Samantha Ouyang

Gymnastics was a huge part of my life. I trained up to 20 hours a week, but I was also always making things, from knitting and crocheting to duct tape wallets and Legos. I wasn't always a great student either. I actually got a “most improved student” award in elementary school, which basically means you have to start somewhere near the bottom. Once my mom became more involved in my education, I worked my way to the top. By the time I was nine years old, I was finishing assignments a month early just to get them out of the way. I really wish I still had those anti procrastination skills.

Chemistry happened pretty unexpectedly. I was much more interested in entrepreneurship and crypto, which my mom, being a traditional Asian immigrant mom, wasn't exactly thrilled about. She agreed to let me do an entrepreneurship program on one condition: I had to commit to an academic Olympiad too. I chose chemistry and basically taught myself several years of it in one summer. Within a year, I made Canada's national training camp, and the next year, Team Canada. I definitely struggled with imposter syndrome because some people around me had been preparing for years. But it taught me something important about myself: when I really put my mind to something, I can go much further than I think.

Honestly, I had no plan. I wasn't leaving Penn for a startup or some amazing job. I just had things I wanted to explore and wanted to see where they took me. I kept second guessing myself until I was at a conference in Dubai and told someone I was 90% sure I wanted to do it. He pointed out that I was still leaving 10% room to doubt myself, and that stuck with me. Eventually, I decided to stop hiding behind the uncertainty and do the thing that scared me.

Growing up around Toronto, there was this idea that you worked hard, got into a great U.S. college, and built a life in America. But once I got to Penn, paths like consulting or investment banking just didn't feel like me. I've always had this mix of traditional and unconventional. I cared about academics and competed in Chemistry Olympiads, but I was also getting into crypto at 15 and exploring entrepreneurship. Eventually, I realized I couldn't picture myself lining up at career fairs handing out résumés. Most of my opportunities have come from random conversations, traveling, social media, and just putting myself out there.

I was working at a robotics company during my gap year, but I was bored and didn't feel intellectually challenged. It made me start asking myself what I would work on even if nobody paid me. I've always loved cafés and bringing people together. One night over ramen, I told a friend my dream was to build a global café and coworking concept. She just said, “Why don't you do that now?” I shared the idea online, and around 700 people joined the waitlist in three days. Elsewhere has evolved into software that helps physical spaces connect their communities, but I still dream of having locations around the world, with coworking spaces and really pretty Asian inspired lattes.

Being a solo founder can be quite lonely because there isn't always someone there to bounce ideas off of or go through the hard moments with. Then I returned to Penn after my gap year, and most of my friends were already a year ahead, so I also had to rebuild my community. There's also been the financial side. I lost financial support from my scholarship because I started a company. I've learned that if I'm going to take responsibility for my dreams and the choices I make, I also have to accept what comes with pursuing them.

Samantha Ouyang: It felt like years of hard work finally coming together. Being an international student taught me to be resourceful and keep finding ways forward.I was sitting in an Uber when my lawyer told me I'd been approved. I just stared at my phone thinking, “Wait, is this actually happening?” Then I started crying. It also made me realize that being an international student is an important part of my story. I want to share what I've learned to help other international students understand the opportunities available to them, while continuing to build and hopefully make a meaningful impact here in the U.S.

I call it the “weird path,” but for me, it's really about staying true to what I want, even when it doesn't make sense to everyone else. I've learned to trust where my curiosity takes me. I could have played it safe and gone into consulting or another high paying job, but I'd rather live a difficult life pursuing something I actually want than live a life I hate while swimming in money. You're probably always going to want something you don't have, so the one thing you can really hold onto is being authentic to yourself and building a life that actually feels like yours.