@binhonglee

Kinda what I want to be but I'm also always very weary of telling people I achieve all I have through hard work alone. Privilege played a huge role.

Thread/

My SPM and high school results in general weren't great. (2As) Even my college and uni results were subpar. (ok, it's actually really bad.) But there are a few things that helped me a lot.
/1

With almost pure luck, I got into school robotics team on Form 1. I guess I did work hard somewhat to maintain my position in the team but getting in was definitely more luck than skill.
/2

I came to study in the US on my parent's dime. I did get partial scholarship but I actually lost the scholarship a few semesters in because my results was so bad I no longer qualify. (I had no idea why they even gave me one in the first place.)
/3

Sure I did work hard going to hackathons, trying to do startup, spending time to meet and learn from the industry outside of just the university, but I was only afforded so because of my privilege, where I don't have to worry about survival.
/4

Now, I don't mean I swim in money. I had enough money to share apartments, pay tuition, and get food. I could spend less on some place (or make side income) to travel a bit. Or, get travel reimbursement when going for hackathons or interviews.
/5

I probably have a few more of these stories but anyway my point is, I sometimes have a different sort of impostor syndrome where I feel like I don't deserve what I have now. Or that if these resources I received could've been better used for someone else. 🤷
/6

So yea I guess don't try to replicate what others have done, they probably have advantages you don't have and you might have something others doesn't(?). I don't feel like I'm in the position to say this lol but yea. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

/end

6/18/2021