when i started working on zaozao a year and a half ago, i had no idea about the random people and interesting opportunities that would present themselves along the way. among reality TV and campaign shoots and free trips across the world, this one was ostensibly less glitzy but turned out more rewarding than expected.

i was asked to prepare a 45 minute presentation on “anything” related to startups, marketing, or myself and my path. i’ve never spoken for 45 minutes straight on any topic, except for maybe my thesis defense senior year of college which was based off a 100+ page research paper. i expected the crowd to be small and the talk to be casual, maybe roundtable style with an overhead projector and dry-erase marker (what was i thinking? this isn’t 1995! blame the jetlag). anyway, i was wrong. i arrived early to be greeted by an auditorium of nearly 100 filled seats with laptops open (this sneak pic taken from behind by a student shows that they were actually following along to my presentation!) and attentive students who stunned me with rapid fire questions, lasting longer than the presentation itself. impressive, right?

while most questions were indicative of chinese culture and upbringing - “why would you leave your stable job that paid $$$” or “how did learning psychology at harvard help with building a fashion business” - others showed critical thinking beyond the surface. i quite enjoyed sharing my experiences with these young folk, and won’t go as far as to say i am teaching them anything of marketable substance, but i kinda get why my older friends like having me around now.

back in nyc now, struggling to stay awake. until next time

xx vix