Nomadic

When I was in middle school, my algebra teacher had an idea.

She wanted to offer Chinese alongside Spanish as a language elective option. The school wasn’t convinced, but they eventually agreed to let her run a one-year pilot program after our last-period algebra class. She selected five of her top algebra students to participate, telling us that if we were performing well in algebra, we could absolutely be successful at learning Chinese. I was one of them.

At the time, I had no idea those afternoons would shape the course of my life.

In the years that followed, I kept teaching myself Mandarin on my own—studying through Chinese dramas and a university refresher course—determined to hold onto what I’d started in that after-school classroom.

Years later, China became my first solo trip abroad.

Stepping off the plane on my own was both exciting and intimidating. What started with a middle school Chinese class became the confidence to travel halfway around the world by myself. After returning home, I continued studying Chinese at a Chinese language program offered on UPenn’s campus because I wanted to keep learning and stay connected to the language.

That first solo trip sparked something much bigger. Since then, I’ve traveled to more than 60 countries, and each journey has taught me that travel is about more than checking destinations off a list. It’s about curiosity, perspective, human connection, and discovering parts of yourself you never knew existed.

Those experiences inspired me to build Nomadic.

Alongside my work as a software engineer, I’m building an AI-powered travel community designed to help people discover unique places, connect with fellow travelers, and create more meaningful adventures. My hope is that Nomadic gives someone else the same sense of confidence, curiosity, and excitement that my first solo trip to China gave me.

Sometimes all it takes is one teacher who believes in an idea.

For me, that idea started in a middle school classroom and eventually became a lifelong passion for exploring the world—and the inspiration behind Nomadic.