Name: Edward Lee
Year Graduated from BISS: 2022
University/Current Studies: University of Michigan Ann Arbor: Organisational Studies with Minor in Entrepreneurship
Course or Field: Business Management & Commercial Strategy
Current Role/Job Title (if applicable): Commercial Strategy Intern at Wayfair
What’s something you remember clearly from your time at BISS — a class, moment, or project that stuck with you?
I think the most memorable moment was my IB Chinese A oral exam. I had to thoroughly analyse two forms of literature and present my findings and understanding to my Chinese teacher. It was memorable because it was one of the toughest exams that I prepared for as I would practise going through the PowerPoint slides and my communication over and over again. I would make fun of myself – comparing myself to Eminem - as I was trying to fit so much analysis into just 10 minutes and I was speaking at a very fast pace. However, it all paid off, and it helped me cultivate skills such as public speaking, storytelling, and thriving under pressure. Now I’m confident with my presentation skills no matter if it’s for a team project at work or raising capital from investors.
In what ways did BISS (or the IB) help shape how you think, work, or see the world now?
BISS helped me the most in three very important ways. 1. Creating a worldwide perspective 2. Always seeking challenges 3. Thinking outside the box.
My time at BISS allowed me to make connections and develop friendships with students from all across the world. It’s a very proud thing to say that I have friends in over 30 different countries. They help me learn about the different cultures and norms across different areas of the world and encourage me to always try something new. This allowed me to become someone who’s open to making new friends and more welcoming to new ideas.
Can you share a time when an activity outside the classroom made a big difference to your personal growth?
My favourite activity outside of class was playing volleyball. I was on the school volleyball team at BISS, and I was the captain for the 2022 season. I still play volleyball in college on a regular basis as I believe it is a sport that teaches you a lot of key lessons in life. One of the biggest lessons it taught me was that a strong team needs six good players. Unlike most sports, you can only score points in volleyball through the coordination of 3 out of the 6 players on the team. One strong individual isn’t enough for a team to succeed. This taught me how to be someone who prioritises the team’s goals over my own. I’ll help my team do drills, practise their weaknesses, and provide encouragement during the game. I have carried this vision to work and academics as I’m always aware of how my team is doing and provide help when it is needed. This helped me succeed in various perspectives as this allowed us to produce quality work and allowed me to get closer with my teammates and build more robust relationships.
What’s one challenge you faced after graduating, and how did your time at BISS help you handle it?
I think the biggest challenge was to transfer universities. I thought the hardest part of transferring universities was to prepare my essays, keep up my grades, and showcase my experiences. I thought everything was set and done when I got my offer letter from Michigan, however I realised that the hardest part was saying goodbye to friends and getting used to a completely new environment.
My experience at BISS has helped me adapt to this process by providing me with the courage to accept new challenges and push myself to do more. Learning at BISS was a never-ending cycle. There’s always room for improvement and there's always new challenges waiting for you tomorrow. I’ve had to constantly push myself outside of my comfort zone to achieve the results that I wanted. Despite being in a completely new state and new school, it wasn’t hard for me to catch up with the school materials, and I made new friends quickly. I then pushed myself to take on new challenges such as becoming a consulting manager at a business and tech consulting club and becoming the only student representative on the Organisational Studies Leadership Committee that is led by alumni
If you could sit down with current Year 12s, what’s one piece of advice you’d give them about what comes next — uni, gap year, career, or just life?
Never forget what you’re passionate about. You may get influenced by so many different factors when you begin to grow up. Sometimes the big environment could affect you so much that you don’t even know who you are. Coming out from IB, I thought I wanted to become a doctor because everyone around me told me that doctors make a lot of money and it’s a great career. I took HL Biology and Chemistry and poured my heart into studying for exams and doing research. It wasn’t until I was going to graduate that I realised I didn’t want to be a doctor. I wanted to say I’m good at it, but I never really enjoyed it. I enjoyed working with people and talking about strategic business ideas, and it wasn’t until the end of IB that I realised that I wanted to switch to business.
I found that being passionate about something was able to drive results. I was passionate enough to stay up late and grind out the business model for my startup. I was passionate enough to step out of my comfort zone and talk to successful businesspeople and ask them about their experiences. I was also passionate enough to treat my academics as something enjoyable, on which I would be happy focusing my time. Passion unlocks a lot of doors. I don’t think I would be able to go to this extent if I had continued with my path to becoming a doctor. To summarise - my key message to the current Year 12s is to find what you’re passionate about. Don’t compare yourself to others, don't get influenced by the advice of others who don’t know you as well. Find something that describes you and dive deeper into it.
What’s something you're excited about right now — a project, idea, goal, or direction you’re heading in?
I’m really interested in a research initiative that I started called the Michigan Tech Startup Ecosystem Report. It provides an in-depth look at Michigan’s startup ecosystem, with a particular focus on early-stage tech startups (pre-seed to Series A). This research will serve as a valuable resource for investors, founders and policymakers by highlighting key trends, challenges and opportunities in Michigan’s tech landscape.
We got the opportunity to interview startup founders whose companies are valued at millions of dollars and hear their thoughts on why they are building their startups in Michigan. We also attracted investors from various venture capital firms that are actively investing in Michigan startups and supporting the next generation.
This is a fascinating project to me as I was able to hear so many different perspectives on the startup ecosystem at Michigan, and it gave me the opportunity to pick the brains of people who are highly successful. We are about 50 pages into the final report we’re putting together, and it has already gained some traction across the startup community. One investor even offered to show it to some government officials from the state that are trying to create pro-startup policies in the future.
