My journey to solve problems with creative solutions began when I was a young kid. At the age of 9, my school introduced me to the world of coding. It was my first time typing on a keyboard, and I was amazed at how a programming language called Lingo could move the cursor around. “Left 2, Right 3, Forward 4, Back 2” – it was so much fun! I was hooked instantly and couldn’t stop playing with it to draw something on the screen. Every day, I would plead with my mom to let me spend the rest of my day after school in the computer lab to learn more tricks and create new things.

A few years later, in 1995, I received my first computer when I was around 13 years old. At that time, a computer was equivalent to a brand new car, and my family couldn’t afford it. However, my mom worked hard to provide me with this opportunity. She took a loan, and I got my very first computer, an Intel 486 with 66Mhz, 4MB RAM, and 512MB of hard drive storage, running DOS and Windows 3.1. I will forever be grateful for the chance she gave me, as it was the beginning of my journey to explore how technology could enrich people’s lives.

My mom’s business was a laundry shop, and she used to spend hours doing accounting work every week. She would write receipts and maintain records to ensure accurate tax filing. I thought I could use my computer and printer to simplify her work and make her life easier. So, I learned how Microsoft Office worked, created formulas in Excel, and made templates and forms with Access. I put together the setup at the shop and observed how the workers used the system. I also tried to understand how they interacted with the customers during the day. After making some modifications to the setup and moving a few things around in the reception counter, the workers started entering information in the system without even knowing how a computer works. Since the solution had simplified the manual work, they had more time to interact with the customers, leading to a better customer experience. The idea was to save my mom time and record all the receipts digitally and accurately. It worked! My mom no longer needed to stay overnight and had more time to spend with us – and that gave us a better parental experience.

Looking back, who knew that would become my daily job? I help people focus on what matters most to them and get them excited about what they love to do the most. Since then, I have helped businesses explore what’s possible in the digital world. I have contributed to shaping the customer experience in some of the world’s most profitable Apple stores. I have also worked on the world’s biggest online learning revolution with EF Education First for their online learning platform – Englishtown. And now, I am helping people find jobs. Recently, I have engaged in a social impact project to connect people and create a marketplace where people can contribute and exchange their efforts with incentives.

I can proudly say that the work I do every day is also a hobby that I love the most. I get to play with the latest technologies and solve problems that can enrich people’s lives. Connecting all the dots, I now see the path I have walked, and I am ready to create pathways that could lead me to new and exciting opportunities.