This summer, I had the awesome opportunity to do research in Boston as part of the CURE program. I spent 12 weeks engaged in research and seminars with other undergraduates and high school students. Last week, some of us went back to Boston and engaged in a very thought provoking discussion around success.

We were asked one question to start off the discussion: What does success look like to you?

I have no idea what success is because there is no definite image of what success looks like, something clearly demonstrated by the different answers received from around the table. When it came to me, I couldn’t just think of one thing that success looked like to me in the future, it seemed too impossible because success never really ends. Success can meet you at any point in your life.

In the future, success for me is:

Being in South Korea or anywhere else that is not America. I’ve always had this dream of traveling around the world, spending a month or two in each country and really engaging in the culture and the people. Why South Korea, though? Well, I have a slight obsession for Asian culture, especially Korean culture. From middle school, it went from Japanese to Korea. It’s a dream of mine to visit and maybe live in the country for a couple of months. Realistically, it’s not something that I can do right now. First, I would have to learn the language, have the money and the stability to get there. So, traveling and being in Korea is kind of a end reward for everything that is why it looks like success to me, in the future.

Having dinner with my whole family on a weekend while sharing stories about our week. My family just never has the time to sit down together and just talk, at least not for a while now. Everyone is always too busy that we never get to do anything together for a day or a few hours without worrying. When I think about a time in the future where I am successful, I see myself sitting at the dining table with my immediate family, and maybe more people, and just sharing stories and talking about how we’ve been.

Getting a diploma for the 3rd time. First, high school; then, Bachelors; next, PhD or MD, which ever one comes first.

Moving into my own art studio. I went out of middle school to high school intending to major in art. I was ready, had the classes picked and my passion set. But, circumstances led to me now majoring in Biochemistry and hoping to go to medical school. However, I never let go of my passion for art, and it's something that I hope I always keep with me. When I see myself in the future, I see myself moving into a house and forcing my dad to let me turn one of the guest rooms in the basement into a studio for myself. Recently, I’ve been planning to attend art school after undergraduate and hopefully move into my own art studio while doing so. Again, it’s a reward for my hard work, so it’s success to me.

Getting a thank you gift or note from someone. I know everyone always says that success is knowing that you have made an impact on somebody else’s life. This is true, but it’s only part of success. To me, it’s a big part of what success looks like. Even for the smallest thing, I feel like I’ve won a medal or an award when somebody shows appreciation for what I have done for them. It’s so impactful that I always remember to thank those who aid me in my life because it may be success for them too.

Which leads me to the next point, knowing that somebody is alive because of something that I did or am doing. Not only is this success but it can lead to even more success: it makes what you’re doing worthwhile because you can see the results. Be it research, a doctor or anything else, I want to be in a position in the future where I can directly be able to save the life of somebody. What could be a greater feeling than this? It give meaning to being alive.

At the time of sharing, of the students decided to go on to give a speech about what the meaning of life is. “We do everything to be happy. We do everything because we want to come a point in the future where we are happy. Success is being happy.”

I thought about it and I gave happiness a new meaning, at least for me. To be successful is to be needed. When you feel like you are needed, like you are making a difference in other people’s lives, savings lived by always being there, there’s nothing that beats that. You become happy. At the end of the day, you feel motivated and are able to do all that you planned to. You are able to experience so much more and are able to meet so many more people everyday.

Giving and being needed but always finding the time to do what makes me the most happiest; this is what success looks like to me. It may be completely different for other people, they could completely disagree with me because you cannot measure success, but this is what success looks like to me. It is everything that has been shaped by my experience growing up and what I hope to experience in the future. We all go through different experiences so we all have different end rewards in our minds. but the bottom line is, success is being needed, being able to make a difference yet still finding time for yourself.