“I started writing poetry and short stories at age 11. Four years later, this passion inspired me to start a nonprofit magazine that published other artists and writers. From there, I created the website, branding, and advertising for the magazine and developed these skills to do web consulting for artists and small businesses. I attended UT Austin, where I studied business and continued to do strategy and operations consulting. After graduating, I worked in corporate finance for 7 years.⠀ ⠀
Through art, I grew to appreciate diverse experiences and expressive manifestations of joy and suffering. Entrepreneurship taught me to innovate and lead others with empathy. Providing consulting to small businesses consisted of diagnosing clients’ business problems and helping them come up with solutions to improve. My work in corporate finance included developing hypotheses, running pilot tests, and performing statistical analyses on results.⠀ ⠀
I enjoyed my career intellectually for many years, but I saw over time how finance can desensitize you to others’ struggles until you forget what it means to be a decent human being. I realized that what we do every day becomes who we are. I prioritize becoming more compassionate over time and positively impacting others. So I enrolled in night classes to prepare for medical school while working full-time. It was difficult balancing school and work, but it was worth it. I feel privileged to have had the luxuries of financial stability, time, and emotional space to discover my identity and values.⠀ ⠀
I was raised by doctors who wanted me to become a doctor from a very young age, but I initially resisted these expectations in order to walk my own path. Through my experiences, I developed the same interests and skills which led me back to medicine. Here, I have the opportunity to incorporate my appreciation of the human condition as a poet, problem solving as a business consultant, and critical thinking from working in finance.”
Story by John Kouam
Skyler is passionate about supporting clean water projects. Learn more and donate through charity:
Other Stories by John Kouam:
Michel Tabet: https://sapeopleproject.org/michel-tabet/
Louisa Xie: https://sapeopleproject.org/louisa-xie/