Hey everyone! My name is Zeen Liu, and I’m from Toronto, Canada. I love listening to music and building cool things. I’m using my gap year to explore my interests within neurotechnology, deepen my fascination with the human brain, and develop a mindset of care.
I’m starting the year in the Galápagos Islands, where I’m volunteering with the National Park on wildlife conservation projects and living with a local host family. I’ll be trying my best to learn Spanish along the way!
Then, I’m going to San Francisco for a few weeks to spend time shadowing at neurotech and healthtech startups. I’ll be experimenting with as many side projects as possible during this time! My goal is to get more exposure to the field by collaborating with other ambitious builders. Alongside my travels, I’ll also be spending part of the year working on my social competition tech startup launching in October.
Later in the year, I’ll be in Morocco volunteering with a program that supports people with disabilities, where I’ll be teaching computer, music, and chess skills. Afterwards, I’m spending time in Asia doing neuroscience research and independently learning more of the theoretical foundations behind neurotech. As a Chinese-Canadian, I also want to use this opportunity to reconnect with my culture, learn more about China’s history, and improve my Mandarin.
I’m so grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I hope to consistently push myself beyond my comfort zone and seek new experiences, whether that’s having more conversations with strangers or going solo backpacking in Central Asia. I can’t wait to see where this year will take me!
