Lindsay Chavez on Leading Learners Blog

Feb 27, 2022

Interview With Waterloo Systems Design Engineering Student, Anson Yu

Please note: The original interview was conducted in November 2020.

You are one of the Co-Founders of reflect. What inspired you to get involved?

To quote one of my blog posts, there are three things that are certain in life: death, taxes, and procrastination. 

As students in a digital age, we are especially susceptible to distraction because the entirety of human knowledge is no more than a couple clicks away. Knowing this, our team wanted to make a tool that we would personally use to improve our focus - while having fun along the way.

To solve the problem, we made “reflect”! “reflect” is a mindful website blocker that uses machine learning to encourage deliberate browsing. Every time you want to enter a distracting website, you have to type your reason and the machine learning model decides whether or not you’re allowed in. Although a simple concept, the positive feedback that we’ve received from strangers around the world has been incredible.

P.S. We have a few new features coming up soon so feel free to check it out at getreflect.app ;)

When you are not fulfilling your leadership duties, what do you do as pass times? What do you do for fun?

Reading, crafting, and doing nothing. Allow me to explain them a bit more.

First, reading. As a debater with a penance for physics and an engineering student with a passion for politics, few hobbies intersect my interests. However within a library, the whole Dewey Decimal system is at my fingertips. My proudest, most unabashedly nerdy moment was finishing 10 books over the last two months. There’s something very wondrous about unlocking thousands of years of lived experiences through novels, stories, and prose. Currently, I’m reading Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamnda Ngozi. If anyone is also reading it, I would love to holler about it with you sometime!

Next, is art. Whether it be videography, drawing, or sewing, I spend a lot of free time trying to close the gap between what I want to create and what I’m capable of. A lot of the time, this means cheering on my computer as it tries to process my 102838012 video layers or accidentally stabbing myself with sewing needles trying to get a cross stitch.

Aside from video production and art, I think this year I’ve also learned the importance of doing nothing. It’s nearly impossible to generate new ideas or thoughts if we’re filling every waking minute with content and activities. (That’s also probably why shower thoughts are always so profound.) As much as I love my books and YouTube rabbit holes, I’ve learned to appreciate aimless walks or the monotony of laundry. 

Tell us about your experience with the Loran Scholarship. How was the process of applying for the scholarship? 

In more ways than I can count, it changed my life. 

The process of applying was relatively simple, near the beginning of the school year there is a written application that is sent out. From the pool of 5000+ applicants, around 500 individuals are selected to partake in a round of regional interviews. Following that, 80 candidates are flown out to Toronto for the finalist round. 

It sounds weird but throughout the process, I actually had a lot of fun(?) Loran does a really good job of making the process as stress-free, fun, and educational as possible. Although I was initially intimidated, conversations with other candidates and previous scholars made time zoom by.

Before I knew it, results were out, leaving me crying of shock/joy on an art gallery floor. Shoutout to the security guard that acknowledged it and kept walking. 

What advice do you have for students going into Design Engineering? How was this transition for you?

Man do I love my major. 

Systems Design Engineering is in many ways, built different. It lies at the intersection of software, art, and society. The major is broad enough that it allows the flexibility to try, explore, and pivot.

To all my friends considering interdisciplinary majors, I feel you. Whether you’re torn between music and medical science or business and engineering, just know that your diversity is a strength. At the pace at which our world is changing, the most valuable skill is adaptability. Lean into your ability to see the world through multiple lenses and don’t let the labels of a university major define how you spend your time. 

The transition was actually quite smooth. When it is your first term of university, there aren’t really other reference points that you can compare the experience to. As a result, I actually found light in the unique aspects of online schooling. For example, I could whip up an omelette in the middle of my physics lecture or rewind pre-recorded videos to make my notes aesthetically nice. 

And last but not least, how would you describe a leader?

A leader isn’t someone with a title or a specific role. Leaders aren’t those that create and enforce deadlines or even those that create plan after plan. 

To me, a leader is someone that can influence the people around them to do things they wouldn’t have otherwise done. Whether it be motivating people to invest in themselves or kickstarting a culture of joy, leaders change what people feel is possible. 

This being said, thank you so much for choosing me to be on the blog! It means a lot and I hope I can live up to your description of what makes a leader too. 

Cheers and love,

Anson