It's about the people you do things with

I am riding a high from the hack. It was such a great experience because of who I had around me. Everything in my life is about the people I do things with, and the right people can make any experience amazing. Connection is such a fundamental part of the human experience, and I am glad we are able to celebrate and make memories together outside of the hack. We capitalized on the opportunity to try out the Stanford dining hall, their in house chef’s food, and exploring the campus together.

Steven threw his birthday party at his place after the hack, and it served as a double celebration for us. It was such a blast. Even though partying too hard may have led to some messy and somewhat concerning situations, it was all in good fun. We are all willing to take care of each other no matter how messy things get without an ounce of judgement. Isn’t this such a special community to have? Everyone instinctively stepped up to help. Whether it was fetching water or simply being there to watch over someone, we all had each other’s backs. It is these moments of vulnerability that often become the strongest threads that connect us to each other.

Some of my closest friendships have formed through these tech events. There’s something magical about bonding over broken code at 3 AM, sharing that collective “oh shit” moment when things go wrong, and then turning all these experiences into inside jokes that we will remember for years. We will all remember the moments of happiness and despair we experienced together, while the technical challenges will become mere blurs.

My achievements are memorable, and my troubles are insignificant because they are shared with others.