From Slime to Stanford: My Entrepreneurial Journey
Entrepreneurship isn’t just about starting a business; it’s about seeing the world through a lens of possibility.
In elementary school, I spent my summer days scootering around my driveway in endless loops, developing business plans to support my fourth-grade passion: slime. When my mom rejected my proposal for slime creation, I pivoted to designing logos for my favorite slime influencers instead. Just like that, my entrepreneurial journey had begun.
Back then, I didn’t think of myself as an entrepreneur. I was just a kid who loved creating and solving problems. My slime logo business led to other ventures: dog-walking services, bath bombs, and even a short-lived attempt at selling friendship bracelets. Each project taught me something new: how to manage costs, market a product, and, most importantly, bounce back from failures. (Spoiler: friendship bracelets were not a big hit.)
By the time I reached high school, my curiosity had evolved into a full-blown passion. I joined the business club at my high school and continued tinkering with different product ideas any chance I got. That’s when I discovered the TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) program. The idea of working alongside like-minded peers to create a startup from scratch was exhilarating. Through TYE, I learned how to pitch ideas, conduct market research, and develop a business model. Our team – Recycloon, a biodegradable balloon – even won the Most Sustainable Business Model Award at the state competition, reiterating the value in (and the need for) using innovative solutions to address society’s biggest problems.
Beyond competitions, entrepreneurship has shaped how I approach virtually everything in high school. Whether it’s leading a fundraiser for my ice skating club’s Junior Board, organizing a prom attire drive for HomePlate Youth Services, or pitching my digital organization tool to my school’s counseling team, I naturally applied the skills I’d gained from my prior ventures. I learned how to collaborate, think critically, and take calculated risks.
Having just been accepted to Stanford University, I look back and realize how much those early experiences molded me. Stanford’s vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem is the perfect place for my next chapter. I plan to major in Management Science and Engineering – a combination of business, policy, and STEM – and can’t wait to get involved in research and courses at the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. The lessons I’ve learned – from designing a slime logo to presenting to investors with TYE – continue to guide me, and I can’t wait to keep learning in the heart of Silicon Valley.
Entrepreneurship isn’t just about starting a business; it’s about seeing the world through a lens of possibility. The more I learn, the more optimistic I am that my passion will help me be a catalyst for change.
