🌟Delegate of Harvard Asia HPAIR Conference 2022
I was fortunate to be chosen as 1 of 500 delegates to participate in The Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations HPAIR 2022 as the decision you can see below.
About The Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations
The Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) is a 30-year-old organization founded to create a forum of exchange for young professionals and world leaders to discuss and learn about the most important economic, political, and social issues facing the globe. The mission is to connect the top leaders of today with the future leaders of tomorrow in a dynamic forum of exchange.
Since 1991, HPAIR has organized 43 conferences in 15 different host countries, touching the lives of more than 10,000 students and young professionals. HPAIR hosts two student-led conferences a year – one on Harvard's campus and one in the Asia-Pacific.
Day 1
An astonishing journey of Geoff Ralston - President of Y Combinator had been told exclusively at Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR). I was all ears for the whole session as it's so fascinating.
These were key things that I noted about his session:
With regards to start-up a company, you must:
- Find the right team that assembles people that are complement with you
- Team that can build the product very quickly and hands it to the customer to get feedback.
Criteria of YC to choose a start-up:
- Scalability of the product
- The tough, resilience of the founders
- Compatible to work together for a long time.
Day 2
A second day at Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) was my chance to learn from Anupam Tripathi who was known as Ali in the blockbuster Squid Game. Here's my recap of his discussion: About his story The reason why he went to Squid Game was that he was sponsored a scholarship to a university in Korea. When he first came to Korea, he thought that he could communicate and learn in English. However, he was wrong, he had to do the heavy lifting that he forced himself to learn Korean in 3,5 months. He said that he just want to go home at that time because he left all of his family to go to Korea on his own. He didn't go back. The sacrifice paid off. He then could participate in a Korean block-buster namely Squid Game and became a well-known actor in the world. About his plan: He loves learning. Therefore he wants to pursue a master's degree in acting in the near future. About his advice for delegates: - Share love, positivity - Share joy, enjoy life - You can do anything (Anupam himself was a singer before he became an actor) - Be joyful. Always have tea time for yourself.
Day 3
Day 3 at Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) was my chance to hear the story of Debby Soo - CEO of a 2.6-billion-dollar company OpenTable. She's driven externally, which means that she is more into big cities where many people are rushing to succeed. Her parents work very very hard which gives her the strength to be diligent. “The harder I work, the luckier I get” - she said. What she learned from life is that: - There’s no wrong turn - Every exp no matter how mundane are all crucial - Everything is narrative - Keep true to your own star - No has always first before yes —> need to have the resilience, and perseverance to succeed.
Also, on Day 3 Trivia Night, I sometimes climbed to Top 6, then Top 2. However, when I was that high, I was distracted, then I ended up in the Top 10 :))
Day 4
Day 4 at Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) was my opportunity to learn from the COO of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Mark Tatum and his brilliant wife Lisa Tatum who founded the million-dollar company Landit. Both shoulder a big organization, hence great communication and supports for each other is what makes their love prolong. What I learn the most from Mark is that: - He does what he loves, and it's all he needs. - He genuinely cares for other people. Lisa's session is longer, giving me more insights into her start-up journey. This was Lisa's journey: chemical engineer --> VC partner --> Tech CEO. This means that you can be anything you want as long as you work hard and has the right network to achieve your biggest ambition. What impressed me the most about Lisa was her product-market-founder fit mentality. This means the product you built was not only fits the market but also suitable for your passion. This strikes me hard as I also learn this from my start-up life. Three things she suggests for entrepreneurs: - Start with testing (to really understand customers' pain) - Surround yourself with great people - Choose great backers - those who understand you and your start-up. 1 piece of advice: Protect and nurture your personal brand. - the foundation of all other possibilities Q&A session: How to turn from an internship to a full-time employee? - How do you show up? - Take time to invest in the relationship. - Explore possibilities - Make sure you’re communicating. - Be adaptable How do you find the right partner in life? - When you can be yourself - Trust and respect - Like to have fun with each other - Complement each other - Respect differences
Day 5
The last day at Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) was my chance to meet Masoom Minawala who is an international influencer with more than a million followers. These are my keynotes: She's been in the content-creating business for more than 10 years and here is her advice about this market: The content you create must: - Align who you are - your personal brand - Consistency - It’s about showing up How to keep up with the current economy? - Being adaptive, having a long-term vision - Open-minded to new ideas and concept Key tips to create a personal brand: - Long term vision - Align your passion - Enough research - Enough scalability - Understand struggle, setbacks - Open-minded to: - Idea - Other opinions
After all, I received a certificate of which I feel very proud.
That's the end of my awesome journey at HPAIR. I really hope that you will find it useful and take some action in your adventure.
Last updated
Was this helpful?