gap year continued development: a plan for august
On Wednesday, I grabbed lunch with Nancy as we continued to discuss her project. She presented me with the below opportunities:
- Some form on internship in China that ensures I can get paid. This is appealing. Although some may ask, why don’t you just get a job or internship here, which is definitely viable however I want to get out of the bay area.
- An opportunity to minimize the disparity between scouting/youth programs in China versus America. To provide some form of training program for it to the staff. This aligns with my previous vision. If my goal is to develop some form of program for youth to better their character and self, I need not to start entirely from scratch. I can build onto pre-existing programs and help improve them. This saves me the logistics of establishing a program in which I can then truly focus on theory instead of just making it happen (which is still an excellent opportunity).
- Observe the start up development of her new project: Blue Whale. The goal here is for me to observe what it is like to start a small business in China.
- Be connected to a UNICEF leader who works on developing youth programs.
Nancy has been a great mentor and has offered me so much. I ask, “Why do you do this for me? How can I benefit you?” She says,
“This is my calling, my passion. I love helping people. Just think about the years I spent in White Stag staff, never receiving a single penny, but simply giving.”
I was inspired and escatic about the upcoming opportunities. I then spent the next day making sure everything is great on my college end. I cancelled my housing contract, emailed my admissions counselor. All is well.
So here is my upcoming timeline.
July 28-Aug 1st
- Refine and develop the five key focus area for my China Trip
- Cleaning up my room of any material possessions (Perhaps sell at a flea market)
- Write up my gap year business plan in Vision → Goal → Objectives → Strategies form; concurrently, develop an accountability schedule in which I publish weekly blog post updates (which can be emailed out to people who are interested in following my journey), check in with a gap year mentor biweekly.
- Developing my CV: English + Chinese form
- Preparing any type of work materials I need to do business in China (Driver License, work visa)
- Research and consolidate any 2017–2018 opportunities I can partake in: Berkeley Entrepreneurship Summit, Hack MIT Hackathons (https://mlh.io/beta/events), Stanford’s Design Thinking workshop, Tech Conferences, Designathons, Coding/Business Bootcamps, Artist Retreat in the wilderness
- I fall into a weird gap in which I graduated high school, but not yet enrolled in college. I think that allows me to reach out to programs in both spectrums, as I am an ambiguity in that status.
- As a deferred student, I am not sure to what extent I can be involved with the campus. I definitely want to familiarize myself with the potential opportunities I can get involved with. I already have a pretty solid network of individuals that I am in contact with about Cal: Jed, Avani, Tanya, Elin…ect (There are so many people there, use that to my advantage.) As well as figuring out my coursework schedule, researching opportunities (UCDC, Study abroad), student orgs, I want to make a personal commitment to my father to graduate under 4 years. (3 years is ideal). My father estimated a 150K opportunity cost due to me taking a gap year (I need some form of financial support this year and I will lose the 100K salary I could potentially make the first year)
- Reaching out to mentors who can help and assist me with investment (The skill I would like to focus on this fall). This upcoming year, I would like to
- Connect with select individuals who may be able to connect me with their contacts: Emma, Jackie, Kira… With a focus in the international community, so definitely reach out to Singaporean friends. As well as researching individuals on Linkedin.
- Organizations/Media/Content to check out: Beyond Measure film, Steve and Kate Camp, Camp Galileo, APALI program, Gakko (Japan), Uncollege. Especially reach out to different indivudals across the world, so it’s not just a silicon valley view of education but worldwide.
- Read The Idiot as part of philosophy tinkering
- Read up on the book Jessica shared with me about what purpose educations
- Have my father contact his Math Teacher about doing some form of survey with parents about how their children
- Have a set of questions prepared for myself for this year: What am I trying to explore and answer. What will be my guiding questions.
- Reviewing my summer activities list and writing some form of concluding reflection and evaluation about it
“Time is my greatest resource. Don’t lose it.”
Aug 2: Packing and doing last minute preparation for my China Trip
Aug 3–11: Eastern Sierra Backpacking Trip.
My father asked me why I wanted to go, as it didn’t have much career professional development as part of it. I told him that being around these individuals bring me happiness, and if I was lacking anything my senior year, it was happiness. Maybe not just simply happiness, but fulfillment and satisfactions that I am surrounded by such spectacular individuals, being in close proximity to such wonderful nature. My father doesn’t really want me to go, but I have to stand up for myself.
Aug 11–23rd: China Trip
During this trip, I will be partaking in the opportunities Nancy is providing as well as doing research on my own summer program. Finally, I have an idea of a more concrete and solid plan for myself with tangible items to do. I think that is what my father was bugging me for this entire time. What am I actually going to do. Not just ideas.
Week Plan
[To be inserted here]
AUGUST OVERVIEW

Where do I see myself in 5 years?
Articulate, charismatic, confident. These are the traits I would like to work towards.
In five years, I am graduated from college. I am entering a full time position in industry/working on my own project if it really takes off throughout college.
I am someone who values education, knowledge and life-long learning. I fit in some form of fitness into my life daily, I read prolifically and I create knowledge for my community.
Where do I see myself in 10 years?
Perceptive, unwavering, gritty.
I am at a point of my career/life where I have financial stability that can: 1. Help support my family; 2. Gives me the freedom to pursue the things I want (travelling, charity). But financial stability is not enough, I also need time.
I am uncertain about settling down because in ten years, I still see myself as a ceaseless wanderer.
“You never want to stay in one place. I know you really burnt out in high school and I know you don’t want to leave that and jump right back into this highly competitive structured environment that caused you so many issues this past year. You also constantly have ideas that you want to do but never do because there was school in the way (or you’d like to think it was in the way) but with a gap year you can no longer make that type of excuse and that will push you to at least try to realize those ideas constantly brewing in your mind, regardless of whether you succeed or not. I’d like to see you become happier and closer to what you want to do, even if it’s just for a year.”
