Me: Oh!  Is that a Canadian accent I hear? My roommate in college was from Canada.

Oh, from where?

Me:  She was from Kelowna.

Oh, I’m from Calgary.

Me:  Oh, ok! so what do you do?

I’m in robotics.

Me:  Who do you work for?

Myself.

Me:  Wow!  How did you first get started?

When I was 14, I modified a wheelchair for my grandmother*.

Me:  Oh wow! so did you go to school?

No, I dropped out.  Have you heard of Peter Thiel, the guy who co-founded PayPal? He started the Thiel Fellowship and I was in the first 2011 class. 

Me: Yes, I have heard of him and of the fellowship So you dropped out of college…how did your parents take it?

Well, I come from a lower socio-economic background, so they weren’t too happy, but they were glad I didn’t have to get in debt to go to college.

Me:  Wow!! and now you have your own company!  How much effort do you have to put into helping companies find what you do?

Not much, for the most part, they find me. 

Me:  How?

Mostly at trade shows, conferences, stuff like that.

Me:  Well, I am honored to meet you.

Note:  Here is a link to Documentaries about the fellows.  Share, share and share with young people – they are very inspiring…(this is the reason, I’m sharing these conversations).

“I was a hacker who hated the government… and now I’m a nonprofit leader trying to help the world.”

*Here’s a little more info I found on the wheelchairs:

– a walker wheelchair combination that allows users in a debilitating or rehabilitating condition to use the device as a walker when they are able to, but also as an electric wheelchair when they need to remain mobile, but also need rest.

– a sophisticated, versatile wheelchair platform capable of navigating steps, uneven terrain, and entire staircases. This allows users without the ability to walk to go almost anywhere than an able bodied human can go, incinerating most accessibility barriers facing wheelchair users.