Philly , Forbes Under 30 Summit 2014

To my left, a well-dressed woman’s eyes got red and wet as Monica Lewinsky described her suicidal thoughts from years ago. I quickly retreated to the lobby to recover my sanity at the free cookie cart. Half of the Philadelphia Mayor’s office was in attendance to support this event as a “city revitalization effort”. They debated whether the Summit’s Wiz Khalifa and Afrojack concert last night was profitable. We returned to the ballroom to witness an oddly cellulite and breast implant ridden fashion show. My serious attention was only grabbed back by Sara Blakely, the inventor of Spanx. How did she grow a billion dollar company from only 5,000 dollars of savings and manage to keep 100% business ownership? The question bugged me while I kicked around the energy-harnessing soccer ball my new friend Jessica invented for rural students to power their reading lights. No one here is normal. And then, Malala entered the ballroom. This short, visibly awkward teenager who lives a double life—handing in homework one day and accepting the Nobel Prize the next—spoke powerfully about education. My eyes were not wet, but my heart was on fire. I believe Malala looked directly at me: "Education is the key to ending poverty globally. We must continue our work."