Do what others won't with their "quality education"

True ownership requires sacrifice.

It’s not something you purchase at the store or download from a website — it’s a mindset. One that’s cultivated over decades of clubs, labs, and late nights.

In college, I joined the anime club, the Tae Kwon Do club, and a multicultural dance team. By the time I graduated, I had become the librarian, an instructor, and a choreographer. It was exhausting and stressful, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I sacrificed a part of my GPA to contribute beyond my academic pursuits. I wasn’t particularly gifted at time management, but I did it because it felt right, because it meant something to me, and because I, like any good anime enthusiast, believe in equivalent exchange (IYKYK).

The funny part is: the more you do, the more time you make.

Throughout graduate school, I continued performing and choreographing. Despite my introvertive nature, it kept me engaged and interested in the world beyond the lab. It reminded me that the degrees I pursued weren’t just for myself. I was doing it to position for impact.

There was nothing Machiavellian about it. I never held official leadership positions for long. I just wanted to add my voice, my moves, my ideas. The cool part was that despite never holding any titles, I became someone to turn to when things got hectic; a backup, a sounding wall, an advisor.

That kind of power is something you embody, not demand.

Education is essential.

• For freedom.

• For critical thinking.

• For a better society.

The fact that it is always among the first institutions dismantled by authoritarian regimes should remind you exactly how dangerous it is to their pursuit of power. That kind of regression from democracy only works when those they wish to rule to abandon the mindset that learning requires personal investment.

Your ability to internalize knowledge builds upon your formal education, but it’s not the degrees that set you apart.

The ace up your sleeve is how you apply information, the intent with which you recombine and create something new, and the discipline to share it with others. Asking technology to think for you is like tossing the raw ingredients for lasagna into a pan and calling it dinner. AI can assemble. But only Humans curate, create, and push beyond what currently exists.

The act of choosing, combining, and cooking — that is where true mastery is born.

Want to stand out?

Sacrifice towards something greater than yourself.

Apply what you learn every single day — as a parent, a professional, and a person. You don’t fit neatly into a box to be repackaged and sold. Your knowledge and experience are meant to be shared but requires sacrifice to have an impact.

That’s how your education puts you in the 1%.

When was the last time you learned a skill and applied it to your daily life?