Gifted

Long sat on book idea...

A sophomore in high school shocks his opponent during the state high school basketball final game. This leads to a series of events opening him up to a new amazing world he is a part of. However just as he begins to feel accepted he realizes that there is more to this world than meets the eye. As tensions rise, and problems present themselves, Kevin finds himself, still a fledgling, at the center of it all.

Goal #1 for 2017...

 

Craft a new sound combining Tropical House, Afro House, Hip Hop, Afrobeat, Afropop, and Igbo Highlife.

"Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Zulu Empire" (5/23/2014)

I knew this would be an amazing documentary after the 1:30 intro gave me goosebumps! A great documentary presented by Dr. Gus Casely Hayford which was very informative, insightful, and inspiring. I will definitely finish the rest of the "Lost Kingdoms of Africa" series and pick out some of the key positive details to put towards my "African Apotheosis" work.

Highlights from the movie for me had to be the the description of the "horn of the bull" military tactic the Zulu's used to win many of their battles, and the account on the life of Shaka—the man behind the formation of the great Zulu empire.

Again great documentary, and a compelling watch if you have the time.

C.K. Ukaga

Why I Knew I Would Be A Founder Someday

                I owe my desire and will to be my own boss to my parents. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on my living room floor in Duluth, Minnesota for hours on end, surrounded by piles of Legos at my feet. I would have an idea about something to build: a car, or a boat, or a house, and I would construct a model, then refine it, then refine it even further, until I built something I was truly proud of, at which point I would start again from scratch. The idea that I could create whatever I dreamed of with just the right amount of trying enthralled me and I remember passing days simply lost in my own world of creative discovery, tinkering away with my Legos.

                It was in this environment that I distinctly remember a conversation I had with my dad. I couldn’t have been more than four years old, and again like the previous few days, I had spent hours alone, not talking, tinkering away with my Legos. My father had come in from the kitchen, smiled and me and remarked, “Who knows, maybe someday you can build real houses as a civil engineer!”

                The idea had never even crossed my mind of being able to build houses for a living! But who could have blamed me…I wasn’t even in Kindergarten yet. Nonetheless, the seed he planted in my young mind that day stayed with me all throughout elementary school and up until middle school when I decided I didn’t just want to build the houses but design them as well. From 6^th grade on anyone who asked me was sure to get the answer that when I grew up, I wanted to be a Civil Engineering and an Architect.

                But that, however, was not where the true entrepreneurial spirit was kindled in me. Instead, when I was in 3^rd grade, knowing at this point that I had aspirations to be a “civil engineer and build houses”, my father had told me, “When you finish college and start building houses, I’ll help you set up your own company so you can be your own boss.” Having spent his late high school and early college years in Nigeria doing contracting work, my father had already worked in the design & build industry and was willing to help me get started. But what may have been an honest remark on his behalf to a young me to look forward to help after I graduated, instead instilled an idea in my head that would impact the trajectory of my entire life from that point on. I decided then and there, at a very young age, that no matter what it took or whatever I did, when I finished college, I would be my own boss.

                Growing up I began to flex my entrepreneurial muscles early on, however I could. In elementary school it was packing extra bags of animal crackers for snack which I would sell for $3 apiece to friends who forget their own snacks during snack time. After my mom caught wind of my side project and stopped that venture, I quickly started a new business: trading cards. In the heyday of Yugioh! and Pokémon, I devised a new trading card game with my siblings and friends at school. Naturally, I managed the creation and integrity of the game…meaning the best cards could only be made (and sold) by myself. Despite the tenacity with which I advanced this new project, this scheme also saw a premature death as my teacher stopped the unregulated, unruly, black market my friends and I started that began distracting all the boys in our class.

                Later on in my elementary career I helped out in more “established” methods by working and helping manage the school store, but as soon as I reached middle school, I was back to my anti-administration vending ways.

                Throughout high school, the focus shifted to sports and academics as my plan for the future was set. Go to school for architecture and engineering. The day I’m licensed, start my own firm and never work for anyone else again. However, I did not see the luxury of that reality as I worked at a pizza shop and prepared myself to go to college only to acquire tremendous amounts of student loan debt. To me, the idea of being my own boss was slipping away.

                Luckily two amazing things happened to me in 2013 that would rekindle and make my childhood dream a reality. First of all, I decided to attend the University of Pittsburgh on a full-tuition scholarship, meaning I would only have to worry about housing and food costs, severely cutting the amount of student loan debt I would procure. Second came during winter break 2013. As my high school track friends and I sat in the basement of my parents’ home in Woodbury, Minnesota. That night we had begun talking about how we all planned to end up paying off our college loan debt in the future. This conversation quickly turned to how we could make money…and make it fast…and make it now. However, after thinking for a little longer and a little more logically, we came to the conclusion that we wanted to develop something that would help people. Those we knew and those we might never meet.

                This was the conversation that birthed GLIMPSE and sitting here, two and a half years later, it is funny to see how the seeds my father planted all those years ago have slowly come to fruition in this venture with my team. 2014 saw us struggle, and fall, and succeed, then fall again, all the while learning entrepreneurship through trial and error. 2015 was a little better. We finally developed a basic application, but also witnessed the struggles of delivering on time to partners we work with and the expectations that come from taking investments from others outside the founding team. We were able to film for The Startup Hour, attend the Forbes Under 30 Summit, as well as participate in the Blast Furnace Accelerator at Pitt and the Lorentz Hatchery Program in Des Moines. We raised amounts of capital we didn’t dream about a year prior…but we were still not where we wanted to be.

                Now in 2016, as we look to loftier goals, though they may seem daunting and intimidating at times, I only need to look at the past to have reassurance that I have the right team and work ethic to continue to succeed.

                The idea that I could create whatever I dreamed of with just the right amount of trying enthralled me as I passed endless days toying with Legos as a toddler. Now, I know with the same creativity and determination, GLIMPSE will be a reality by the end of 2016.

December 23rd, 2013

Dear Gentlemen,

I hope that you are all doing well today, and this letter finds you all in good health. I believe that this break has really allowed us to get a good rest after the tremendous amount of effort we put towards our first semester of college, but I also believe that by the end of this break my life will have changed forever. I still remember the quote from Turner's driver on November 21st "Don't act like successful person, be a successful person." That stuck with me for 2 reasons. The first was it helped me reevaluate what I was doing in life. Yeah we sent out drivers and hustled in school, but we were all talking big but doing not much. I understood that if I wanted to be successful I had to walk the walk, and not just talk the talk. Second it drove me. I decided on that day that I would...no I decided on that day that I MUST become something, not later, not when I graduated, but NOW. That is why this break has truly been a blessing for me. I have not had a single night with 8 hours of sleep since the day Jonathan, Chris, Ethan, and I talked at Ethan's house. I am not saying that to brag, I am saying that because you guys need to know that you have lit a spark or started something in me that is not stoppable. I no longer can quench the thirst I have for knowledge, satisfy my hunger to succeed, I will not stop till I make it. I have set up my undergraduate course of study and attached if tor you guys to see. I have reedited my goals for the next year and attached that as well. I revised the prologue and a couple sections of my book (I attached the prologue and half of a chapter), and I will continue to strive for success. You see, we can say a lot of great words and motivate each other till Kingdom Come, but I decided that I have had enough of planning and waiting. 2013 was a good year, but 2014 will be great. By the end of 2014 I want to have accomplished greatness, no excuses.

Inspiration: Today I was reading about the growing phenomenon of the bitcoin. I recalled Chris talking to me about this earlier during break, and after reading an article on it I did extensive research into this new crypto-currency. I still have not fully grasped the entire concept of this enterprise, however what I have learned is simply astonishing. Basically, Satoshi Nakamoto, a name used to veil the true identity of the person(s), developed software for an online currency. This currency started out nearly valueless, but has grown to nearly worth $1,500 per bitcoin. This currency is no longer controlled by Nakamoto who open-sourced the entire project to the public. Essentially this means that bitcoin is a currency owned by the people for the people. 
Currency is generated by solving complex math problems which increase in difficulty as the volume of bitcoins in circulation increases. Confusing...I know, but what is inspiring is that one anonymous individual or group of individuals developed a self sustaining self regulating online currency that could one day replace the governmental currency we use today. Nakamoto simply had a vision that was executed and could have world wide implications. Though I do not fully grasp the entire concept behind this new technology I have no doubt that I will continue to do further research it. I believe that bitcoin is not just a fad, and that those who invest or look into it now will see prosperity in the future. Gentlemen, look at this as inspiration for positive change in the world. We may never know the true identity of Nakamoto, but no one can deny that he/she/they may have greatly changed the course of history forever. Let us strive to make positive earth shaking advancements in our respective fields, not for our own personally glory, but for the advancement of society as a whole and for the prosperity of future humans.

Also, I want to add that I have been really inspired by two events since my last driver. The first would be the Woodbury High School League Chapter. Throughout our disagreement on how to handle them, Ethan and I fought over two ideas. The first point was that we did not have precedence when setting up our league chapter, and because of that fact, we were not obligated to ensure the success of the current high school chapter...if they were not driven they were not League level. The second conflicting point was that even though we did not have precedence in setting up a league chapter, we did have mentors and upperclassmen who mentored us as we grew. So even if we did not mentor our league chapter as "League Overseers" we still had a duty as friends to look out for them. However, the "Little League" has shown in the past month that they have a desire and independent streak of their own. They managed to band together, despite our passive leadership, and collect 200 lbs. of clothes to donate as part of their clothing drive. I just want you guys to remember that is what we are working for. Those guys look up to us, they want to be like us. They admire us. So when school is hitting you left and right and you don't think you can take it anymore, stop crying for yourself and study for those who are relying on you. Work hard for those who are not given your opportunities in life. Strive because you cannot bear to fail and let your fans down. At this point in our lives we have to realize that it is more than about us now. Forget making your family proud, if you are League level you owe personal ambition to the world...you swore on that. You owe your best to the world...you swore on that. You must make sure you give everything you've got and then some because if there is even a doubt in your mind that you have somehow cheated those who admire you by taking a break you have failed them. We always say we want to change the world and do big things right? Well it starts by setting a positive example for our fans...do not let them down. The second thing that has inspired me this break has been the drive I have seen in each of you guys I have spent extensive time with. I can tell by the sound of your guy's drivers that each of you is doing work towards enacting change, but I have spent a lot of time with Ethan, Chris, and John these past few days and this experience has been life changing. They say being surrounded by people who are successful helps motivate you for success and I believe that is true, however I have never been around these guys like this before. Each of them has reached a new level of ambition I have never seen in them before. Primarily, I remember in high school (Chris John and Ethan will tell you themselves) they saw no point to working extremely hard academically. However now John is taking GRADUATE level Spanish classes while Ethan and Chris are talking about graduating summa cum laude (with the highest possible honors). Chris is steady learning French and he somehow learned to play the piano...very well!! Ethan is spitting off Italian in such a way you wouldn't believe he'd been studying it for no more than a year. John and Ethan are actually consistently working out!!! I can't tell you how crazy this is to me. Chris and Ethan are talking about writing books, John's talking about Interning Abroad. Ethan's set on going to Italy this Summer, Chris to Britain next Winter!! Just being around this has pushed me to working at max capacity. That is why I have been neglecting sleep, that is why I have been studying ahead for classes this spring. I know that we are unique but unique means nothing if we have nothing to show for it. We must continue to work hard to achieve our goals and aspirations because if we can complete our undergraduate careers how we currently intend to...nothing in this world can stop the League of Gentlemen.

Encouragement: One of my favorite quote of all time comes from the Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. He said: “Where your talents and the needs of the world cross; there lies your vocation.”What does this mean? Well, the world is always changing, people are always growing, and as time progresses the needs of the world will adapt accordingly. There is a desperate need for people with proficiency in coding in the modern world. Contritely, I don't believe that Ancient Egypt was concerned with HTML, CSS, or Phyton coders. This just goes to show that at any period in time there are certain needs in the world that need to be met. Socrates understood that, but he even took it a step further by explicitly calling on peoples talents. At this moment I want you guys to reflect for about a minute or two...actually do this...and think about what your talents are (think of your five major ones). When you believe you have them written down make sure they are talents and not sentences about yourself, this is not asking for a biography it is asking about what particularly skills you are good at or what areas you excel in...Do you have those now? Okay good, now I would like you to list the 10 biggest problems you see in the modern world now, and in the next 30-40 years (e.g. the Environment, or depletion of fossil fuels). Make sure you put serious thought into these... Now, I did the same task and I uploaded my document. Open it now it is called "My Task". You will probably see serious differences in our talent section, however a few of our problems should overlap. I asked you guys to do this for a reason. Not so you could brag about yourselves and then look sadly over the problems you anticipate in the future. I would like you to now think about how you or your fellow gentlemen could help combat these problems you see fast approaching. Refer to my skills, your own, and those you know that other League members posses. We must remember that we have been given unique talents, and put in the special position we are in today. As I told Chris yesterday, we are not better than anybody, we are not special, we simply are thinking ahead of many of our peers. Because of this, someday we may be looked at as leaders in society, or tasked to remedy the concerns of the future. This is why I brought up the quote. As Socrates said, “Where your talents and the needs of the world cross; there lies your vocation.” So gentlemen, though the future may in fact be years away, begin to think now in the present what solutions may be enacted to solve the problems that may present themselves. Because, if you truly want to serve the world in the future as a leader, you must be ready for the tasks you will be expected to oversee.

Testimonial: I do not have much to say that has not already been said in this driver. I am ready for 2014 to arrive, I have nearly completed my Winter Break checklist to prepare myself for the coming year, I have taken the necessary steps to ensure I will begin the next term successfully, and I plan to do nothing but grind at my max level this coming year. I do anticipate there will be hardships, but I will get through them. With that said, I will complete my goals for 2014, without a doubt. At this point I would like for you guys to read my revised goals for 2014...they are probably a better testimonial to how I feel right now. Also, if you have time, I would appreciate if you guys would read the prologue and first piece of my book and send me comments (or criticisms) on it. Lastly, I have included a copy of my undergraduate course of study plan for you guys to see (especially Chris since he requested I send it to him). It is basically a detailed account of all the courses I plan to take, and everything I plan to do in the next 5 years at the University of Pittsburgh. In conclusion...I am ready to get this new year started.

Furthermore: I would like to thank each of you guys for the drive you have instilled in me and the change you have helped bring about in my life. I owe each of you guys a tremendous amount of credit for where I am today, and for whatever I do in fact accomplish in 2014. Without these drivers...2013 would have had an entirely different end to the year, but I am grateful that I have a solid team to support me as I grow. Likewise, I am here for all of you guys whenever you need me, and I am hoping and praying that each of you guys will also succeed and do amazing things in 2014. No more planning and waiting, we must seize the times and achieve all that we have been talking about. Now is the time to act, now is the time to make moves, now is the time for the League of Gentlemen to emerge on a global scale...whose with me? Remember, greatness is not an accident, it is the habit formed from repeated success.

Let's welcome in the new age,

Chukwuemeka K. Ukaga

December 13th, 2013

Dear Gentlemen,

I hope this letter finds you all in a positive position working towards the completion of your semesters. Regardless of how you feel your finals will turn out each of you have earned a well deserved break. Many of the previous drivers were focused more on motivation towards the preparing and performance for our finals, but we are nearing the end of that phase in our semesters. Hence, this driver will deviate from the motivational tone most of our drivers have had for a while, and will help begin the transition into our breaks.

Inspiration: A handshake. That is all that it was and yet it has sent shock-waves through the diplomatic and news world. At the memorial for the late Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama shook hands with current Cuban leader Raul Castro exchanged a few words, and then moved on. However, this is the first time in nearly 13 years that physical interaction has occurred between leaders of the U.S. and Cuba. This has begun talks on relaxed tensions between the U.S. and Cuba, newspapers have printed countless articles about this 10 second interaction, and it all comes from a simple handshake. I explain this situation to you guys today because it is amazing that despite all the chaos unfolding on the different corners of the world, despite the countless number of children fighting as child soldiers in the continent of my ancestors, and despite the fact that our government barely passed another bill to ward off financial instability today while ensuring financial ruin down the road, the press is concerned with a simple handshake. As you guys can tell, I like to over-analyze situations. From this particular one I have taken two major points. The first is that the world is a cruel but honest place. The reason this is such a big matter is because of the heightened status of these two individuals from rival countries. Quite simply, if you "matter" people will care, but if you "don't matter" they will just as quickly turn a blind eye to you in your time of need. It is a sad truth, but a vital fact that one who wants to change the world must keep in mind. Until you are somebody no one will care what you are doing, or what your plans are. Once you have become accomplished, and until your downfall or demise, people listen intensively to your every word. The moral is don't get comfortable on the top and be careful that you truly know who your true friends are. The second observation I made was that while these figures who attract tremendous attention have a lot of influence not all of them use it for the right purpose. It is easy to get comfortable at the top and neglect those you should care for or even represent. For instance, I earlier mentioned how Congress managed to pass another bill that takes the pressure off of our financial constraints. I am trying to simplify this for the sake of time, but the essence of the matter is Congress refuses to get its finances under control, and uses the fate of our country's financial stability time and time again to try and sway the public in support of a certain party's political agenda. Neither wishes to compromise, and eventually their bickering will lead to a disastrous fate for our country. Meanwhile we spiral deeper in debt, and watch as our politicians come from a smaller and smaller pool of entitled, well-off, privately funded individuals. I am not here to complain about the state of our nation, but I simply want to shed light for you guys on what I see as a big problem in our society. If we truly want to see drastic change in the way our country is run, we need to drastically change the demographic of our countries leaders. We can watch, learn, and prepare ourselves to one day accept similar roles, but in the meantime we must actively prepare ourselves in such a way that positive change, and innovative opportunities can come from our leadership. We must be a beacon of positive change in the world around us. So someday when major press and news networks are talking about one of our brief handshakes, let the developed gentleman we have become be as morally concerned as he is publicly appreciated.

Encouragement: I would like to to talk about the momentous accomplishment of our fellow League member Ethan! He has secured the first copyright of any member in the League, and I personally wish him the best in the future of his movie. I have been able to read a considerable part of the script and I can already say that this is something I would love to see in reality, keep up the good work bro I'm right behind you 100%. On that note I would like to encourage all of you to follow through with Ethan's suggestion of writing out your goals. I personally believe that having goals on paper, in a place you can go back and read is very powerful. It helps bring you back to the mind-state you were in when you set those goals and can help you accomplish them even when faced with strong adversity. Also I know that in the past week I have felt very overwhelmed, but one of my favorite quotes by Og Mandino helped me get through it. The quote reads:

"I will persist until I succeed. Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult.... I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking."

So if the grind gets hard for you gentlemen (or if it has been hard) and you feel like you just want to quit, remember...just another step. One step is not too hard. One more problem won't hurt. One more set can't kill you. Though I assure you that the sum of you extra effort will someday make all the difference.

Testimonial: I completed my Engineering Analysis final on Monday, and my Physics final earlier on Thursday My Chemistry and Calculus finals are tomorrow and I plan to go in confidently and prepared to succeed. I have submitted my list of goals for next year, and I plan to stick to it and accomplish everything I have set out for myself. This break I will plan out the rest of my academic career, and will begin to apply for study abroad scholarships. I pray that I don't run into any problems that I can't handle, and I know that God is leading me in the right direction. I promise you guys I will aid you to the best of my abilities to accomplish your goals for the next year, and I look forward to a future I can positively impact.

Furthermore: I challenge each of you guys to stay humble, to remember that we are nothing yet, and that we have to cash in our potential for long lasting accomplishments. Remember to focus on what will matter 5, 10, or 20 years from now, and not always on immediate results. Next Monday we look forward to hearing from Kris, and I look forward to seeing many of you over this Christmas Break.

Be Great,

Chukwuemeka K. Ukaga

December 5th, 2013

Morning Gentlemen,

I hope the day finds you healthy, enthusiastic, and ready for action. If you do not feel like all three of those things, I will try my utmost to rekindle that fire in you. It is my desire to prepare you all to succeed today. It is my desire to prepare you all for greatness today. It is my DUTY to ensure I put my best effort into bringing forth your talent and abilities to conquer the challenges that dare to face you today. So let's get started. (Note: this will be a longer driver, read it early in the day, but wait till you have about 20 minutes to read it in its entirety.)

Inspiration: Detroit yesterday was given the legal right to cut the pensions of thousands of retired individuals to deal with their current debt crisis. Due to the mismanagement of money on the executive level, and the eventual bankruptcy of a major city, many people will spend the rest of their lives cheated out of what they worked for...In other news the Yankees just signed Jacoby Ellsbury just last night. I am not much of a baseball guy, but this man is obviously a commodity because he was able to garner up a 7 year deal world $153 million. Why juxtapose these two issues, or talk about baseball in a daily driver? For two major reasons actually. 

The most obvious one is that one man last night got assurance that for the next 7 years (and many years after that) he will be living well off. He will be rich for many years to come, his kids, his spouse, his family and friends, basically anyone connected to him will benefit from the work he has put towards "beating at his craft". On the other side of the coin is the thousands of old, retired individuals who figured out yesterday that they will have to cut back. They will not live their last days in comfort or peace, they now have to change their budgets, possibly how they shop, what they do, etc. all because of some executive mismanagement. I'm not here to talk about social justice or the morality of this I am here giving you guys a choice. 

We are newborns basically in the professional world. Like a fetus that looks gender-less we have no profession yet, no job, no serious responsibilities. Our possibilities are endless, we have not faced true rejection or failure yet. The next 10 years of our lives will set us up for success or failure. Our decisions NOW will determine if we work for someone else, and leave our pensions and futures in the hands of others, or if we ultimately run our own lives. Whether we work for someone else's dream, or if we profit pursuing our own. The pensioners worked for someone else for years and left their future and retirement out of their control...they paid for it, and Ellsbury pursued his passion in baseball and is now making hundreds of millions of dollars doing what he loves. Like I said, the choice is yours. 

My second point is a more abstract one. As the League we want to someday control the precipices of society. With that role will come responsibility. We will someday have the power to give away millions of dollars, as the owner of the Yankees does, to people to simply play and entertain us, and we will also be in charge of the welfare of thousands of people, as the Detroit government was. NOW is the time to begin building your moral character, so you can be a just and honorable leader. Gentlemen we want to lead society, but we must lead it in the right direction.

Encouragement: You woke up (blessing 1). You are alive and well (blessing 2). Your family is still supporting you, and you have the opportunity today to make your future dreams a reality (blessing 3). You have surrounded yourself with like-minded forward thinking individuals who will push you to your limits, and who will accept nothing but the best from you (blessing 4). You could learn something today that could change the rest of your life forever, or you could sleep for 12 hours and do nothing...you have the freedom of choice (blessing 5). You see the day has barely begun and you are already being bathed in blessings left and right. We live in the land of opportunity, in the Golden Age of our race, with unlimited resources and a multitude of knowledge available to us at anytime. We have the ability to leave a legacy that people will talk about for years to come, or we could destroy our planet and leave future generations denouncing us for ages. You see, just as we learn about the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans someday people will learn of the United States of America, The Peoples Republic of China, and Great Britain. Generations will talk about the birth of the internet as if it were as important as the invention of fire (which it very well might live up to be). We live in a time where change, growth, and accomplishments are highly possible, and will forever be remembered. There has been no better time to be a human being on Earth. So, if you just plan to make it through the day, or survive...you not only waste the chances you've been given, you waste opportunities that other humans would have killed to have. This is our time, our world, our age...let's ensure it is admired in the history books.

Testimonial: One of my mentors here on campus was talking to me during my advising meeting a couple weeks back, and he reminded me of this today. You see, we all know we are succeeding, people are noticing and telling us "Wow you're smart", "You're going places", "You're a leader", and letting you realize "Hey I do stand out from the crowd, I am a special breed!" However, my counselor has chosen a different way of talking to me. 

You see he knows I work hard, he see my grades, the clubs I participate in, how I carry myself etc., and he knows that I am already receiving a lot of praise from other people. However the most important thing is he sees the potential I have in myself, something I feel we all possess. What he told me was simple. "Don't start feeling yourself now." What does that mean "Don't start feeling yourself..."? It means we are in college, if we dropped out today we would be nothing. It means we've almost completed a semester, cool we have 7+ to go. It means yeah we are leaders among our peers, amazing, but if we died today what greatness would our obituary talk about. You see we are just bundles of potential, and I'm sorry to let you guys know that potential is often wasted. We must remain positive, we must strive for success, we must stay committed to the cause, but we can't start slipping now, you know why? Because we aren't competing with our peers who are content with graduating with a 2.0, we are competing with the guy who is trying to start a company while acing all his tests over at Oregon State. We aren't competing with the kids who will drop out from Cal Tech this term, we are competing with the ones who have started creating the next Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. We are not competing with the kids who decided "Oh well, college is not for me back to working at Wal-Mart." Hell no! We are striving to catch up with the guy who just landed an internship at Google. You see the fact of the matter is even if we are in the top 5% of the students in college, we are still only 6/140,000. That is less than a 1000th of a percent. That's not noticeable or even mentionable, and that is considering we are better than sophomores, juniors, and senior, ignoring recent graduates all together.

What's the point in all this. Well humans work for rewards. A's on tests, money, and praise are some of the top rewards we as humans get. So everytime we get a positive comment from someone, we unconsciously congratulate ourselves. Each positive comment makes us feel like we have reached a minor goal or accomplishment, and what does that do, it breeds laziness. It breeds inefficiency, it breeds lack of effort. "Why the extra lap? I'm already fast. Why study more? I'm naturally smart. Why put in the work, I'm smarter than the average kid, I'll catch up when I have time. This is the reason that so much potential remains untapped and eventually wasted. People feel they have reached they have accomplished a lot prematurely, and settle before they actually reach their goals. How do you keep yourself from falling into this trap? How do we ensure that we get to use all the potential we have at this point in life? Don't tell yourself you've made it. Don't tell yourself it is getting easier, pray it gets harder so as my dad always says "The system can weed out more competition, while I remain." Don't get complacent, start cutting corners, or doing stuff the easy way. We can't afford that. So the next time you get a compliment about your work ethic, or academic success, thank the person, smile, and then remind yourself you are successful on their scale, but according to you: well you've yet to graduate, you don't own a company, no one in the League is a millionaire so...your still where you started. Your still working towards a greater goal, and an A isn't good enough. Leading a club isn't good enough. College grad isn't good enough! You have succeeded in their eyes not yours and you will not stop till you have accomplished every single objective you have in life. If you properly follow this, you will never be satisfied. You will always want to work towards something else, and you will be able to work towards it with a focus and drive like no other. I have begun to try and practice this method and way of thinking. I won't lie it's hard, some times I fail, and it is easy to compare yourself with others not working as hard, but I am getting better. I will reach the point where my drive is infinite, where I cannot be stopped, where compliments won't please me because the only thing that matters is reaching my goals and not the "protocol" or minor success in between. Potential is not success, though they are easily confused. I hope you guys can take away from this mindset I am trying to form, and practice it as well. 

Furthermore: Gentlemen I am not just saying these things just to say them. If you look around you can see untapped talent wasted all around us, from star high school athletes turned restaurant employee, to intelligent college kids now living in their parents basement. Also in the workforce, imagine the number of Bill Gates and Elon Musks who said to themselves "I'm pretty smart, I won't work hard and I'll make 6 figures as an engineer." Do not accept compliments and risk settling, stay hungry and unsatisfied. I wish you all the best of luck as you strive to complete you first term in college, and I hope you have gained something to use through your day from my words. Tomorrow we will here from Kris.

Don't accept average...not today,

Chukwuemeka K. Ukaga