What Did I Do This Year?

As 2022 winds down, I've found myself looking back and wondering: what did I do that matters to me? In many ways, it was a blur. Being a founding member of a seed-stage startup will do that to you, not to mention moving to a new state and all that involves.

And so, while I haven't historically publicized my accomplishments like this, this year I figure I'll try it. More than anything, I hope it will serve to inspire me to achieve my goals for 2023, some of which I'll also post below.

Personal Accomplishments (Unordered)

💰 This year, I successfully paid off my private student loans by paying down the remaining $53k I had left. While I still have a chunk remaining in the form of public student loan debt, this has been a deeply engrained goal of mine since I graduated college. Stay tuned for this one, I have more to say.

🌅 In March of this year, we visited San Diego. A week after, I quit my job. 2 weeks after that we packed our things and made the three day drive to San Diego to start a new life. I haven't regretted it once (though I do miss my family).

👰‍♀️ Despite the pandemic, and my own concerns, I was able to attend my sister and now brother-in-law's wedding in Puerto Rico. It was a wonderful occasion and I'm grateful I was there to see it.

💻 This year, I joined as a founding hire for a new startup (technically Dec 2021). It may have been a risk financially. But it has paid off emotionally and experientially. I love my colleagues and Workhelix. I believe in each of them, and I believe in what we're building.

📊 NormConf. This year I was able to co-organize, speak-at, and attend NormConf. NormConf was a labor of love. There have been many takes. Perhaps I'll say something more about it one day. But I think Vicki's take encapsulates what needed to be said. ❤️

Among my contributions (note that everything was a team effort) were:

• organizing the conference
• tracking and forecasting the financials
• organizing the surprise appearance of the International Strings Band
• design the community guidelines and moderation policy
• deploying the conference API
• coordinating with NumFOCUS to help raise $16k dollars!

🏫 Despite all the busyness of this year, I stuck to my goal of continuing my math education by taking a DiffEq course at UCSD. I learned a bunch.

🖥️ After monitoring prices for some time and slowly accumulating the parts, I built a PC for the first time this break. I love it and I'm already using my NVIDIA GPU for cool projects.

🏃‍♂️ I don't talk about it much, but a decade ago I started running and have rarely stopped since. I continued my pattern of running (or biking) almost every day (this year was a little less running than I'm use to). Already looking to up my game for next year.

👨‍💻 This year I launched a new version of my website. I'm relatively happy with it (though it could use some improvements). I'd been meaning to do it for a while and I'm happy I did.

📋 I wrote 3 posts this year (this one counts!). I love writing. I intend to do more in the coming year.

⛺️ In 2021 I hiked Sequoia for the first time with my close friends. Unfortunately, my partner Hannah was unable to attend. This always bothered me. Thankfully, she surprised me with a National Park pass and a planned trip to Sequoia for my birthday. It was a highlight and I'm grateful we got to go.

What do I want to accomplish next year?

💸 My goal has always been to pay off all my student loans by the time I am 30. As 2023 will be that year (September), I intend to meet or exceed that goal.

👩‍💼 My sister is going to be starting a business in 2023 and I have committed to helping her get started. I'm excited for her, I'm confident in her business acumen, and I'm looking forward to the successes we'll have.

👨‍🏫 I have already signed up for another math class at UCSD. I hope to take at least one additional credited course.

📟 I'd like to contribute to at least one popular OSS package.

🏞️ I'd like to visit at least two national parks and camp at least twice.

🗒️ I aim to write at least 5 posts.

👫 I'm going to look into joining a running club in San Diego.

🗺️ I hope to travel to at least two countries.

📄 I'd like to write an economic research article for a journal based on the work we're doing at Workhelix.

📓 Speaking of journals, I'd like to read more—especially foundational journal articles.

We'll see what 2023 brings. Happy New Year!