Sorry for not updating this blog in a while- I'm currently inundated with schoolwork and college applications! :(
A while ago, I was one of the eight student scholars chosen by the World Affairs Council to receive a scholarship to attend the Annual World Affairs Council Dinner- one of the hugest events the Council hosts, besides the annual conference in March. I was delighted to be selected- each year the World Affairs Council and its Global Philanthropy Forum honor Bay Area leaders with a deep knowledge of and profound impact on the world.
This year, the main honoree was CEO John Donahoe and the companies he leads (eBay and PayPal), for its commitment to creating economic opportunity and fostering an inclusive global economy, including its pioneering role in creating the peer-to-peer economy. Besides Donahoe, the entrepreneurs and innovators such as Brian Chesky, CEO & Co-Founder of Airbnb would also be honored. Needless to say, I was excited at the prospect of meeting these global movers and shakers.
At 4 PM, my father drove me to the CalTrain station in Mountain View. I eventually got off at Milbrae and hopped on the BART that would take me to Montgomery Street in San Francisco. From Montgomery Street, I walked to the World Affairs Council, a journey I was very familiar with because of my involvement as a student ambassador there. After the seven other student scholars arrived, Netta, the head of the Education program at the World Affairs Council, led a discussion about the readings she sent to us beforehand. We debated the merits and detriments of the disruption of traditional industries by services the Lyft and Airbnb provide, such as the conventional taxi and hotel industries.
Together, we all walked to the Four Seasons (the location of the annual dinner itself), which was not too far from the Council. Ksenia (another student scholar) and I found out that we were seated at the same table as the executive board at Chegg! The CEO sat directly across from us and we had an invigorating conversation about the state of public school education in America (I spoke about my experiences observing the Finnish education system!!!) and our future college plans.
At the Four Seasons
Hearing Donahoe speak!
The highlight of the evening was hearing Ted Donahoe, the CEO of Ebay, speaking about the transformation of the peer to peer economy, something Ebay is founded upon. He spoke about two main ideas that I found particularly compelling.
2) Technology is re-humanizing us.
When all we hear about today is the destruction of personal relationships due to the prevalence of technology, Donahoe mentioned that technology helps us forge relationships with people that we've never even interacted with before. For example, Ebay connects us to buyers and sellers all around the world. Airbnb allows us to establish connections with potential renters and rentees from all around the nation.
Me and the CEO of Ebay! This was extremely intimidating.
Just some food for thought!
