What are the positive insights, lessons or experiences you gained during the COVID-19 shutdown?

Wow! Well nearly 600 followers from @litquidity took the time and made a true effort to answer my question:

What are the positive insights, lessons or experiences you gained during the COVID-19 shutdown?

Every one of the answers was sincere, thoughtful and shared with the intention of spreading positivity and perspective. I am sharing the thoughts of the 25 winners publicly so that an even wider audience can appreciate the wisdom and maturity of these stellar winners. These are challenging times but my hope is that spreading some positive inspiration will help others deal with the difficult reality we are all facing and also help everyone appreciate that nobody is in this alone.  We are all in it together and together we will get through it. Special thanks to my daughter @skylarhandler who encouraged me to engage this wider audience and also thanks to @litquidity who once again has shown that fun financial meme accounts can also be a source of positive energy and education. The following answers are from individuals that are not affiliated with Jefferies.

I look forward to a fun zoom lunch with all the winners tomorrow at noon.

Sincerely,

RICH HANDLER
Pronouns: he, him, his
CEO, Jefferies Financial Group
1.212.284.2555
[email protected]
@handlerrich Twitter | Instagram

THE 25 WINNERS (not in any order as they are all spectacular):

  1. Instagram: @tomsalice17

“A positive lesson that I learned is how to adapt. COVID has shown me that the world is ever changing and any minute your day can be completely changed. Sometimes trade practices people have followed for 100 years can be not possible due to a virus no one saw coming. We always have to be able to adapt to our situations around and understand what world we are living in. Don’t put square pegs in circle holes. Just adapt to the situation, work with what you have and go with the flow.”

  1. Instagram: @andrew_kapadia

“As a student who missed out on their senior spring, my biggest takeaway has been that every experience is exactly what you make of it. At face value, so much has been lost for so many people in the past few months, but even in the darkest times there’s an opportunity for positivity and growth. Like Rich said in his reflection letter, we’ve been able to take time for family and the things most important in our lives. For me, missing out on everything that comes with senior spring has given me time to take up new interests like French, running, weightlifting, and learning more about finance and trading. It’s easy to get lost in the negativity, but at the end of the day it’s on us to make the best of a bad situation and that’s a lesson I’ll carry with me wherever I go.”

  1. Instagram: @dancurtis98

“In the face of adversity, distress and truly unprecedented times, the human race, as a collective has the ability to come together and try to come out more knowledgeable, more accepting and better educated than before. I feel like this is highlighted by the BLM movement and admiration for key workers.

I remember my Grandfather talking about how everyone came together during the World War Two and looking back over the past few months, although not as apocalyptic, I feel like this runs parallel in the sense of community and pride for our key workers.”

  1. Instagram: @tjjefferson5

“For me, like many others, the COVID-19 shutdown was a true reality check. Prior to all of this change, while I had always kept up with the news, it seemed that I was never directly affected by what was going on outside of my own community. For years I’ve lived in a very fortunate bubble where my family and I have maintained a comfortable life. This shutdown is one of the first times my life has seen a radical change as the result of something outside of my own community and it has forced me to step back and reevaluate my understanding of how our world is connected. In the past it’s been all too easy for me to read a headline, think about it for a moment, and forget about it. I now realize however, that I have been all too lucky to be in a position like that. This shutdown has forced me to recognize that there are real people behind the headlines whose lives are being upended far more than mine ever will be. I’ve learned that even though something doesn’t affect me, that does not give me the right to forget about it. Looking back I know this is something I should have realized long ago, however, I am glad I am thinking about it now while I am still young and have plenty of time to affect positive change. My goal for the future is to use the lessons I’ve taken from this period to make decisions that prioritize the needs of others, no matter where, over my own indulgence or frivolity.”

  1. Instagram: @guapoluke

“At the end of the day there’s no one that controls your own happiness but yourself. This time has shown me who truly cares about themselves and who doesn’t. Whether it’s continuing a strong work ethic in your professional field from home or finding ways to break up the monotony of quarantine, the amount of effort you put into yourself these past three months can be apparent to so many people. Along with those, I think most of us were also able to find out who are real friends are determined by who stayed in touch. For the most part, learning how to keep up with friends while not seeing them in person has made the way I communicate infinitely more effective.

Thank you for your time,

Luke”

  1. Instagram: @svellani

“The shutdown was a great reset. Meaning life was getting very “noisy” and the shutdown allowed us to not only block out the noise but to laser focus on what is important to us. For example health and fitness related goals, a steady sleep, workout and diet routine without interruption. Laser focus on career/work goals. As a firm we have moved the needle faster and more efficiently than before, while working from home. Again no noise or distractions. Reconnecting with family has been positive as our homes have now become our offices as well. Also the recognition that we as humans are social beings, and we require interaction. Something that we may have taken for granted before we appreciate much more now and the pandemic has shed light on that.  I really enjoy the fact that companies have been able to “shed fat” as many roles that had little value were noticed and cut. Also to show how capable companies are at working remotely – it shows us that both freedom of time and space can be mixed with productivity. Companies that have unlimited vacation policies make a lot more sense now as we can see it is possible as long as deliverables are met.”

  1. Instagram: @cullen_crombie

“A huge insight I’ve gained is that nobody has the “answer”: whether it’s career trajectory, personal life/finances, etc. I used to rely on other people for approval on what I did in regards to how I led my life. I have learned through this uncertain time that I am the only person that can make choices for myself and my opinion is the one that matters. I’ve seen my parents, mentor, and boss all show they are searching for their own “eightfold path.” When I finally came to this conclusion, I decided it was best to apply to business school and pivot my career towards a path I would find personally enriching rather than living a mosaic of other people’s input.”

  1. Instagram: @milgromj

“I’ve realized the importance of being able to take a step back and slow everything down in my life. For most of us in the professional word, we all operate at 1000 MPH, constantly working hard, always striving to improve and be better. While this is a great thing and part of what makes this a great country, it can prevent us from taking the time to appreciate all the little things in life that we often took for granted. For me, I’m finding myself reaching to friends and colleagues I haven’t kept in good touch with. Part of this is due to missing the physical connections that come from working in an office setting and participating in daily social activities, but a bigger part is me realizing that the excuses I’ve made prior to COVID (“I’m too busy”, “I can’t, I have to work late tonight”) are no longer relevant. I’m also realizing that these excuses aren’t valid even when COVID ends and we return to our normal routines. You can always make time for yourself and others, regardless of the circumstances.”

  1. Instagram: @robdelav

“COVID-19 has made me realize that life is too short and unpredictable. Anything can change from one day to the next. This tells me that from now on I have to TAKE THOSE RISKS. Whatever they may be: Ask him/her/they out, chase that job, quit that job, start that business, take that sabbatical, reach out to that client, forgive, apologize when it is hard, etc.

– Me pre COVID = Scaredy-Cat

– Me post COVID = Cat/Leopard/Lion/Cheetah/Lynx”

  1. Instagram: @shamubb

“Lesson: COVID 19 highlighted some of the potential and strenght of many people. Whether in the medical field/pharma where people came together and accelerated research and productions of tests, in the banking world, corporate where companies restructure to go digital and to embrace work from home etc. To me, the entire COVID crisis showed clearly that people are the biggest assets a corporation can have. To quote Bear Grylls improvise. adapt.overcome. We improvised in the beginning, things weren’t perfect, but people came together and we shared information, data and insights to come up with solutions, paths of resolution. We then adapted, new reality set in, took the bad and converted to good, now the real leaders of this world are trying to pull the great out of this situation. Last, we will overcome. That’s the real lesson, is that no matter what, no matter how sad, crazy and unfair a situation may be people always come back stronger and ahead. That’s what COVID made me personally realize – we will adapt and overcome pretty anything.”

  1. Instagram: @txmattlesnake

“I think the COVID-19 shutdown might have been the greatest opportunity for self-improvement and knowledge enhancement. As someone that has spent a lot of time isolated on military deployments, and working in the healthcare sector, I knew this would not be an easy time for the world. I remember what is like to be “alone”, scared, and not knowing what each day holds. I tried to help family and friends by teaching techniques I use to keep my mind and body active while deployed/isolated. I used this time to sharpen technical skills, increase my knowledge back professionally and personally, get in better shape, and, of course, I bought the dip. The positive insights I gleaned were: 1) I saw a compassionate human population come together despite their personal losses to  do what was best for their fellow human 2) People slowed down to see what is truly important in life. Health, happiness, and the importance of human connection.3) I think it gave is all time to focus on what the future looks like and how we can change the world together. 4.) It gave us time for a lot of self-introspection. To change the world we must first change ourselves to the be apart of our vision.”

  1. Instagram: @g_raffeee

“The first lesson that I learned is that no one is on top of anything in this world,  not even the most powerful CEOs, politicians or celebrities. And for those who think you do, think again. The pandemic has revealed the best in people and the worst in people. In the past few months, we have witnessed some of the most powerful people in this world failing to lead and the least powerful people rising up to the occasion and tackling the problems head-on. This pandemic has revealed to me that true power resides not within titles, status, fame and money. It resides within the people and their characters.

Second lesson that I learned is that we are only as good as the environment allows us to be. People like to attribute their success to hard work, dedication and perseverance. Great. Nothing wrong with that. But this pandemic has also shown us the harsh yet humbling reality that you are not as smart as the macro-environment and our ability to influence our own destiny is not as strong as we would think. The floor shifts beneath you whether you like it or not. And when it happens, you either take the punches and move on or you stay exactly where you are and complain about life being unfair. Shit happens all the time. That’s life. Focus on the things that you can control and adjust accordingly and stop worrying about nonsense.”

  1. Instagram: @hdosorio10

“I’ve realized that vulnerability turns into strength, I’ve learned that expressing myself with love, kindness and sharing it with others creates meaningful and deep connections with other human beings, I’ve learned that connecting with myself helps me realize what is really important for me in life and approach situations from a higher level perspective, I’ve learned that perspective helps me detach from limiting beliefs I’ve had from myself and/or others. In this pandemic something wonderful happened with my family, we have always loved each other but rarely expressed it, rarely did activities together, we were basically isolated from each other and it became a habit, after over 4+ months in lockdown (i live in Colombia), we have made each other a part of our lives, we always have lunch together, we gather every weekend to have fun together, we have become friends and we have each others back for everything, we have learned that tolerance and unity helps us grow as a group. I am loving myself everyday more, I have learned to be grateful of time, weather, food, shelter, emotions, situations, I spend my time doing more of what I love, and that growth inside of me has reflected in all of my affairs, I’ve improved the relationship with myself, helping me to have a better relationship with others.”

  1. Instagram: @skdewaal

“I’ve learned how important leadership is, how shortcuts aren’t worth it and often times making short term sacrifices is the only way to be successful in the long run. New York State has been a great example of doing it right with COVID and watching Cuomo lead through that with his daily updates was a lesson to us all.

I’ve also learned what the workplace of tomorrow can be. (For reference I work in Investment Banking) The technology we have that has allowed us to flip to working remotely so quickly is unprecedented. I foresee a future workplace in which client calls are done less than client videocalls. To be able to be face to face with clients at anytime is going to be a huge leg up to those bankers that can embrace it. I also think that working in a hybrid way which uses technology to allow people to have more flexibility to balance their lives has the potential to lead to a happier population of employees.

On a different note, I have come to realize that it is my turn to give back. That the most rewarding parts of climbing the ladder are helping other people climb up with you. As a woman in finance, I empathize with under-represented individuals and will seek out opportunities to help them through mentorship and sponsorship. I expect banking to look different when I am a senior banker and I will be part of that change.

Finally, in order to help others we must first take care of ourselves. In this stressful time, self-care has been highlighted as essential. Creating boundaries and encouraging my analysts to do the same has been critical to getting through this time. I believe it to be critical to “normal” life too but sometimes there is so much going on that gets forgotten. I will make it a point not to forget again.”

  1. Instagram: @mazza.jake

“The positive lessons I’ve learned from the COVID-19 crisis are very similar to the lessons I learned while deployed in Syria.

  1. When working under unexpected conditions, camaraderie is critical if you want to continue to drive the mission forward. If you can’t make it through the tough times with your team, you probably weren’t doing a great job making it through the good times to start.
  2. The support of Family, friends, and/or a therapist is critical for your mental state. It may be hard to make time because, honestly, there isn’t a work-life balance, but you need to take care of yourself mentally at home so you can continue to perform your best at work.
  3. It doesn’t matter what position you’re in; you have the ability to change the attitudes of the people around you. Making people laugh and smile during a tough time can pay huge dividends at work.
  4. You only have control over yourself. I know things are tough right now, but dwelling on the uncontrollable will get you nowhere. Focus on the things that bring you joy and cherish every moment, no matter how small.
  5. Show compassion. If someone on your team is going through a tough time which has happened more times than I can count through this take a moment to suffer with them. I promise to take the time to do this builds team cohesion.
  6. Life is Fragile. During moments like the COVID-19, crisis life is unpredictable, and despite your best efforts, bad things will happen. Deal with these moments when they come and be flexible to the change.  You can persevere through them!”
  1. Instagram: @mattanmann

“Although the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench into everyone’s normal way of life, there have been positives that have come from the economic shutdown. As a current college student, I often take the cyclical view that universities and most wealthy institutions of any type hardly care about the individuals they are supposed to serve, and rather only care about increasing their endowment. However, this shutdown has proved that skepticism wrong. Instead of ending the semester early or giving every student a pass in order to avoid remote learning, my university, and many others like it, moved all of their classes, seminars, and institutional support online. Although the transition was at first rather rocky, the persistence by faculty members, students, and other members of the campus community led the system to continuously progress throughout the half semester that was online. This is where the positives from the pandemic are shown, in the people affected. Individuals across the country, whether they be first responders, teachers, or even those keeping the capital markets running, have shown that even in the most difficult of times, when humans band together, anything can be achieved. Furthermore, even as our nation has dealt with horrible racial injustice, this country has joined together to be better, and to do better. This pandemic has shown that our success as individuals is not accurately measured by the number of new accounts we fill, the number of deals we are staffed on, or where we fall within the bonus pool. Rather, our success is shown in the impact we have on others. Have we fought for others? Have we kept others safe? Even as this pandemic often feels like one of the most divisive eras in our modern history, this pandemic has actually brought us together and shown us what is most important in the long run.”

  1. Instagram: @papageoff94

“The COVID-19 shutdown, as tragic as its circumstances are, has helped me undergo a period of massive self-discovery and accomplishment. However, please allow me to first tell an important story about myself (I promise it is very relevant): throughout my life, having Asperger syndrome has presented me with many difficulties, of which I have had to overcome. These difficulties manifested themselves as impaired social communication and learning disabilities. I vividly remember hearing my childhood psychologist discuss with my parents about possible assisted-living facilities for when I grew older, as they believed that my cognitive development was headed in a direction incompatible with adulthood and independent living. Teachers even told my parents that I would likely never understand anything above basic elementary school math. These issues worsened until the beginning of high school, when something in my head just “clicked,” and I realized I was severely behind and at risk of failing (I didn’t even have a knowledge of basic algebra at that point). This kicked off a period of trying to get my act together, amidst intense bullying from classmates, as I worked to catch up academically and socially. The countless nights of studying paid off, and I graduated in the top 10 of my high school class.

College was initially a struggle, as I had many difficulties in managing my time and adjusting socially. I was given a number of accommodations through my university’s disability services; however, I was determined to prove to myself and others that I could succeed without these accommodations. While obtaining my degree took a little longer than usual, I was able to accomplish my goal and in 2018, I finally graduated with honors and obtained my Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, having also done research projects in several labs and an internship at a local biotech company. Shortly after graduating, I began working as an engineer at this biotech company.

It was during my first year at this company that my passion for finance, economics, mathematics, and computer science took its roots, but perhaps that is a story for another time. Until the last year, my past challenges and claims from others about what I am incapable of doing gave me serious doubts of the quality of my research. When the COVID-19 pandemic became an urgent global issue, my company began working on the development of a vaccine candidate, using a novel technology platform. As a member of the analytical and process development team, we were (and still are) on the frontlines of research to aid in the rapid and safe development of this vaccine candidate. This was finally my time to help provide a benefit to society, and to show myself that it isn’t about what I can’t do, but what I can do, even with Asperger’s. I spent many days and nights in the lab conducting research and compiling presentations to meet the reporting deadlines, while balancing the classes I take each semester at local colleges. I came to realize that my supervisors actually think highly of me, and appreciate my contributions to our efforts in developing the vaccine. I also discovered that I am capable of managing a very heavy workload, despite my disability.

The COVID-19 shutdown has shown me that Asperger’s is not the hindrance I thought it was, and that I am capable of overcoming huge obstacles. As I continue to work, take classes, and save money for grad school, I am extremely excited and optimistic about my future. In fact, while working I have been taking classes in math, comp sci, business, economics, and finance, in order to prepare for my pursuit of a PhD in mathematical finance. I greatly appreciate the time you have taken to listen to my story.”

  1. Instagram: @vajakldiashvili

“‘Appreciate what you have, before it turns into what you had’

I am an international student from a tiny country of Georgia, located in the Caucasus region, bordering Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Due to circumstances, I grew up far away from my dad and had to leave my mom and younger brother behind to continue studies at an international high school in a different country when I was 16. Needless to say, I had gotten used to living without them, but I always knew I would have an opportunity to go back to them during a break. Not this time – the virus hit, borders closed, and I could not go home. And I do not know when exactly I will see them again. So, the first lesson from COVID-19 – appreciate every moment you have with your loved ones and never take it for granted.

‘When there is a will, there is a way’

The virus limited our ability to travel, see our friends and loved ones, and created lots of difficulties that each of us are facing. But if a person is truly dedicated, one will always find a way. My best friend from New Zealand started waking up at 6 am so that we could virtually watch soccer together like we used to back in high school. My grandma learned how to use a smartphone so she could cheer me up while I was quarantined alone at my university campus. If a person is truly trying, they will find a way.

‘Taking time to reflect’

Sometimes it is good to be left alone and have time to detach from the everyday reality. I have had time to reflect on my current state (physical, mental, psychological) and my relationships with people who matter to me. Reflecting on those things helped me go back to things I had ignored for so long, and mend relationships and address issues that were left unnoticed for years. Sometimes it is good to silence the noise and press the restart button.

‘Every cloud has a silver lining’

Going into summer after my sophomore year at college, I was excited to have an internship opportunity lined up, only to learn a week before I was planning to fly out that my college decided to ban in-person internships due to health concerns. This was devastating news and I turned my world upside down. I had no option to go back home, so I had to find an internship for the summer. So I started sending out emails to every organization in my area that seemed interesting. Fortunately, one of them got back to me in time – they were in a desperate need for an intern, and I happily joined their team. It turned out to be the most meaningful work experience in my life. Moral of the story: Sometimes what we think is bad for us hides a great opportunity inside, and we just have to trust ourselves and reach out to grab it.

‘Ask for help – nobody is perfect’

My previous story brings me to this point – no human being is perfect, and nobody knows everything. When I was desperately looking for a summer internship, I started reaching out to people and sincerely asking them for help, putting my ego and insecurities aside. This went a long way – people are kinder and more willing to help than we sometimes might think. One of the people I reached out to was the CEO of the company I currently work for, who gave me an opportunity and listened to my story. I am grateful to be working for someone like that today, and I am grateful I learned my lesson to ask for help when needed.”

  1. Instagram: @merkel.14

“I’ll state one for each. In terms of a lesson, it must be to choose those you live with carefully – if we get a second wave we now know what heavenly or hellish experience being stuck indoors can be depending on the company you keep indoors. In terms of a positive insight, it would be acknowledging the reality that even things that seemed meant to doom us or change us fundamentally (as the pandemic did) only consistently force us to bring about innovation and progress. In terms of an experience, I’d say that I appreciated learning that genuine social bonds stand the test of zoom, masks, distance, corona and whatever else you throw at them. It is not water cooler conversations nor drinks at the bar that brings society together but shared purpose – arguably, we have been closer to those that matter to us (and even strangers we helped) these days than ever.”

  1. Instagram: @dark_horse01

“Security is illusory. If a submicroscopic parasitic organism can throw the modern world off its axis in a matter of months, then nothing is secure. Our health and wellbeing, material success, job security can be built up and destroyed without a moment’s notice. What we think is ours for life, is really just borrowed for finite amounts of time. This should be one of the most freeing realizations that can be observed though. At the end of the day we have the present moment – with all its good and its bad, and we have the people and pursuits we love. If our lives are not pointed in the pursuit of those two things than we are choosing to believe a mirage. The radical reality that nothing is promised, nothing is secure over the long run should emancipate us from the illusory pursuit of security and free us up to find true joy in the moment and invest in the people we love and the passions we have. Everything else is ephemeral and fleeting.”

  1. Instagram: @vahitalili

“Essentially that less can be enough and even more at times. Less consumption, less travelling, less entertainment, less promiscuity, less superficiality. Covid-19 reduced a lot of things to the essentials such as human contact, being selective about the people you see and interact with and focusing on conversations with people at home or in a more isolated environment, not always chasing the next hot spot.”

  1. Instagram: @gusvincent

“During the shutdown, the adage “control only what you can” has never made more sense to me. I have no power over when we will reopen, but I can control my daily habits and attitude. Taking that ownership of the things I can control has been a seminal part of my personal development over the last few months.

In a given workday, I’m able to accomplish more with less time lacking the obvious things like commuting and office distractions. But what has made all of the difference is that now those hours are mine. I’ll work longer hours on certain projects to give myself swaths of time on a different day to use for myself. That autonomy has improved my time management because I directly reap the benefits of the time saved. That was something much less common in most work environments prior to the pandemic and I hope it will endure through reopening and beyond.”

  1. Instagram: @krishna.palya31

“Watching the news during the COVID-19 shutdown, I’ve always admired the doctors fighting against the virus on the front lines, and working day and night to protect all their patients. The sheer courage that takes is something amazing. As someone interested in Business and Finance, this has caused me to self-reflect, provoking me to think, “how am I going to contribute to the world?” Simply put, I want to create an impact in the world and change people’s lives for the better in some way, shape, or form. This has led to my further investigation of the sustainable finance field, being pioneered by Goldman Sachs. I’ve learned the basics of social impact bonds, and am starting to learn more about impact investing to generate social as well as financial returns. Eventually, I even want to start my own impact investing fund that invests in global health, education, and renewable energy initiatives.

Though this partially satiated my desire to benefit the world, these are long term plans, and just are not something I can easily act upon today. Therefore, I am in the early stages of starting a non-profit designed to help those with the most critical need. It is a college admissions consulting businesses, from which the profits will be donated to COVID-19 relief funds as well as to funds that go towards crises such as Yemen. Our services will also attempt to provide special attention to those in underserved communities. This is something I plan to start immediately, and something I hope can generate the returns necessary to accomplish my objectives. Though I may be only a small piece of a large puzzle, during this shutdown, I have been inspired to play my role – no matter how small – in making the world just a little bit better.”

  1. Instagram: @pbrowne011

“For me, the most positive experience I have had during the COVID-19 crisis has been living with my family for the past four months.  While most college students might take the opposite position here, I believe that without them, I would not be in the position I am in today.  After arriving home in March, the rules were set: no visiting friends, the only time to leave the house was to walk the dog, and schoolwork came before anything else.  At the time, these were extensive burdens to me, depriving me of my hard-won freedom I had gained by moving to another state in August.  However, I have come to realize everything they have required of me and more has been the best thing I could do, both for myself and others.  My selfish perspective couldn’t see that by not going out with friends, I was potentially saving the lives of my grandmother, family, and the families of others I might have met along the way.  By prioritizing school, I was able to achieve an incredibly high GPA that would have been virtually impossible back on campus.  Additionally, the time I had for reading and research allowed me to learn much more about subjects I was passionate about, such as finance and philosophy. Without them, I would not have a virtual internship, a newly expanded network, and a newfound appreciation for their presence in my life.  As I head back to campus this fall, I hope to keep in mind all I have learned from this opportunity, and to share it with others.  It is only together that we can hope to achieve new heights, to dream bigger, and to make our world a better place.  And right now, that means embracing our personal responsibility to keep others safe.”

  1. Instagram: @solomon.pervez

“4 lessons over COVID:

The current pandemic has been quite a learning experience for me, as it has for millions around the world. It has taught me a great deal about myself, the world at large and the good in humanity. It has also shown me what is deeply challenging today for so many and what improvements we collectively have to make sure no one is left behind in future disasters. As a university graduate, the past few months have been filled with uncertainty and a sense of unrest. But, amidst all the noise and confusion there has been a lot of positives I’ve learnt and I have been fortunate to have had the stresses of the pandemic, in fact, influence my perspective positively. For my family, friends and the world at large, the consequences of this pandemic like for so many others will not go away any time soon. As such, it is more important than ever to learn from this era so that when it passes and times recover, we can look back at all the positives that were possible and apply them to better times rather than only bringing out the best of these perspectives and actions in these comparatively hard times.

Here are 4 of the main learning points that I have gained. These are lessons that my university societies, social mobility work and broader networks that have shown me. Collectively, I have learnt that the human spirit is more resilient than I previously knew.

1. COVID-19 is not a great equaliser: it’s on all of us to alleviate its impacts on the disadvantaged youth

It has been said that COVID-19 is an equaliser. This couldn’t be further from the truth and I have seen this directly in charity work in the space of social mobility and access to university. For more than 4 years, I have been working with the charity IntoUniversity which aims to address underachievement and social exclusion among young people in economically deprived communities. Coming from a deprived refugee family myself, I needed to support of IntoUniversity to help me aspire to be the first in my family to attend university and I now sit on the Student Advisory Panel of IntoUniversity, helping strategise our national plan for 45,000 young children from backgrounds like mine.

I have been mentoring a younger boy from a similar background for 2 years but over the past 4 months, this has moved to a virtual format. My mentee is a 13-year-old boy who lives in a small flat with parents who like my family 10 years ago, are still adjusting to life in the UK. Under quarantine, his school has not reached out to him and what I felt impacted by was that the biggest issue he was saving was not the fear about the health consequences of the virus, but the hit on his morale. Increasingly, in our sessions I have taken the role as a counsellor to him and helping keep his morale and hopes up shows the bigger issue here.

There are thousands of young people like my mentee who live in difficult social situations. In the pandemic, the work of IntoUniversity is more important than ever. The statistics show the scale of the problem already. Pupils from independent schools are twice as likely to take part in online lessons every day and less than 50% of parents without higher education qualifications feel confident directing their child’s learning. Child trapped in small council estates with no contact from schools will be left behind unless the work of IntoUniversity is supported and the broader government recognises the issue. In a recent interview I conducted with the UK Shadow Universities Minister, I asked these pressing questions about University Acess and whilst I learnt about what plans or reviews government is thinking doing, I wish there was more action as the futures of these children cannot wait.

The perspective I have gained is to spread the agenda and I am doing my part. As a result, I have been able to recruit three other students onto the mentoring programme to guide younger students for this important cause. Developing others is not only about the good times: despite the two years I have had with my mentee, these past four months have brought me closer to him more than ever. Now it’s time to share the work and get others involved.

2. Innovation is resilient: we must support the risk-takers and wealth creators

One great experience I have had the past few weeks is working as an Investability Assessor with Capital Pilot, an organisation which assesses startups and scaleups, specifically those looking to secure emergency funding. In my role, I look to assess the most deserving businesses for the Rescue Equity Fund through conducting an in-depth assessment of various businesses through analysis of financial models and their pitch decks. Having completed a number of assessments, I have learned a few things. The spirit of entrepreneurs is inspiring. They are the change-makers, the risk-takers and the engines of the economy. Frankly, they have been overlooked in this time. The UK government, whilst launching the Future Fund and have taken a step in the right direction, have not practically considered the needs of founders. Thousands of high-potential startups up and down the UK, and indeed globally, will die unless the powers in government step up in a collective effort to rescue these businesses. There is a role for private sector firms, such as Capital Pilot to support, but this cannot be a half effort. Thousands of startups are at risk of capital starvation and we cannot stand by and let our future drivers of wealth creation be underserved.

The number of high-potential early-stage decks I have assessed with comments that relay the seriousness of the impact on their business models is worrying and the £50,000 that Capital Pilot is helping allocate will not be enough for many of these founders. The impact on promising business models relying on social contact has especially been devastating. As a result, what I have learnt is that the spirit of entrepreneurs, who are by their nature tough and resilient can’t be left on its own as the scale the economic issues mean no amount of drive will help keep the lights on when the money has dried up. Larger businesses and the general public have been looked after well and the government should be proud of this effort. But the fact is that every business that creates 1000 jobs at one stage was an early stage which only started with 10. We will miss out on a whole generation of high-potential businesses unless there is more focus on rescuing high-potential entrepreneurs.

3. The pandemic showed just how connected the world is — but for many, it still isn’t.

The past few months, I have been busy launching the UCL Investment Fund. Typically this is a process that requires several committee wide meetings to build a clear plan and consensus on how to proceed. With now many team members abroad or in the UK but unable to meet, it has been exciting to realise how we still got the structure completed across an exclusively virtual setting. From speaking to my Investment Director in the UK midlands over several calls, we were able to efficiently form the Fund structure and real-capital was accessed and secured following several zoom calls. When building the marketing brochure, I had to work with a colleague in Hong Kong who was 8 hours ahead and managing my workflows from the UK in the early hours of the morning to clearly guide and relay comments, was a very new experience but taught me again taught me how technology allows us to work globally. This connectedness was also reflected in the interviews with interested candidates: faces from New York, Hong Kong, New Dehli, Kuala Lumpur and more, I realised the power of technology to allow us to get things done. I have applied this not only to my mentoring, but being proactive and setting up phone calls with old friends, those I can help, those I need advice from and anyone in between. For instance, I have signed up with CityStep Careers, where I am mentoring 4 students seeking to break into banking and this has been a highly rewarding experience.

This has long been well commented on but the world is indeed getting more intimate and COVID-19 may have accelerated this charge. I witnessed first hand, as have millions of people around the world, just how connected we actually are. It puts the importance of reaching out to those who have been excluded from this change. Loneliness and mental health issues have taken a spotlight in the pandemic and there are many who have phones with all the world’s information and networks on, but still are deeply isolated. Being connected should not allow complacency and result in a virtual-bystander effect to creep in. This does not have to be e-mentoring, it could be as simple as checking in with a friend you feel has changed or even being more mindful of your own mental health and the high degree of content we consume in this hyper-digitalised COVID-19 world.

4. We’ve realised who the true heroes are

One of the best perspectives I have gained is seeing the appreciation for those working on the front-line. The pandemic has overwhelmed many healthcare systems around the world and led to the deaths of hundreds of doctors who were parents, siblings and children. This devastating impact on the lives, but the resilience to show up in the face of adversity and risk is truly inspiring. My own mother has been working the UK NHS over the crisis. Despite all my concerns about her well-being, she has shown me the best of the human spirit. Her stories of how her colleagues, patients and their family members are thriving in this time has hit home who the true heroes are. It comes down to these soldiers taking care of us who will go down in history. Having suffered a wider-family to the virus, I know how close this is for so many and this newfound appreciation should not be a temporary flare of kindness, but a longer-term show of love for everyone. I have found myself actively supporting others’ goals and have donated to several causes and have shared several causes on my LinkedIn profile. It’s time to be a more loving society and this is not going to happen overnight. But it starts from a moment of appreciation for one group and then expanding to the ignorance we may have for other roles. What if there was an equivalent natural disaster the meant our rubbish began to pile up. I wonder how suddenly the global newfound appreciation for those in humble roles such as this would come. We should be ahead of the curve now and not rely on future disasters to show us that being kind and respectful to all.”