2019

New York City..

In 2016, I went to Italy for a “thinking trip” before I went into politics.

In 2019, I went back to Italy again. The question in mind was not IF I should move to New York but WHY did I want to move to New York? Was I running away from LA or was I running to New York? And why the heck am I aways running?

To this day, I still don’t know the answer. However, I knew that I’d regret not giving New York City a real shot. I knew that I would rather fail than to wonder what could’ve been. I made a list of everybody I knew in the city, the companies I’d like to join, and the civic organizations I was connected to. For a month, it was one phone interview after another and one rejection after another. I was not one to expect much from others but the list quickly fell apart. It felt like nobody cared. I was tired of asking, tired of not hearing back, and tired of waiting.

On March 7th, I packed my bags and hopped on a flight without a job or an apartment.

I still clearly remember my first day: I arrived on the redeye flight, took a nap on the floor of the airport, rushed to an interview, an informational meeting, a VC pitch event, and ate a slice of pizza on the corner of 25th and 6th before I met up my friend and her colleagues for drinks (I was in the process of interviewing with her company).

In New York City, The heaviness of expectations was instantly replaced by the lightness of starting over.

In hindsight, I was silly to think that this was a restart. Everything I have done led me to a fairly smooth transition. My friends hosted me, cooked for me, and even offered to do my laundry. Because I left so abruptly, I spent my downtime texting friends in LA informing them that I had just taken a leap. More often than not, I was then connected with a new friend, in-laws, and even grandparents!

In my first 7 days, I went to 2 VC meetings, 2 interviews, 2 Rotary events, met the local JCI members, did standup comedy in Brooklyn, volunteered to give away computers to low-income families in the Bronx, went to Hillsongs & saw Carl Lentz (Bieber’s pastor), attended a friend’s art show, connected with the Lieutenant Governor of NY, and had dinner with one of the most powerful woman on earth.

Even though I was turned down from many companies I had applied to, the energy of New York mixed with some occasional good news kept me in good spirits. I wasn’t just looking for a job - I was looking for something I can fully immerse myself in. I said no to stability and searched for potential of growth. I wanted to work really hard. 32 days later, I joined an education startup as CEO. 8 months later (as I am writing this), we are ready to raise another round.

In a few months, I’ll write about my 1 year in NYC.

Last year, I said that I’ve never been in a better mental and financial state of my life. I lied.

This year, I’ve never been in a better mental and financial state of my life.

I live in one of the most chaotic cities in the world and yet my mind is so quiet, focused, and still. Most days, I wake up feeling grateful.

In 2020, I will strive to be more intentional of sharing the stories on this journey. I’d like to get back into mentoring teenagers as well as humanitarian work that has been missing.