Welcome! 👋
Hey, I’m Yameen - a 14-year-old Activator at The Knowledge Society (TKS), Editor at students x students, TEDx Speaker, podcast host, and STEAM Student at RHHS.
I’m extremely passionate about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Gene-Editing. I’m currently diving into Gene-Editing and exploring the major applications it could have in our everyday lives!
My mission in life is to make an impact on the lives of others. There are so many underrepresented in our country (and globally), and I believe it’s up to us to take advantage of our opportunities to create a better world for them!
But, you didn’t come here to learn about my life goals; you came to learn about my month.
So here you go!
September! 🍂
With September coming to an end, there’s a lot of things to reflect on. I started my Grade 10 school year, TKS Activate officially begun, I chose my area of focus for the next year, and got back on the grind!
We’ll have all that and more in this month’s episode of My Structurally Unstructured Life! Welcome to my September!
School + TKS Activate! 🤩
School.
A few weeks ago, school started! I’m going in person after nearly two years online. it was definitely a great experience being able to see my friends again, join in-person clubs, and more! I will be keeping you all updated on my experiences.
TKS Activate.
Now, this is what I was excited for! I had a great experience last year with TKS Innovate, and hopefully, I can go through even better experiences in Activate. So far, it’s been an amazing time: just this past session, we took a deep look into medical errors - why they occur, root causes, and more. In the coming session, we’ll be taking a look at an Energy Case Study (+understanding napkin sketch calculations in energy production and storage). I’m hyped for the session - I’ll keep you all updated on the amazing experiences!
Diving Into the World of Gene-Editing! 🧬
With a new year of TKS, I have chosen a new Focus. Last year, I focused on Artificial Intelligence and built some dope projects. This year, however, I’m switching up the game plan to Gene-Editing! I’ve always had an interest in the field - the idea of being able to edit our genetic material in order to benefit humanity has always captivated me!
What I’m doing right now:
Courses (CRISPR/Cas9, Benchling, Sci & Business of Biotech., and more)
Attending events (will be joining the Labroots CRISPR event, and World CRISPR Day 2021)
Research into GE applications for neurological diseases
The journey has just begun, but I know there is a long and amazing road ahead!
Monthly Dilemma. 🤦♂️
Consistency. For the past few months, I have been struggling a lot with being consistent. Whether that be with my projects, lifestyle goals, whatever - I’m not consistent!
For example, a month ago, I started a habit of going out on a 1-hour bike ride every morning. It was great… until I took a break for “one day”. Long story short, that break has turned into over a month.
My problem is that whenever I set myself out to do something, I never stick with it.
That’s why, this month, I set up meetings w/ the TKS Activate Directors, had chats w/ my squads, and friends about how I could fix this. This was my conclusion:
The solution to my dilemma is social accountability. The hardest time to build a habit is at the start - that’s the period when most people give up. However, when staying socially accountable, that difficulty becomes so much easier. For me, being socially accountable with my goals consists of sending daily action items + updates to my friends and squad. I’ve only been doing it for two weeks and I’m already seeing crazy results - I’m waking up @5:30 every single day, going out for bike rides, and more.
If you’re struggling with staying consistent, reach out to a friend - send your goals and updates, but most importantly, stay accountable!
Lifestyle Changes. 🚴♂️
My TKS squad and I have been focusing a lot on personal health improvements over the past few weeks. That being said, I’m happy to say that a lot of changes happened in my life:
I’m waking up @5:30am
I’m biking every day (and sometimes skateboarding 😉)
I’m going outside more often (for context, I’m the type of person that stays at home… all the time 😭)
And more!
S/o to my TKS squad (Eason, Satvik, Sriya, Aryan, and Tasha) and personal squad (Aman, Bagavan, and Sambhav) for keeping me accountable! Let’s keep killing it! 🔥
What’s next (goals for October)? ✨
Now that I’ve adjusted to school and extra-curricular, I’m planning on getting sh*t done next month:
Continue with weekly articles, monthly podcast episodes, etc.
This was neglected over the past month so this will be a priority
Publish an “Intro to Gene-Editing” article
Publish an article about my finding of GE applications for neurological diseases (will be released this week! - hopefully)
Continuing with healthy living - waking up early, meditating, working out, etc.
Spend more time reading - for the past few months, I’ve neglected the amount of time spent reading - this is something I need to change in the coming month
Create an Op-Ed for the #EndPoverty Challenge
With the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty coming up in a few weeks, this will be a priority.
Finish CRISPR/Cas9 course
Start working on a CRISPR kit (maybe)
That’s it…for now! ⏰
It was great to finally be back at school and in TKS. I’m really excited for the month ahead. If I were to pick one intention for the month ahead, it would be to be more productive. We’ll see how it goes, so until then…
…enjoy your October!
And feel free to subscribe to stay up to date with everything I do!
Talk soon!
- Yameen ✌️