2 Billion Under 20

Conrad Farnsworth

Conrad cont.

• At age 17 he created and operated the first nuclear fusion reactor in the state of Wyoming
• Path to fusion was paved with bad ideas, mistakes, near death experiences, friends, failures and new opportunities
• Will was a friend who taught him to be a learner and look for his answers on his own

Conrad cont..

• Networking/ professional comm. are two skills he learned
• Father donated 120 ft of steel tubing to his project, which was very expensive
• Learned to weld
• Learn best practices and principals of your trade
• Budget = $4,000 dollars

Victoria Chok

Victoria Chok

• She was trained professionally in ballet from 4 years old/ injured
• Est. charity at 14, raised over $100,000 to help local artists go after their dreams
• Sr. VP of Inspire- NPO Canada building leaders in tech and business

Victoria cont..

• Univ. Western Ontario- B.S. Geology
• Global team leader and global changemaker awards
• Already offered a position at Pepsi Co as a financial analyst when she graduates!
• Success = Happiness and Happiness is a choice

Tessa Zimmerman

Tessa Zimmerman

• Perfectionist living with: severe anxiety/ panic disorder, PTSD, OCD and Depression
• Created ASSET: Awareness, Self-efficacy, Science of Happiness, Exploration and Touch & Connection
• Started to turn her life around at 16 through wellness efforts, by 18 started ASSET public speaking about health

Tessa cont...

• Trust your Gut: Ego vs. Fear, then the other voice
• Love failure: befriend failure, what did you learn?
• Be respectful and always be humble!

Zak Kukoff

Zak Kukoff

• Youngest grad ever from Techstars
• Started Autism Ambassadors
• Truant today- a truancy prevention system for school nationwide
• Clinton Global Initiative loved his idea

Zak Kukoff cont..

• Practice and preparedness every time he made his pitch he solidified it and it was more permanent and comfortable

Aaron Kleinert

Aaron Kleinert

• At age 17 he is one of the top soccer players in the country.
• Olympic Dev pool of players 150 total
• Recruited from Division1 teams nationally
• Began soccer at age 8- Boca United Football club

Aaron Kleinert cont..

• Balance on and off the field
• Scheduling to fit in academics, athletics and workouts
• 10,000 hours to perfect a craft
• Cristiano Ronaldo' "It is my conviction that there are no limits to learning, and that it can never stop, no matter what our age."

SENIORS

Senior workshops

• Applying to grad school
• Applying to professional school
• Job Search
• Gap Year
• Travel the world
• Peace Corps/ NPO

Senior transitions

• From Undergrad to Adulthood
• Nervousness and self sabotage esp. amongst First Gen students
• Walking them through graduation
• Building and maintaining adult relationships
• Friends go separate ways

Mental Health

By the Numbers

• Increase in mental health illness at colleges
• 25% of college students suffer from a diagnosable mental health condition
• 40% of those do not seek help
• 73% of those living with these conditions will experience a crisis on campus

Top Disorders

• Anxiety, Depression and Bipolar
• Suicide is the 3rd reason for college student death
• Also see: PTSD, mood disorders, ADHD, schizophrenia, suicidal ideation

How Can We Help?

• Lack of knowledge and resources we can lead the way
• Feeling isolated so reach out to them and make meaningful connections, challenge them to do the same
• Language barriers