commit 44086ae01dd87364ac4f1def84237d26001c8cda
parent 9ce2a0f4354672757d90a5f76af6dc7c810fe8a0
Author: FIGBERT <figbert@figbert.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2024 17:40:26 -0700
Add Stanford Quarterly Reflection Y1Q3
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+title = "Stanford Quarterly Reflection (Y1Q3)"
+date = 2024-07-18
++++
+
+This quarter was a radical departure from the previous two. It was
+profoundly different and, at times, extremely difficult. Having now come
+up for air on the other side, and looking at the great joys that I did
+experience, I feel pretty positively about the whole affair. And the
+change never stops, as I leave behind the great change of this year for
+a whole new world: summer.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+### Academics
+
+I was in the lowest amount of units possible, a measly 12. These were:
+
+1. COLLEGE 110: The Spirit of Democracy
+2. CS 107: Computer Organization and Systems
+3. CS 12SI: Spatial Computing Workshop
+4. SUSTAIN 132: Sustainable Societies Lab: Exploring Israel's Innovation
+ Ecosystem in Human & Planetary Health
+
+This significantly reduced courseload was a mistake. I felt unmoored
+with so little work, attending to my classes by catching assignments
+just before they fell off my metaphorical plate. I don't believe this
+was the most effective means of learning or academic growth. I ended up
+in this situation because I was afraid to to adapt my schedule to
+change, and I could have avoided it by embracing risk and authoritative
+decision-making. "Strong opinions, loosely held" feels like a phrase
+that could be adapted here. I had structured my schedule around a
+specific class (DESIGN 11) but ended up dropping the class in
+exasperation after two weeks. I should have found a supplement (likely
+DESIGN 1 or ARABLANG 21A), and reorganized my schedule to accommodate
+it. The past being immutable, I will simply acknowledge that I believe
+this would have been a better choice for me academically and, in certain
+respects, emotionally as well.
+
+Nevertheless, certain aspects of my academic experience during these ten
+weeks deserve recognition. CS 107 introduced me to genuinely new aspects
+of computer science—it forced me to engage with topics that I have
+intentionally avoided in my own work, grapple with them, and come out
+fully understanding them. These subjects include working in
+memory-unsafe languages such as C, reading and interpreting x86_64
+assembly, certain UNIX system details, and other topics in this orbit. I
+received a relatively poor grade in this class! This was largely due to
+my handling of the homework, and one assignment in particular which was
+significantly late. It was still one of the most fulfilling learning
+experiences of my engineering career.
+
+The highlight of COLLEGE 110 was the opportunity it afforded me to
+experience Larry Diamond in his element. We exist at a time of great
+consequence, and his framing of the world, with its challenges and
+opportunities, was enlightening. I feel very fortunate to have been able
+to get to know the man. The events I attended with him that paralleled
+the class were also remarkable. I met [Salam Fayyad], and gained a new
+two-truths-and-a-lie fact from our personal interactions. I also enjoyed
+[the Boiling Moat] panel on Taiwanese security, which I attended with my
+friend [Jacob] while he was visiting. One panelist absolutely terrified
+me, and I would like to work for him. The ebook is living on my Kindle,
+and waits high up on my reading list.
+
+CS 12SI and SUSTAIN 132 both represent the unparalleled latitude that
+Stanford presents its community. A class exclusively diving into the
+just-released Vision Pro, with real expert access and attention to each
+student project, is an unbelievable offering. Like CS 40, CS 12SI was
+new a little bumpy, but I can see it growing into something extremely
+impressive and startup-accelerator-y, especially under [Gabriel's]
+excellent guidance. SUSTAIN 132 lives in such a cool niche of academic
+study I am grateful that it exists at all—and it helped that the
+teaching staff was cool on top of it all.
+
+### Personal
+
+Social engagement was without a doubt where my focus lay this past
+quarter. My sleep schedule lurched around the clock, [Oura] be damned.
+And pouring all of my energy into a complex web of human relationships
+occasionally reminded me of the [gossip trap] theory of prehistory,
+which was less than pleasant.
+
+I should spare a moment to appreciate and bid a very depressing goodbye
+to the seniors who made this year special for me, and will not be there
+when I return. Losing you all really took me by surprise, and I will not
+be the same without you. Emily, you've been there for me like no one
+else and I cannot acknowledge that enough. I'm rooting for (and counting
+on, honestly) your return. Ben, you changed the trajectory of my career.
+I was honored to receive some of *your* reflections in my inbox, and do
+hope to see that continue, if only for my own enrichment. Joven, we met
+for the first time in earnest over spring break, but by the time we were
+the last two people in London, enjoying blueberry muffins and sipping on
+lattes on our way to the airport, we had hit our stride. No one else
+will debate the finer points of [café society] with me, and that is a
+deficiency on their part. And of course, Sophia—I was perpetually amazed
+at our relationship. You're the best, and I have faith that there is
+little that can stop you from continuing to be just that.
+
+In a somewhat surprising turn of events, this quarter I joined the
+fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. This unique aspect of American university life
+played no role in my parents' experience, and thus I was raised without
+a great desire to participate in it when I went off to Stanford.
+Nevertheless, as I met more and more Phi Psis, I was startled to realize
+that I really enjoyed hanging out with them. I no longer find this
+nearly as startling, having been to the ends of the Earth and back with
+them (or at least, military bases, casinos, and watery watchtowers). To
+the brothers that convinced me to join—Odin, Reisner, Lichu, Deveen,
+Deitrich, Gareth, Farman, Santi, Milo—I owe you a great thanks, and
+perhaps an apology as well for being so stubborn. I've wanted to be a
+rapper for as long as I can remember, and you brought that out of me.
+I'm extremely grateful. And to the fresh set of brothers—Bradley, Panos,
+Arjin, Tiao—that I am a part of, you make me excited for the future.
+
+I have not forgotten about the London gang, nor my promise to write
+about the trip in this reflection. For those readers planning an outing
+to the kingdom on which the sun never sets, I have only three important
+notes—the white saffron hot chocolate at [Dark Sugars] will change your
+life, the chai at [Dishoom] is bottomless, and if you're ever having too
+much fun at an interactive performance of [Guys and Dolls] the dude to
+your left will berate you. My deep thanks to the Danielpours for playing
+host to us all, and welcoming us into your home for a lovely shabbat.
+Everyone on this trip changed my life this year, and I love you all so
+very much. In London and at Stanford, to have such friends is life's
+greatest joy. Many of you have made your way into this post already, but
+I will descend into lists again for those that have not. Stella, you
+built a home on campus in the Warehaus that did not have to exist, but
+was for me a heaven of frosted flakes and late night antics. Zach, I'm
+coming for your PRs and your creatine water bottle. You undoubtedly fill
+out the commemorative London shirt the best of all of us. Daniel, you
+inspire me consistently by moving to action when I'm standing still,
+afraid. Name a more [iconic duo] than us. And Kelly—you are so
+wonderful.
+
+But these are not the only people at Stanford who are important to me.
+Vivek, I cannot wait to live with you next year. Nate, you are simply
+way better at tennis than I am. Trun, we are living the lives we have
+always wanted. Jack, if there is anyone in my life who possesses the
+magnetic people powers of Gatsby (which I say as someone who, at
+present, admires the man with no qualms) it is you. Sam—to meet your
+family was a great honor and I'm sorry they saw me give you a piggyback
+ride right before. Vedant and Riya: just because we're no longer all in
+the great dorm of Crothers doesn't mean tea at 3 in the morning has to
+stop, and indeed I hope it doesn't. Ryan, you've once again ended up a
+key player in a crazy highlight-of-the-quarter evening and I can only
+hope that this continues. Longhair, it didn't work out this quarter, but
+come fall you bet we will hit the Pyramid of Giza. And Naama: you are
+the only person with whom I have a weekly scheduled meal.
+
+I miss you all.
+
+It occurs to me that turning the personal section of a reflection into
+basically a list of thank-yous is perhaps not particularly reflective.
+It's somewhat hard to keep a journal in public. Perhaps this is just the
+nature of things. Perhaps I have just once again waited too long to
+finish writing and publish this post. Perhaps I shouldn't be married to
+the format I've used in previous posts. We shall see.
+
+### A Year Complete
+
+I remain the person that I was when I began Stanford, but I happily
+believe that have become an improved and refined version of that person.
+
+I have aquired two new greenfield skills, in Arabic and assembly
+language. I had no knowledge of the two before this year, and now I do.
+These allow me to tangibly do things I could not do before.
+
+The majority of my development, however, has been less tangible—but all
+the more profound. Being at Stanford has placed me at the center of the
+most incredible environment I could imagine; remarkable people surround
+me at all hours of the day, and their effusive brilliance cannot help
+but be impactful.
+
+As the summer continues, and the community that comprises this small
+Eden is dispersed, I have a hard time imagining that this year happened
+at all. My time at Stanford was a short, recent burst. I'm now back in
+San Francisco, and though I've maintained as large a sprinkling of
+Stanford in my life as I can, it feels almost as if I have just awoken
+from the most vivid, marvelous dream.
+
+This summer will be exciting and hopefully rejuvenating as well. It will
+also comprise its own Q4 reflection! But I'm not embarrassed to say that
+I'm looking forward to returning to the Farm in the fall. I enjoyed
+dreaming, and I have a feeling that it's not over yet.
+
+[Salam Fayyad]: https://events.stanford.edu/event/a-conversation-with-salam-fayyad-former-prime-minister-of-the-palestinian-authority
+[the Boiling Moat]: https://www.hoover.org/events/boiling-moat
+[Jacob]: https://jacobneplokh.com
+[Gabriel's]: https://gabriel-lipkowitz.com
+[gossip trap]: https://www.theintrinsicperspective.com/p/the-gossip-trap
+[café society]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Café_society
+[Oura]: https://ouraring.com
+[iconic duo]: https://open.spotify.com/track/4Flfb4fGscN9kXPOduQLrv
+[Dark Sugars]: https://www.darksugars.co.uk
+[Dishoom]: https://www.dishoom.com
+[Guys and Dolls]: https://bridgetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/guys-and-dolls/
