and meeting up with friends in Toronto, I’m also taking this winter break to reset and refresh my mind before the next semester. Might travel a bit~ Frankly speaking, I don’t know what’s next. For now, I’m just living in the present and am excited for whatever the future holds 🙃
Stay hungry.
Be authentic, be vulnerable
Elena 💓