Experiences as a Mentor - Ryan Chan

My name is Ryan. I’m a sophomore at Mission San Jose High School. I participated in the Youth Business Leadership Training program in the summer of my freshman year. I was the CEO of my team, Parkway.

We were an app similar to Airbnb in that homeowners could lend their driveways as parking spaces in crowded areas. Many places like Santa Cruz have lots of people, but not enough parking spaces. By opening up a driveway, homeowners will be able to earn some extra cash and tourists will be able to find a parking space more easily, and possibly at a lower cost. My team ended up placing first in the semi-finals conference and second in the grand-final conference that year.
As a participant, I learned many different aspects of the business world. Many topics such as finance and marketing were taught to us by guest speakers. Everyday after the lectures, we implemented the new knowledge in our presentations. On top of gaining business knowledge, I also gained social skills. A successful startup requires teamwork. This skill played a major role in our simulation.

YIBI is an organization that teaches students about business fundamentals and lets them experience what it’s like to turn an idea into a startup pitch with real world investors.
Before coming into this week, I thought I already knew how to be a proper mentor, since I had been through the program as a participant, twice. I thought I knew the ins and outs, the do’s and don'ts, of the competition. But little did I know, that wasn't enough. Coaching is completely different than participating. As mentors, we aren't allowed to directly give the students the answers; rather, we had to guide them to it and they eventually figure it out on their own. An example of this is when one group’s finance charts don’t make sense. We would ask them questions about their numbers. When they do not answer back, they think about the flaws and conclude that something is wrong. Moreover, critiquing their newly revised projects everyday was also different than as a student. On the other hand, us mentors had to look at the whole picture while pinpointing every mistake. It was challenging at some parts since an average student might not even see the mistakes that we had to, and were able to spot. All in all , it was fun and rewarding to become a mentor and I'm looking forward to continuing this journey next year.

The team that I mentored was MediQuick, an app designed to reduce unnecessary doctor visits and save time. Research from Harvard Medical School found that the typical visit to a doctor consumes 121 minutes of the patient’s time — 37 minutes in travel, 64 minutes waiting for care or filling out forms, and only 20 minutes face to face with the physician -- which results in $43 in lost time for each visit. As such, Mediquick is for questions, concerns and minor issues like a skin infection. Through the team’s calculations, they found that it was a win win situation for both parties-- the patient saves time and money, and the doctor earns more per minute. After discussing with the doctor about one’s problems, they are able to prescribe a medicine, which will have the option of shipping to a patient’s home or to a nearby pharmacy. On top of having a health guide at one’s fingertips, the app also includes a personalized fitness and diet plan. As for the implementation of the app, team Mediquick decided to launch their app first in Atlanta, Georgia because there are many university students there, many of which often prioritize education over their own health. Overall, Mediquick is an innovative and unique approach to solve a serious issue, and I’m interested in seeing it become a reality.