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From YouTube: Airbnb Announcement at Boston Latin Academy
Description
As a student at Boston Latin Academy (Class of 2001), Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk discovered a spark for engineering and coding. Joined by Mayor Walsh, Superintendent Brenda Casselius and BLA Headmaster Chimdi Uchendu, Blecharczyk announces a $1 million donation to build and maintain two state-of-the-art computer labs for the school.
A
B
I
hope
you
will
pay
it
forward,
just
like
our
wonderful
guests
here
have
done
and
just
so
excited
today
for
this
day
as
we
commend
STEM
week
and
the
amazing
opportunity
that
we
have
to
delve
into
technology
science
and
how
it
really
can
lead
to
an
incredible
career
for
all
of
you.
So
thank
you.
Thank
you.
Thank
you
for
your
wonderful
commitment
to
this
school
continue
to
pay
it
forward.
You
and
your
parents
and
released
a
live
in
Boston.
You
come
home
often
to
visit.
B
I
am
an
Airbnb
customer
and
I
always
look
to
Airbnb
first.
So
thank
you
very
much
and
thanks
everybody
for
coming
this
afternoon,
for
this
really
monumental
event.
So
very
much
encouraged
to
I'm,
going
to
interview
interview
in
ER
introduce
the
mayor,
Martin
Walsh,
who
is
here
and
my
boss,
and
just
a
wonderful
individual.
C
C
C
C
C
And,
to
be
honest,
you
embarrassed
because
last
week,
talking
about
this
event,
I
didn't
realize
that
one
of
the
the
cofounders
of
Airbnb
is
a
Boston
Latin
Academy
grant
is
the
boss
of
the
school.
Kid
came
to
the
name,
one
on
to
do
amazing
things
and
talk
about
a
story
in
a
minute,
but
one
of
the
things
I
think
that's
important.
C
There's
a
stem
week
in
the
city,
obviously,
and
who's
going
to
talk
about
science,
technology,
engineering
and
math,
and
that's
important,
but
I
think
it's
also
important
to
understand
when
he
gets
up
here
to
talk.
Is
that
he's
sad
and
you'll
see
he's
that
what
you
said
and
there's
an
opportunity
when
you
think
about
life?
You
have
no,
none
of
us
know
what
life's
gonna
take
us.
If
you
told
me
when
I
was
sitting
in
high
school,
that
I'd
be
mayor
of
Boston,
someday
I.
C
Think
I
wanted
to
be
mayor
of
Boston
someday,
but
I
wasn't
quite
sure
if
I'd
ever
get
there
and
I
realized
by
following
my
dream
and
doing
a
lot
of
hard
work
and
sometimes
making
some
mistakes
and
understanding
and
realizing
those
mistakes.
You
turn
your
life
run
and
you
go
back
on
track
and
the
gentleman
who's
coming
to
this
microphone
is
mom
and
daddy
here
and
his
wife
is
here
and
they're
all
very
proud
of
them,
and
the
thing
I
think
for
all
of
you
here
today.
C
It's
important
for
the
sea
is
put
everyone
for
the
Seas.
The
soft
was
the
the
the
juniors
and
the
freshmen
I
didn't
do
that
in
order,
because
I
didn't
go
to
an
academy,
it's
it's
important
to
realize
the
dream.
As
I
was
walking
around
you
guys,
I
talk
to
kids.
All
the
time
in
the
city
being
from
Boston
gives
you
an
edge
in
life.
It
gives
you
a
real
important
engine.
Just
all
of
you
here
today
when
you
think
about
what
you
want
to
do
in
your
life.
C
Just
make
sure
you
continue
to
follow
your
dream.
Follow
you
want
to
do.
Follow
your
teachers,
listen
to
your
teachers,
listen
to
the
people
around
you
and,
and
really
that's.
What's
that's
what's
important
about
life
as
far
as
what
you
want
to
be
happy
with
you're,
not
here
to
hear
me,
speak
I'm
done
talking
how's
that
I.
D
E
D
D
You
know
I
hope
that
my
story
today
will
inspire
you
I
hope
that
you
will
take
some
of
the
lessons
that
I
have
learned
to
heart
and
I
hope
that
you
realize
the
high
school
can
be
the
critical
start
to
your
lifelong
journey.
I
think
you'll
hear
from
my
story
that
getting
off
to
a
good
start
and
making
the
most
of
your
time
right
now
can
make
a
big
difference
in
your
life.
So
11
years
ago,
with
two
friends,
I
started
the
company
called
Airbnb.
D
Okay,
tougher
question:
how
many
of
you
have
parents
who
have
been
hosts
on
Airbnb,
okay,
a
few
hands
a
few
minutes
and
how
many
of
you
have
traveled
on
Airbnb
like
40%?
Okay,
this
is
my
market
research
for
the
day,
I
see
more,
which
is
pretty
sure,
so
Airbnb
allows
travelers
to
stay
in
other
people's
homes.
All
around
the
world.
Staying
in
someone's
home
it
can
be
more
affordable.
You
can
also
offer
a
very
unique
experience,
and
today.
D
D
All
this
has
happened
in
the
last
11
years,
but
I
think
what
I'm
most
proud
about
is
the
fact
that
Airbnb
empowers
ordinary
people
to
of
any
age
anywhere
in
the
world
to
offer
a
valuable
service
and
make
meaningful
extra
income.
Today,
Airbnb
hosts
have
earned
on
the
platform
more
than
80
billion
dollars
and
51%
of
our
hosts
say
that
this
income
helps
them
to
afford
their
home.
D
Really
tell
you
exactly
how
this
came
to
be
because
it
actually
started
here
in
the
seventh
grade.
It
was
October
this
time
of
year
and
I
was
home,
sick
from
school,
and
my
dad
is
an
electrical
engineer
and
he
had
books
about
computers
and
I
happen
to
take
a
book
off
the
bookshelf.
I
start
flipping
through
it
and
that
book
contained
instructions
on
how
to
write
sequel
scripts
back
then,
I
was
really
into
computer
games
this
the
mid
90s
and
to
play
a
computer
game.
D
It
wasn't
as
simple
as
pointing
and
clicking
you
actually
had
the
type
of
bunch
of
commands
load.
The
cd-rom
driver,
the
sound
driver
to
make
it
work,
and
so
I
started
creating
simple
scripts
to
launch
my
games
and
do
other
sorts
of
simple
tasks
like
this
ignited.
A
curiosity
that
Christmas
a
couple
months
later,
I
asked
for
a
book
on
programming
and
I
received
a
book
how
to
program
Cubase.
G
H
D
And
all
it
took,
we
got
30
days
to
read
that
book
and
do
the
lessons
about
500,
page
book
and
and
from
there
I
started
my
book
after
book.
These
500
page
books
probably
not
meant
to
be
read
front
to
back,
but
as
a
12
year
old
a
may
have
lent
too
much
else
going
on.
So
at
the
time
this
began
a
hobby
of
writing.
Computer
software
and
I
was
posting.
D
My
work
on
the
internet
and
I
would
say,
if
you
like
my
work,
to
send
me
five
dollars,
nobody
ever
seventy
five
dollars,
but
at
the
age
of
fourteen
I
got
a
phone
call
and
somebody
said:
I
saw
your
work
on
the
Internet
and
I
like
to
pay
you
a
thousand
dollars
to
create
something
similar
for
me
and
so
I
told
my
dad.
Somebody
from
the
internet
wants
to
pay
me
a
thousand
dollars
exactly.
He
did
he
laughs
at
son.
Nobody
from
the
interns.
D
Gonna
pay,
you
a
thousand
dollars,
but
I
said
whatever
it
is
my
hobby
I'm
gonna.
Do
it
anyways
we'll
see
what
happens
and
sure
enough?
Thirty
days
later,
I
got
paid
thousand
dollars,
but
even
better
I
got
introduced
to
other
people
who
need
did
similar
things
and
so
I
started
writing
programs
for
them
and
through
this
I
started
realizing
that
you
know
a
lot
of
these
things
that
they
were
asking
me
are
similar,
so,
rather
than
creating
a
new
program
each
time,
why
don't
I
create
a
comprehensive
program?
D
So
after
Latin
Academy
I
went
to
Harvard
said
computer
science
about
one
year
in
it
got
hard
to
balance
college
and
running
the
business
and
instead
of
dropping
out
of
college
I
dropped
out
of
my
business,
I,
actually
shut
it
down
and
focused
on
Harvard
and
having
that
experience
and
fast
forward
coming
out
of
Harbor
I
got
what
I'll
call
a
normal
job.
A
company
came
recruiting
on
campus
and
it
sounded
interesting
and
I
signed
up
as
a
software
engineer,
I
in
their
consulting
division.
D
D
Need
me
to
do
something
completely
different.
Was
it
as
interesting
to
me
and
so
seven
months
into
that
job,
I
really
just
wasn't
being
challenged
or
engaged
I?
Could
no
it's
my
boss?
Oh
you
can't
quit
you're
our
most
productive
engineer,
and
that
made
me
laugh
because
the
reality
was
I
had
an
office
to
myself
and
I
could
close
the
door.
Knowing
you
know,
what's
going
on
in
there,
I
only
had
one
meeting
a
week,
and
so
my
routine
was
that
I
would
come
in
and
the
first
half
the
day.
I'd
do
my
work.
I
D
Here
about
you
know,
you
need
to
always
be
challenging
yourself.
You
want
to
grow,
you
can't
get
comfortable,
so
I
left
and
I
am
through
a
friend
of
a
friend
I
got
connected
to
a
startup
opportunity
on
the
west
coast,
I
moved
to
San,
Francisco
and
joined
this
company
brand
new
company
and,
as
I
joined,
the
two
lead
engineers
equipment.
D
That
should
have
been
a
warning
sign
about
a
year
later,
it's
company
kind
of
imploded
and
it
didn't
turn
out
the
way
I
had
hoped
it
would,
but
it
was
actually
a
super
valuable
experience
for
me
because
you
know
when
the
two
lead
engineers
quit.
Suddenly
all
the
responsibility
fell
on
me
to
help
define
the
product,
hire
the
team
and
build
the
thing,
and
so,
although
it
didn't
turn
out
the
way,
I
had
hoped
it
was
still
a
very
valuable
lesson
and
prepared
me
well
for
what
would
come
next.
D
What
came
next
was
when
I
moved
to
San
Francisco,
of
course,
I
needed
a
place
to
stick
so
I
went
on
Craigslist,
my
roommates
and
my
two
roommates
eventually
would
become
my
co-founders,
but
while
we
were
living
together,
we
noticed
a
couple.
A
couple
things
about
each
other.
One
was
that
we
shared
a
similar
work
ethic
after
working
on
the
weekends
we'd
be
working
on
our
hobbies.
You
know,
I
was
writing
software,
they
were
designers,
creative
concepts,
products
and-
and
so
we
also
saw
that
our
skills
were
complimentary
and
we
filed
that
away.
D
If
some
day
we
should
start
a
company
together
between
the
three
of
us,
we
could
really
have
our
bases
covered
well.
In
the
summer
of
2007,
the
rent
on
our
partner
suddenly
raised
25%.
The
landlord
realized
that
none
of
the
original
lease
holders
were
on
the
lease
anymore.
So
that
was
an
opportunity
to
jack
the
rent
and
I
said
well,
that's
too
expensive,
I'm
moving
out
of
here,
but
the
two
other
guys
wanted
to
stay,
but
they
just
put
their
jobs
to
become
entrepreneurs
also
known
as
unemployed.
D
So
they
had
no
money,
but
they
really
wanted
to
stay
in
this
apartment.
That
was
getting
increasingly
expensive,
but
they're
both
designers
and
they
saw
that
a
design
conference
is
coming
to
san
francisco.
They
saw
that
all
the
hotels
were
sold
out,
and
so
they
had
an
idea.
They
were
gonna
offer
up
the
vacant
bedroom
that
I
had
vacated
two
designers
who
might
need
a
place
to
stay.
D
The
room
had
no
bed
because
I'm
taking
it
with
me,
but
they
said
an
air
better
and
instead
of
calling
in
a
better
breakfast,
they
called
it
an
air
bed
and
breakfast.
So
there
may
be
a
short
for
air
better
breakfast
and
they
put
up
a
simple
website
and
they
wrote
to
a
few
design
blogs
that
featured
this
website
and
within
a
few
days
they
found
three
designers
who
are
very
eager
to
find
a
place
to
stay
for
$85
a
night.
So
they
got
three
people
times,
$85
nine
times,
four
nights.
D
They
made
almost
1,000
bucks,
but
they
all
went
for
the
conference
together
had
a
great
time.
Joe
and
Brian
introduced
the
designers,
their
friends.
Their
network
showed
him
places
to
eat.
It
was
a
real
win-win
and
so
coming
out
of
that
weekend,
where
they
were
just
trying
to
pay
their.
The
three
of
us
got
back
together
and
thought
hey.
Maybe
maybe
we
can
be
the
support
of
other
people
other
situations.
Maybe
we
should
try
to
make
it
just
as
easy
to
book
a
home
as
a
hotel.
D
D
So
you
know
literally
all
2008.
We
were
working
very
hard
on
this
concept,
but
we
were
unsuccessful
in
raising
money
and
then
in
September
2008.
The
financial
recession
begin
so
really
that
nobody
wanted
to
talk
to
us
and
by
the
end
of
2008
we
were
in
debt.
You
know,
we'd
still
have
paid
the
rent
we
had
expenses
and
we've
got
$40,000
of
debt.
At
that
point,
and
we're
kind
of
at
the
point
where
we
were
looking
at
each
other
saying.
Maybe
it's
time
to
give
up
right.
When
do
you
know
it's
time
to
quit?
D
To
each
other
that
before
we
would
quit
would
give
it
one
last
chance.
In
other
words,
the
three
of
us
were
friends.
Nobody
wanted
to
abandon
the
other
two,
and
so
we
committed
that
would
give
it
13
more
weeks
and
over
the
next
13
weeks
would
be
all-in,
meaning
we
have
been
working
very
hard,
but
over
the
next
13
weeks
we
would
literally
live
together
during
this
time
and
come
back
to
Boston
to
spend
some
time
with
my
then
girlfriend
now,
wife
and
I
moved
back
to
San
Francisco
lived
in
the
apartment
from
8:00
a.m.
D
to
midnight.
Six
days
a
week
we
were
pranking
and
trying
to
make
the
most
of
this.
It
was
really
during
that
thirteen
week
period
that
everything
turned
around
and
it's
been
a
rocky
ship
ever
since
you
know
I
want
to
circle
back,
though,
to
my
time
Tammi
and
share
some
reflections
that
I
think
are
really
relevant
to
everybody,
because
I
think
it's
here
that
I'm
going
to
fundamental
good
habits.
That
really
propelled
me
and
there's
a
few
things.
I
want
to
call
out
in
particular.
D
D
On
top
of
that,
though
I
graduated
top
of
my
class
and
so
I
spent
a
lot
of
time
doing
homework
studying
that
was
time-consuming.
I
was
also
on
the
track.
Team.
I
did
cross-country
indoor
track,
Outdoor
Track,
13
consecutive
seasons.
That
was
a
big
part
of
my
life
too,
and
that
took
up
a
few
hours
every
day,
and
so
it
was
very
difficult
to
do
all
three
of
these
things
simultaneously.
But,
as
a
result,
he
developed
great
discipline,
not
time
management,
and
you
know
practically
speaking
what
that
meant
was.
D
You
know
taking
advantage
of
those
study
periods
and
you
know
on
the
bus
getting
work
done
moderating
consumption
with
TV
computer
games.
You
know,
interestingly
enough
I
found
that
when
track
was
out
of
season,
I
was
actually
a
lot
less
productive
right,
and
so
in
some
ways
you
know
having
trying
to
do
all
this,
you
know
really
forced
me
into
having
good
habits.
The
second
thing,
I'd
say
is
always
try
your
best.
It
really
doesn't
matter.
B
D
Good,
you
are
now
as
long
as
you
are
improving
when
I
came
here.
I
was
not
the
smartest
person
in
the
class
when
I
started
on
the
track
date.
I
was
not
the
fastest
runner
and
I
played
computer
games
before
I
could
get
of
business
and
I
guess
what
I'd
say
is
as
long
as
you're
curious
as
long
as
you're
always
improving
as
long
as
you're
learning
from
failure,
then,
over
time
it's
almost
inevitable
that
you
will
succeed.
D
I
had
a
very
good
friend
in
high
school
he's
here
today,
yendo
en
and
I
we
studied
together,
we
held
each
other
accountable
and
we
had
a.
We
had
a
friendly
competition
going
on
between
us
and
in
that
friendly
competition
in
that
relationship.
I
think
really
drove
the
two
of
us
to
perform.
The
two
of
us
graduating
at
the
top
of
the
class
and.
D
You
know,
I
teamwork
is
also
a
great
thing
in
different
sports
as
well,
but
I
would
say
that
if
I
had
not
been
running
track,
I
would
not
have
graduated
top
in
the
class.
I
would
not
have
done
as
well
business-wise
and
so
I
actually
really
believe
on
the
importance
of
athletics
to
couple
things
to
avoid
that
I
saw
the
first
is
what
I
call
a
mindset
of
mediocrity,
I,
remember,
kids,
who
were
just
fine
checking
the
box
that
felt
like
you
know,
getting
a
B
was
good
enough.
That's
all
they
aspired
towards
and
you.
D
D
Exam
what's
important
is
long-term.
You
developed
the
capability
to
do
well
at
whatever
comes,
and
if
that's
not,
you
know
today
this
week,
that's
fine,
but
if
you're
cheating,
you're,
never
gonna
develop
a
muscle,
and
so
you
know
take
the
grade
whatever
it
may
be,
always
try
your
best
and
you'll
get
there.
D
You
know,
there's
all
this
stuff.
All
this
advice.
It
might
sound
a
little
daunting,
but
I'll
say
that
once
you
start
practicing
good
habits,
it
actually
really
becomes
a
lot
easier.
You
knowing
enclosed
I,
just
want
to
summarize.
You
know,
I
want
you
to
know
that
good
habits
that
you
that
you
practice
now
can
really
put
you
on
a
trajectory
to
to
achieve
anything.
You
know
it
really
doesn't
matter
if
at
the
top
of
the
class
or
the
bottom,
you
know
if
you
have
this
mindset,
you're
gonna
be
increasingly
successful
and
it's
okay.
D
If
you
don't
know
what
you
want
to
do
long-term,
if
you
are
developing
good
habits
and
you
stay
curious,
you
will
discover
your
passions
with
time.
I
do
want
to
say,
though,
that
you
should
pay
special
attention
to
math
and
science.
You
know
these
are
increasingly
the
skills
that
are
necessary
in
a
world
that
is
becoming
much
more
technologically
sophisticated
and
with
a
strong
understanding
of
math
and
science.
You're
gonna
be
really
well
positioned
to
really
participate
in
the
creation
of
this
feature
and
get
a
great
job
in
the
process.
D
D
D
And
and
and
I
believe
in
their
ability
and
their
passion
to
to
develop
your
potential
and
I
want
to
be
sure
that
this
school
and
the
teachers
here
have
the
resources
that
they
need
to
make
the
most
of
their
time
with
you.
I
recently
had
a
lunch
with
mr.
Lin
Chen
do
and
he
outlined
his
priorities
to
me
to
improve
access
to
computer
science
as
well
as
improved
the
science
technology,
engineering
and
math
education
at
the
school,
and
so
with
that
in
mind.
Elizabeth.
D
As
well
as
well
as
for
the
AP
Computer
Science,
Advanced
Placement
computer
science,
education
to
be
improved
and
expanded,
and
you
know
what
I'll
say
is
if
the
STEM
subjects
interest
you,
this
school
should
be
able
to
engage
you
further,
because,
like
my
own
story,
you
know
who
knows
where
that
will
take.
You
I
think
there's
a
lot
of
exciting
possibilities:
I'm,
not
the
only
one
who
feels
really
strongly
about
the
importance
of
PLA.
D
Many
of
my
former
classmates
have
have
commented
to
me
that
they
really
valued
their
time
here,
that
it
prepared
them
well
and
that
they
would
like
to
give
back
too,
and
with
that
in
mind,
I'm
putting
forth
a
challenge.
I
am
offering
up
to
another
1
million
dollars
in
matching
gifts.
Elizabeth
and
I
will
match
anyone's
gift
to
the
school
one
for
one
up
to
a
total
of
1
million
dollars.
D
I'm
hoping
I'm,
hoping
that
this
gift
will
motivate
many
girls
latin
school
alumni,
as
well
as
here's
some
support
in
the
girls
latin
school
alumni,
as
well
as
Betty,
Boston,
Latin
Academy,
Alumni
too,
to
give
back
to
give
back
and
very
importantly,
create
a
sustainable
source
of
supplemental
aid
funds
for
the
school,
for
whatever
may
be
needed,
whether
that's
enhancements
to
the
classroom,
experience,
teacher
development
or
extracurriculars
such
as
athletics
or
music
I'll
end
here
and
take
questions.
Thank
you.
D
I
M
Hi,
my
name
is
Samantha
Lonergan
and
I'm.
A
senior
here
at
the
LA.
I
would
like
to
take
this
opportunity
to
thank
all
of
our
guests
for
participating
in
this
great
celebration.
I
would
also
like
to
thank
mr.
Nathan
Bloch,
our
zyk,
for
his
continuous
support
for
our
school
and
his
commitment
towards
STEM
education,
as
a
current
student
I
feel
really
proud
to
be
connected
to
a
PLA
alum,
who
is
not
only
a
great
businessman,
an
entrepreneur,
but
one
who
returns
to
his
old
school
connects
with
the
student
body
and
gives
back.
M
The
announcement
today
marks
the
beginning
of
an
exciting
new
chapter
in
our
school
history,
but,
more
importantly,
it
marks
the
beginning
of
a
great
new
experience
for
us
students
and
future
alumni.
Now,
I
would
like
to
invite
students
who
have
specific
questions
for
mr.
Nathan
bliss
charvak
to
form
a
line
for
our
Q&A
session.
N
D
Some
of
my
fears
well
look
I.
Think
like
anybody
coming
into
here.
You
know,
I,
didn't
know
a
single
person
frankly
and
then
trying
to
establish
yourself
in
terms
of
who
are
your
friends
gonna
be
where
do
you
fit
in?
You
know,
I,
remember,
being
a
little
bit
lost
for
probably
the
first
month
or
two
frankly,
you
know
you
don't
know
where
to
sit
in
a
lunchroom.
D
You
don't
know
kind
of
who
to
hang
out
with
you
know,
quicks
quickly
start
to
form
yen
was
you
know
one
of
my
first
friends
I
mean
the
relationship
really
started
there
in
the
lunchroom
I
think
you
know,
and
from
there
you
know
you
start
to
establish
yourself
in
Warrington,
but
I'd
say
that
was
the
biggest
thing
I'd
say
you
know.
The
second
thing
is,
you
know,
I,
think
there's
a
different
level
of
expectation
here
in
terms
of
the
homework
and
in
rigor
and
so
I
think
that
was
a
bit
of
adjustment.
O
D
Favorite
favorite
be
La
memory,
you
know,
I
have
so
many
memories
from
the
track
team.
That
was
certainly
a
great
passion
of
mine,
and
you
know
going
to
you
know
all
these
big
meets
and
yeah.
The
great
thing
about
running
I
think
is
that
it's
a
team
sport,
but
also
you
have
that
individual
component,
where
you
have
your
moment,
where
you're
just
on
the
track
in
a
race
and
pushing
it
as
hard
as
you
can,
and
you
got
your
whole
team
cheering
for
you.
D
You
know
as
a
senior
you
know,
wanting
to
always
set
a
personal
record,
but
my
event
was
the
mile
and
I
had
this
goal
to
break
the
five
minute
mile,
and
you
know
up
until
that
point:
I
was
hovering
right
right
around
them
right
around
five
minutes,
five
minutes
three
seconds
or
so
that
last
race
that
got
down
to
four
51.3
so
and
shaving
ten
seconds
off
of
a
five
minute
mile
is
pretty
hired,
and
so
it
was.
It
was
pretty
epic
and
I'll
never
forget
that
it's
a
good
way
to
go
out.
I.
A
Hi
I'm,
Erin
and
I'm
a
senior
at
VLA
I,
was
wondering
since
a
lot
of
seniors
are
in
the
college
admissions
process.
What
was
your
plan
going
into
college,
like?
Obviously
you
got
into
Harvard,
which
is
a
great
achievement
and
I
know
that
you
major,
didn't
commute
and
sorry
I'm
stuttering
that
you
majored
in
computer
science,
but
you
obviously
had
struggles
in
that
and
balancing
you
know,
work
and
school
that
you
had
to
give
a
business.
A
D
Like
what,
where
my
goal
is
going
into
college
yeah,
basically
yeah,
it's
always
super
clear
in
hindsight
right,
but
you're
right
in
the
moment.
It's
a
lot
less
clear
and
so
a
couple
things
going
into
college
I
knew
I
was
interested
in
computers
right.
So
that
was
pretty
clear
and
you
know
actually
I
always
thought
I'd
go
to
MIT
because
of
their
reputation
for
that
and
actually
had
that
choice
and
I
never
really
thought
of
Harvard
in
that
way,
but
turns
out.
D
They
have
a
good
program
and
I
just
visited
both
schools
spent
a
weekend
at
each
and
and
then
ultimately
thought
it
was
the
place
I
felt
most
comfortable
once
I
got
there
if
things
were
good
and
actually
pretty
easy,
the
first
semester
you
know
I
was
prepared
well
here,
I
had
taken
a
lot
of
ATP's
and
stuff,
so
the
first
semester
was
pretty
easy.
Second
was
fine.
My
sophomore
year
got
real,
tough
and,
and
that's
when
I
decided
to
drop
the
business.
D
It's
also
when
I
started
to
have
some
doubts
about
whether
I
should
continue
trying
to
get
a
computer
science
degree.
Yeah
I,
almost
bailed
on
that
and
switch
to
economics,
but
I
made
it
through
a
few
painful
courses
got
probably
few
of
my
lowest
grades.
That
I
had
experienced
the
date
and
and
and
you
know
from
there
it
was
really
tough,
but
you
know
made
it
through
and
and
obviously
that
paid
off.
F
Hello,
my
name
is
Leslie
Martinez,
I'm,
also
senior
and
very
very
confused
about
the
college
process.
But
my
question
is
more
focused
on
kind
of
getting
creative
and
putting
yourself
out
there
because
I
think
I'm
missing
that,
because
I'm
I
guess
I
can
call
myself
a
creative
person
that
really
but
usually
I'm,
very
interested
in
law.
F
I've
taken
a
law,
internship
but
I'm,
also
interested
in
writing
and
in
theatre
and
then
set
design
and
all
that
stuff
and
I
have
a
lot
of
ideas,
but
I,
don't
know
how
to
put
them
into
place
and
I'm
always
scared
that
someone's
gonna
like
dislike
it
and
like
ruin
my
whole
reputation
and
then
I'm
done.
For
so
it's
like
what
advice
do
you
have
for
like
something
like
that
sure.
D
D
The
gentleman
here
has
sure
justice
just
do
I
caught
my
eye,
but,
like
you
got
to
seize
the
moment
and
when
you
see
an
opportunity,
you
know,
there's
there's
an
interesting
thing
about
the
story:
I
shared
and
if
I
elaborated
on
it,
two
things
one
there's
an
element
of
serendipity
right,
there's
some
kind
of
good
luck.
That
happened
along
the
way.
There's
also
an
element
of
seizing
the
moment
right
and
recognizing.
D
When
there's
an
opportunity
in
front
of
you
and
leaning
in
and
just
just
see
what
happens
like
when
the
fellow
called
me
and
said,
I'll
pay,
you
$1,000
to
write
a
program,
you
know
just
you
know
that
might
have
been
true,
might
not
have
been
true,
but
just
get
in
there.
Do
it
and
see
what
happens
and
I
think
if
you're,
if
you're,
leaning
into
opportunities
and
learning
through
the
process,
you've
got
nothing
to
lose.
Eventually,
it's
just
a
matter
of
time
before
that
pays
off.
D
K
D
Perfect
environment
to
study
in
well
I
think
that's
probably
depends
on
the
person.
For
me,
as
I
mentioned
running,
was
really
important
and
I.
You
know,
after
running
of
these
endorphin
high,
where
I
found
that
I
could
just
really
sit
down
and
focus.
You
know,
I
could
get
two
hours
of
like
real
concentration
and
real
productivity,
and
so
I
think
that
was
a
big
part
of
my
success
and
studying
and
and
getting
the
homework
done.
But
you
know
to
each
their
own.
G
D
D
You
know
I
think
it
probably
goes
back
to
some
of
the
things
I
mentioned,
which
is
you
know,
one,
don't
don't
fear
failure
right
lean
into
challenges
and
actually
make
sure
you're
always
being
challenged
if
you're
not
being
challenged
to
change.
Something
always
try
your
best
I'd
say
you
know
you
go
much
further
as
a
team
than
you
will
ever
on
your
own
and
so
developing
those
friendships.
Those
connections
will
create
opportunities,
and
you
know
when
there's
an
opportunity
in
front
of
you.
D
D
Networking
I
mean
there's
all
kinds
of
networking
right,
I
mean
there's
when
you,
when
you
hear
that
you
think
of
kind
of
like
a
formal
thing
of
like
you
know,
going
to
events
and
but
I
think
networking
is
happening.
You
know
every
day,
I
think,
first
and
foremost,
it's
for
you
guys.
It's
happening
right
here
right,
it's
your
friends
and
all
of
you
will
go
off
to
do
different
things
in
lives
in
your
lives
and-
and
you
know
those
are
connections
and
friendships.
They
come
back
around
and
create
opportunity.
D
D
Likewise
in
the
workplace.
You
know,
as
you
go
out
and
do
your
first
job
etc.
You
know
those
are
all
just
very
valuable
connections.
I'd
say
you
know.
Every
person
you
meet
is
really
an
opportunity
that
may
come
back
around
it's
hard
to
say
which
one.
But
you
know
all
those
relationships
really
matter.
P
D
It's
hard,
but
it's
also
fun.
You
know
it's
it's
fun
when
you
once
you
really
get
into
something,
and
you
start
building
that
confidence
and
you
start
excelling,
it
is
really
fun.
You
know,
but
I'd
say
even
before
that
it's
it's
your
friends
and
your
peers
right
that
create
the
accountability
and
you
know,
support
you.
D
I
talked
about
my
friend
yet
over
here
it
was
fun
studying
together
and
you
know,
if
I
didn't
do
my
homework,
he
would
call
me
out
on
it
or
vice
versa,
and
we
would
compete
with
each
other
and
see
who
would
get
the
highest
grade,
that
that
made
the
whole
thing
fun.
I
mean
I,
can't
say
that
any
part
of
it
wasn't
fun,
but
I
will
say
it
was
all
hard
work,
and
that
is
obviously
hard,
but
the
two
things
are
not
in
conflict
with
each
other.
D
Well,
I
know:
how
do
my
classmates
add
some
pretty
pretty
fun
experiences
that
you
know,
maybe
at
the
time
I
was
eleven
BSF
but
I'm
not
sure.
Maybe
I
would
have
gotten
in
trouble
if
I'd
done
those
things
things
outside
of
school,
no
I,
don't
know
you
know.
Obviously
I
I
think
I've
made
the
most
of
my
my
time
here
and
you
know
the
most
memorable
part
of
senior
year
was,
you
know,
probably
track
for
me.
D
E
D
What
I
will
say
is
that
you
know
over
the
course
of
high
school
I
did
develop
a
confidence
and
also
when
I
went
out
Silicon
Valley,
you
know,
there's
so
many
success
stories
that
come
out
of
Silicon
Valley
and
when
I
went
there
and
I
started
to
meet
the
people
that
were
involved
in
all
this.
You
know,
I,
said
I
know
what
they
know:
I'm
confident
my
abilities
relative,
their
capabilities,
and
so
you
know
I
did
think
it
was
only
a
matter
of
time
before
I
had
some
sort
of
big
success.
D
H
D
Yeah
great
question,
and
hopefully
those
two
things:
don't
have
to
be
mutually
exclusive,
but
a
couple
things
I'd
say
is
one.
You
know,
find
your
people
right,
I'm
sure,
there's
other
students
here
that
feel
the
same
way.
I
thought
I'd
heard
a
couple:
people
there
we
go
at
least
one
other
person
know
I'm
their
course
is
others
here
who
who
have
the
same
interests
as
you.
D
So
you
know
create
those
connections,
work
with
each
other,
get
inspired
from
each
other
and
then,
like
with
my
story,
I
was
posting
my
work
on
the
internet
and
at
first
nothing
happened
for
about
two
years.
Nothing
happened,
and
it
also
does
something
happened,
and
so
you
never
know.
But
I
was
you
know,
especially
the
arts.
You
can,
you
know,
have
a
portfolio
you
can
show
off
your
work.
You
know
get
feedback.
Ideas
maybe
find
partners
to
collaborate
with
whether
that's
in
school
or
out
of
school
I.
D
Q
D
D
Well,
look
the
last
ten
eleven
years
have
been
a
rocketship
and
we've
expanded
globally
we've
added
new
product
offerings,
so
we
don't
just
offer
homes.
We
also
offer
experiences
and
I
think
there's
a
lot
more.
We
can
do
with
our
large
community
of
guests
and
hosts
that
we've
developed.
So
there's
a
lot
of
potential.
There's
a
lot
of
growth.
Yeah
comment
too
much
about
the
future,
especially
right
now
some
of
the
plans
we
have
for
2020
and
and
as
we've
stayed
in
the
news
plans
to
go
public,
so
I
think
it's
gonna
be
very
exciting.
D
D
There
are
so
many
jumping-off
points
and
the
new
opportunity
I
can't
think
of
a
better
vehicle
to
take
us
to
new
places
and
I
also
like
to
say
that
every
every
week
something
happens
that
I
could
have
never
imagined,
and
so
it
makes
it
really
interesting
for
me,
and
it
means
that
I'm
always
still
learning
and
being
challenged.
So
that's
how
I
think
about
the
future.
Thank
you.
J
So
hi,
my
name
is
Leah,
as
you
can
think
sorry,
I'm
the
senior
class
president.
So
my
question
was
more
from
like
an
economic
standpoint.
As
far
as
running
your
business,
it's
kind
of
like
around
the
lines
of
networking
as
well.
So
what
advice
would
you
have
to
somebody
who's,
also
interested
in
starting
their
own
business,
like
as
far
as
like
a
plan
or
making
sure
that
you
have
the
right
network?
I?
Guess
it's
speaking
to
the
right
people,
interacting
with
the
right
people
and
like
just
taking
advantage
of
your
opportunities.
J
D
I
mean
first,
let's
say
yeah,
think
about
who
the
team
is,
and
so
you
know
you
can
certainly
go
out
on
your
own,
but
in
my
case,
I
had
two
co-founders
I.
Think
it's
really
valuable
to
have
co-founders,
because
for
a
couple
of
reasons
one,
if
you
can
get
complimentary
capabilities
like
I
mentioned
I
was
the
engineer
they
were
designers
together.
D
You
to
you
know,
be
realistic
about
the
timeline.
You
know
these
things
actually
take
a
lot
longer
than
one
would
initially
expect
it's
hard
and
I
see.
Most
people
just
give
up
nine
months
into
it.
When
the
burn
starts
to
happen.
The
burn
is
like
when
you
realize
that
you're
you're
burning
your
money.
Basically,
right
you're
you're
accruing
debt,
you
still
got
a
you
have
expenses
but
you're,
not
making
any
money.
D
There's
no
investors
giving
you
money,
and
so
everybody
goes
through
this,
but
you
got
to
mentally,
prepare
it
and
budget
for
that
in
terms
of
actually
meeting
investors.
Look,
this
can
happen
in
many
different
ways.
I
think
a
warm
introduction
is
always
the
best.
How
does
that
happen?
In
the
case
of
us,
our
first
investor
was
a
dinner
guest
to
the
accelerator
program
that
we
were
a
part
of,
and
the
investor
was
the
guest
speaker
that
night
and
the
the
guy
who
run
ran
the
accelerator
program.
D
You
know
basically
pulled
the
guest
speaker
aside,
said:
hey.
You
got
to
check
these
guys
out
there
they're
doing
really
well
in
this
batch.
You
know
sit
down
with
them
for
5-10
minutes
and
that's
where
we
made
a
connection
that
kind
of
warm
introduction
and
I
think
that's
how
it
often
happens.
Now
where
that
warm
introduction
comes
from,
is
it's
different
every
time,
but
it
is
very
valuable.
I'd
also
say:
you've
got
certain
investors,
you
know
focus
on
certain
areas
figuring
out.
D
Who
are
the
investors
that
kind
of
cover
your
area,
and
you
can
you
can
figure
that
out
by
looking
at
other
companies
that
might
be
similar
to
what
you
want
to
do
and
saying
who
are
their
investors
right?
You
can
quickly
make
a
list
of
like
these.
Are
the
investors
interested
in
this
space,
but
ideally
you
find
somebody
who
can
make
a
warm
introduction.
D
I'll
say
one
more
thing
on
that
topic:
just
real,
quick
because
I
think
it's
interesting,
which
is
it's
not
just
about
your
idea
or
what
you're
trying
to
do.
It's
also
about
you,
as
an
individual
and
this
accelerator
program
that
we
were
a
part
of
turns
out
the
guy
who
ran
the
program.
He
really
did
not
like
our
idea
at
all,
but
he
led
us
into
the
program
because
he
believed
in
the
three
of
us
that
he
saw
that
we
were
a
strong,
complementary
team
and
that
we
were
super
scrappy.
D
He
could
make
things
happen,
and
so
he
later
told
us
he's
like
I,
had
no
faith
in
your
idea,
but
the
ideas
can
change
the
team.
Can't
you
know
it's
really
hard
to
change
the
team.
Once
a
company
gets
underway,
often
times
they'll
tell
people
fall
apart.
If
the
founding
members
go
in
different
directions,
so
he
placed
a
bet
on
the
team
and
many
investors
think
the
same
way,
especially
in
the
early
stage.
D
I
So
we
are
coming
to
the
end
before
we
do
that.
I
do
want
to
thank
a
couple
of
people.
I
do
want
to
thank,
as
always
the
alumni
for
coming
everybody
who
came
out
for
this
special
day.
I.
Do,
however,
also
want
to
thank
our
fabulous
families
and
parents
made
this
day
happen
and
the
the
you
know
the
heads
of
the
Alumni
Board.
They
were
very
special
for
us
today.