As you go through my transcript, you may be having some concerns about the downward trajectory of my grades. The primary reason being that during and post-pandemic, my family’s leather-goods business has taken a financial hit; so I have been helping out with my family business, and that has taken away from my school.

For context, both of my parents immigrated to the US in 1986 with only $200 in their pockets. Through sheer will and hard work, my parents scaled their company into a manufacturing empire—hitting over $20 million in sales in the first five years. However, the pandemic caused my family’s business to suffer. To be specific, we had a 60% loss in value, and no profit: negative earnings. This was exacerbated given the recent economic crisis and shutdown in China. I was not even sure if I could continue to attend school at this rate.

As the eldest sibling, I feel an immense responsibility to provide for my family. While we used to work with wholesalers and importers, they cut us off during the pandemic. I helped to establish an online footprint for the business—where there previously was none. A lot of my friends stayed home during the pandemic, playing games and online shopping. This inspired me to reenvision the business strategy for our family business by forming partnerships with online retailers such as Taobao Shop, the Amazon of China, and online gaming companies like Boke City.

These two partnerships are the only area that saw an increase in sales during and after the pandemic, making up around 20% of my dad's business. Although developing this online e-commerce model helped, but it is not enough to save our family business long-term. I am still continuing to actively help out with my family’s business this semester, and the fight is ongoing. As a result, my academics have taken a backseat—as I love my family so much, and they will always be my biggest priority.

I am immensely inspired by my dad’s hustle and how far it has taken him in life. I continuously grow and learn so much from my him and the rest of family—from how to be a good daughter, problem-solver, business partner, and aspiring founder. Even though I am working at PwC post-graduation, one of the most top-tier companies in the world, I also aim to become a startup founder someday—a dream that Columbia Business School will hopefully help me to actuate. In my eyes, my dad is both a visionary business leader, an incredible father, and black sheep trailblazer who has broken the chain of generational poverty in his family. My dad inspires me to walk in his footsteps and become an entrepreneur; I know that I am meant to create my own business; entrepreneurship is literally in my blood. I may even takeover his after I have developed enough business experience and acumen learning from the best companies in the world. I am excited about the possibilities that the future hold, and look forward to having Columbia Business School be a part of my journey.