1. Michael Lai
Student at Harvard College
StartingBloc NY ‘13 Application

2. I’m an eternal optimist.
I think it’s because
I follow this
definition of
happiness:
“happiness is when
what you think,
what you say, and
what you do are in
harmony.”—
Mahatma Gandhi

3. My happiness stems from my beliefs:
– A quality education for all and learning as a lifelong process
– Communities that are open, inclusive, and democratic.
– Entrepreneurship as a toolkit to affect change and take
charge of your own life

4. Where did these beliefs come from?
I was born in China
and raised in
Southern California,
with a loving family
who gave me the
opportunity and
freedom to follow my
passions at an early
age. I didn’t realize
how privileged I was,
until…

5. I met my doppelgangers.
—kids just as bright
as me, just as hard-
working, but
lacking the same
opportunities that I
was afforded. I’m
playing “ninja” with
one of them here
during a volunteer
trip to the SEED
Public Charter
School in
Washington, D.C.,
2011. I vowed to
give back to those
less privileged.

6. Since then, I’ve been:
a fellow at an innovative education
nonprofit…
1st employee at an
early stage higher
education startup…
Chair of a 50 person civic
education volunteer
program at Harvard… Member of the Harvard
iLab student council…

7. A very smart man once told me,
“don’t think about what you want to
be, think about what you want to
do.”—President Obama, USSYP 2010
Next, I want to start a
social venture in the field
of education. But first...

8. I think the StartingBloc Fellowship is a
perfect next step. Why StartingBloc?
• The opportunity to be involved in an organization
that aligns with my core beliefs
• Learning more about the field of social
innovation/building my skillset
• Lifelong support for my journey in social
entrepreneurship

9. Above all, the people!
• Friends—
inspire/be inspired
& learn from/teach
• Potential co-
founders/partners
• Mentors—industry
leaders/domain
experts
• Touch points for
funding and grad
school
• Emotional support
• “Network
intelligence”

10. Thank you for your
time and
consideration.