Parker Place, Horizons S’16
Quick intro
Your name: Parker Place
Age: 20
Where you’re from: Tampa, FL
Where you study: UNC Chapel Hill
Majors and Minors: Business Administration (Finance), Chinese
Three words that best describe you:
Curious, considerate, easy-going
8 questions for Parker
1. When did you first get excited about the world of tech and entrepreneurship?
Gadgets and ecommerce platforms initially got me excited about tech, but since a young age reading financial news is what informed my interest. Some of my favorite publications often cover rising tech companies. I love reading about the creative ways attracted tech has solved a wide range of problems.
2. Why did you decide to take Horizons and what’s been your favorite part so far?
I spoke with Edward and Darwish and admired their passion and ambition. I decided to take Horizons because I wanted a strong base in coding in which I could build off of and because I saw it as a far superior alternative to the mundane internship opportunities that would’ve been available to me as a sophomore business student. At Horizons, I love when I see improvement in identifying and overcoming errors, as I’ve found this to be integral to learning coding. I hope to continue self-study following the program so watching how experienced programmers solve problems is super helpful.
3. What does a successful version of you look like on graduation day? How about two years out of college?
This past year I limited my commitments to only things that I either wanted to do or that improved my well-being. It sounds simple, but it was actually a difficult transition to step out of the hardwired ambition that we learn in high school. On graduation, I hope to enter an industry that I either love or will learn a lot from. Right now, I’m interested in the music and financial services industry and would love to work in either in some capacity. I have no idea where I’d like to be two years out of college.
4. Tell us what is one thing you believe is true that most people disagree with (the Peter Thiel question)…
I disagree with how most people find and appreciate music, and believe this process is an a great demonstration of herd mentality. I feel a lot of people treat pick their music like clothing in the sense that people look to others to see others for reference or pick their music in order to craft their image. I feel like being able to identify what you like and dislike is essential to understanding yourself.
5. What has been the most important turning point / realization in your life so far?
Only recently did I only truly realize the immense privilege granted to me and most of my peers from home, university, and even Horizons. Understanding this privilege for me is the source of inspiration and guilt. By realizing that I’m lucky enough to likely never have to deal with serious threats to my livelihood, I feel I should choose impact over enrichment, help others, and appreciate those around me.
6. What motivates you to work hard every day?
Day to day progress is hard to track but I try to remind that moving the ball forward every day results in unanticipated gains and opportunities over time.
7. If you were going to be famous, what would it be for?
To be determined. Maybe as a one-hit wonder with some of the music production I’ve been experimenting with.
8. What is your advice to incoming freshmen to make the most out of their time in college?
Try to find yourself, whatever that means, before settling on your commitments, friend groups etc. It’s easy to become quickly dependent on a social or professional organization, but it’s a lot more rewarding to experiment with more curiosities and meet more people.
Thank you for reading.
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Horizons is a technology school that finds the most promising young people around the world and gives them all the advantages they need to launch their successful careers in tech.
