Who or what is your inspiration in business?

My mom. She's the one who put me onto Shark Tank in middle school, we'd watch it together and she'd push me to think bigger. I kept a journal back then full of business ideas, not knowing I'd actually build one day. She's always believed I could before I believed it myself. That foundation is why I build the way I do with heart, not just strategy.

How do you stay motivated?

My users. WaitWise launched at Columbia with real daily active users and no funding or ads. Every report someone submits is an act of trust that another person will benefit. That keeps me building. I also remind myself that the problems I'm solving are real — I've lived them. Nobody should waste time waiting in the dark.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Server infrastructure to support our university expansion roadmap, campus marketing to grow our active user base, and legal costs to properly incorporate WaitWise. I'm building bootstrapped as a college freshman. This funding lets me move faster and prove the model before raising a seed round.