Meghan – Dare to Innovate

I watched Meghan’s presentation at MIT Scaling Development Ventures conference in 2017, an event hosted by MIT D-Lab to bring social entrepreneurs and supporters together to make a more equitable world. I liked her energy and loved the name and mission of Dare to Innovate through entrepreneurship to end unemployment in Africa. I reached out …

Prof. Hwang – Teaching Practical Education

Prof. Hwang is different in many ways. He ran a tech company while teaching at the university. He emphasized more on the application than the theory in the class. After I returned from Finland as exchange student, I worked at Prof. Hwang’s company while finishing up the last few classes. I led five-person team in …

David – Teaching for a Brighter Future

David and I met at an Edtech event in Austin during 2018 SXSW EDU. He had a big smile and I was fascinated by his story; David started in Finance, as an account manager of mutual funds in Boston then spent 20+ years in Asia as a finance and technology leader. He came back to …

Jeremy – Big Acts to Save Our Planet

Jeremy loves outdoor; he is an active runner, biker, and hiker. He started Atayne, an active apparel company yet it’s not just another T-shirt company. Each Atayne was made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, certified to be free of harmful chemicals, and supporting local economies: made in USA. Atayne was also a B Corp that …

Sam – Making Life Brighter

When hosting TEDx Millriver: Innovation in 2012, I came across Jane Chen’s Embrace TED talk; it stayed with me and started my interest in learning and supporting social innovation/ enterprise. I read about Stanford’s Design for Extreme Affordability then Sam and d.light. I was fascinated by his story and mission… Sam’s neighbor was badly burned …

Heather – Making it Work!

Heather and I met at MIT Scaling Development Ventures conference in 2017, an event hosted by MIT D-Lab to bring social entrepreneurs and supporters together to make a more equitable world. Heather, who received PhD of Mechanical & Ocean Engineering from MIT, shared her story: Practical Education Network (PEN). I was moved and touched by …

Amy – Thoughtful Being

If I choose one word to describe Amy, it would be “thoughtful”. Let me give you a few examples… Amy is an amazing chef and a hostess. (Pre-Covid) Every year she threw a holiday (Xmas) party and invited friends to her apartment. She started preparing the “global food tour” days prior, including American favorite, e.g. …

Carol – Building Forward

When you first meet Carol, she welcomes you with a big smile and enthusiastic questions to learn about you. You immediately sense her intelligence and diligence, yet, if you ask what she does, she would simply say, she is a lawyer. What makes Carol special isn’t that she went to Harvard Law School or is …