Every single successful person has followed the same pattern: “dream big from childhood.” But the triggers that sparked this dream were different. Some watched the first landing on the Moon. Some grew up hungry but saw billionaires on TV.
For you, my daughter, who is living a good life, I need to create that trigger. Watch every SpaceX Starship test flight together, learn the magic of coding your own game, and listen to stories that spark ambition.
And I prefer stories!
This is tonight’s Story that you will here from me:
Imagine you’re dropped in the middle of a huge, dark forest. Your mission: find a treasure box and escape first.
You are one of ten contestants. But everyone lands with different tools:
Some have boots and a backpack. Some have food and a tent. Some are barefoot with nothing.
That is life. Where you are born, your family, your wealth, that is your starting privilege. Unfortunately this is not within your control.
I was barefoot with nothing. I was born in a small city with little opportunity. I fought for everything I have. Some who were born at the same time had head start, they were born in wealthy countries with every advantage, best schools, money, connections.
Where I am standing now with what I have gained, I am the only one with no tools in the forest. I had determination.
So, who do you think wins? The one with the best equipment and head start ? Or the one with determination? Or the one with both?
I can give you privilege and tools so you don’t start empty-handed. You will have a good start, but the rest depends on your hard work and ambition.
One of the greatest tools in the forest of life is education. Education is like direction in the dark. Some schools are like paper maps. Some are like compasses. But the world’s best universities are like Google Maps guiding you directly to the treasure.
I studied in five universities across three countries. I can tell you: a top university is your winning card.
Let’s look at the most influential billionaires and scientists. Almost all studied at the Top 10 universities in the world.
1. Harvard University (USA):
Bill Gates: Microsoft founder, worth about $120 Billions . Mark Zuckerberg: Meta (Facebook) founder, net worth ~$120B. John Enders: “Father of modern vaccines,” winner of Nobel Prize, saved millions of lives.
2. Stanford University (USA):
Larry Page & Sergey Brin: Google founders, combined net worth ~$200B. Elon Musk (briefly studied) : Tesla & SpaceX, net worth ~$230B. Sally Ride : First American woman in space, inspired generations.
3. MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA):
Richard Feynman: Nobel Prize in Physics, a great physics scientist who shaped modern quantum theory. Drew Houston: Dropbox founder, billionaire (~$2B). Kofi Annan: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Nobel Peace Prize winner, he changed world diplomacy.
4. University of Cambridge (UK): Isaac Newton: Gravity & laws of motion, foundation of modern science. Charles Darwin: Theory of evolution, he changed biology forever. Stephen Hawking: Black holes, bestselling author, global science icon.
5. University of Oxford (UK):
Tim Berners-Lee: Invented the World Wide Web, changed how the world connects. Stephen Wolfram: Created Wolfram Alpha, Mathematica. Ratan Tata: Billionaire industrialist, transformed India’s industry.
6. Caltech: California Institute of Technology (USA):
Gordon Moore: Intel co-founder, billionaire, creator of “Moore’s Law.” Linus Pauling: Two-time Nobel laureate (Chemistry & Peace). Kip Thorne: Nobel Prize in Physics, proved gravitational waves exist.
7. Princeton University (USA):
Jeff Bezos: Amazon founder, net worth ~$180B. Alan Turing: Father of computer science, cracked Nazi codes, saved millions.
8. University of Chicago (USA): Milton Friedman: Nobel Prize in Economics, shaped global markets. James Watson: Co-discoverer of DNA structure, revolutionized genetics. Satya Nadella : Microsoft CEO, billionaire leader (~$1B+).
9. Columbia University (USA):
Barack Obama – U.S. President, Nobel Peace Prize, changed global politics. Robert Kraft: Billionaire businessman, New England Patriots owner. Richard Axel – Nobel Prize in Medicine (discovered smell receptors).
9. ETH Zurich (Switzerland):
Albert Einstein: Theory of Relativity, Nobel Prize, changed physics forever. Ursula Burns – First Black woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company (Xerox). Niklaus Wirth – Created Pascal programming language, shaped computing.
I am reading patterns, patterns of success, and I share them with you. Also know that there are tons of people who got out of the forest and found treasure without Google Maps. So don’t feel pressured but know the path will be easier if you dream big and aim for the best university from now on.
Remember, I will be proud of you no matter who you become or don’t become. Even if you choose not to go to a top university, or not to become a famous scientist or billionaire, but simply live as a normal person enjoying life, I will still be proud of you.
Mohsin With E 
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