Last year, I took a risk that didn’t look very logical on paper.
I moved to Philadelphia.
Switched paths.
Enrolled in an engineering program (a huge stretch for someone who studied business in undergrad). Quit my job and started my own business. And put myself back into an environment where I’d have to earn everything again.
What I didn’t fully appreciate at the time was that by doing that, I accidentally walked into one of the most opportunity-dense ecosystems I’ve ever seen.
Not because it was handed to me.
But because I finally learned how to look.
How I Stumbled Upon Opportunity.
By chance, I came across Penn's Venture Lab - a building I stumbled into one Saturday afternoon when exploring campus.
"How do I get access to this building?" I asked the security guard working the desk.
"This building is for students working on their own businesses as part of the venture lab -you need to apply and speak with them directly."
And so, a few applications and a round-table interview later, and I was in.
My acceptance into Penn’s Venture Lab wasn’t because I had some master plan.
I was already building something.
Already working on a company.
Already putting in the hours.
Venture Lab didn’t create that momentum. It amplified it.
Suddenly, there were mentors. Connections with other student entrepreneurs to share ideas with (for those who are familiar, building a business is a lonely endeavor). There were office hours. Fellowships. Grants. Pitch competitions. Non-dilutive funding. People who actually cared if you executed.
None of this was secret.
It was just invisible unless you looked for it.
Here’s the Pattern I’ve Noticed
This wasn’t the first time this happened.
At Babson, I received the Charles C. Ely Trust Scholarship. When nominated, one friend laughed. "A lot of people get nominated for that. It doesn't mean anything", but I applied and was awarded.
I received Merit-based step grants and financial aid to help support the dream. A dream that 16-year-old me didn't even know was possible as a (future) first-generation college student with mediocre grades and no real vision for the future.
At Penn, I’m a Dean’s Master’s Scholar.
Before that, at Bristol Community College, I won a scholarship for talking about my passion for Electronic Dance Music (EDM). (yeah, seriously..)
Different schools.
Different cities.
Different phases of life.
Same outcome. Time and time again.
Not only because I’m lucky… (luck certainly plays its part)
But because I learned how to play the game that isn't well-explained or outlined. It's like a secret society, and once you're in, you'll never see the world the same way again.
There Is Opportunity All Around You
This part still blows my mind.
There are massive amounts of opportunities all around you.
But most people don't see it.
Part of that is systemic. Corporate elites have built society so that you only worry about how you're going to pay your bills each month, which severely inhibits the creative part of your brain responsible for seeking these opportunities, to no fault of your own.
Or, because people believe the lies they've told themselves about their own limitations. (Remember, when someone tells you that you can't do something, that's their limitation, not yours.)
Skin in the Game Is the Price of Admission
Every opportunity I’ve benefited from had the same requirement: You had to show up first.
Not with an idea. Not with ambition. With work.
Build something.
Join the room.
Stay longer than most people.
Shake hands, introduce yourself, ask questions. Be curious.
Follow up.
Apply again.
Get told no.
Ask why?
Apply again anyway.
(Fun fact: I was originally rejected from Babson College, but was later accepted because I refused to take no for an answer. No admittance? Why? No money? How can I find a way to afford it? This led to scholarships, more aid, resident assistant roles, and more, because I kept showing up relentlessly)
Most people stop at the first sign of resistance. In sales, we're taught that the sale begins at the first 'no'.
The bar is lower than you think.
Tim Ferris said it best here:
When I Lose Faith in the System, I Remind Myself Of What's Out There
Whenever I start to feel cynical about the direction of the U.S, I look around in small cohorts at what’s actually being built:
People who “made it” funding the next generation.
Programs designed to reduce the downside for people willing to try.
Capital explicitly set aside to help builders keep going.
It’s real.
But it’s conditional.
The system works, if you seek it out, and engage with it.
The Opportunist Mindset
The biggest shift for me wasn’t academic or financial.
It was mental.
I stopped seeing opportunity as something you wait for, and hope happens to you.
And started treating it like something you hunt.
I track programs.
I ask questions.
I apply early.
I apply often.
I show up first.
I don’t self-reject.
Most people opt out before anyone else has a chance to say no. That’s the real filter.
The opportunities are out there.
The money, the support, the paths.
But they’re buried behind effort, consistency, and discomfort.
You don’t get lucky by accident. You get lucky by staying in motion long enough to be in the right room when it matters.
Fortune favors the bold - and the person who keeps showing up.