Final Stanford Apps Anonymous

The smallest things in life often carry the most meaning.

I realized this when I found myself as the only teen among a group of teachers for a USACF meeting in Brooklyn. As I sat there nervously, clenching onto my shirtsleeves, I came face to face with the Bridge Pi—a small, hotspot-like device created from a series of mini-computers known as a Raspberry Pi. In it holds hundreds of gigabytes of educational resources, like textbooks and encyclopedias, to improve schooling in Africa. Despite its mere dimensions—roughly the size of my palm—this device enabled me to recognize the magnitude at which technology can transform education.

Beyond showing me the value of innovation, I’ve taken a deeper appreciation for the Pi, recognizing it as a hallmark of human curiosity. The device can be assembled in just 30 minutes, but it took nearly a year’s worth of deliberation to create. Its existence alone demonstrates the power of knowledge—how we can use what we know and what we desire to know to create new outlets for endless possibilities.