March 27, 2025
At 26, my journey from aspiring orthopedic surgeon to co-founder of Storage Scholars wasn’t what I’d planned when I entered college.
But looking back, it’s clear how my priorities shifted as I discovered a different way to make an impact.
The Long Road to Medicine
In my freshman year, I was fully committed to becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
I’d mapped out the entire journey: four years of undergrad, possibly a gap year, four years of medical school, four years of residency making minimal income, and potentially another year or two for a fellowship.
That’s a 13-year process before realizing a full salary. The financial burden worried me.
What if after all that time and debt, something happened? What if I broke my hand at the very end and couldn’t perform surgery?
I wanted at least to cash flow my way through school to minimize that risk.
A Halloween Night That Changed Everything
Everything changed on Halloween night my freshman year. My friend Sam picked me up for a party where I was dressed as a doctor – fitting for my career aspirations.
When Sam asked about my costume, I explained my medical school plans.
His response changed my trajectory: “How are you going to pay for all that? Why don’t you join my company?”
Sam promised I could make more working for him in a week or two than I’d make in a whole semester at my campus job as an intramural referee.
It felt like a “Wolf of Wall Street” moment when I decided to quit my job and join him.
I started as a mover for his student storage company, then moved into sales, personally bringing in about 40 clients that year.
When Sam left to study abroad in New Zealand, he trusted me to run operations in his absence.
That was my lucky break – a chance to prove myself in a management role.
The Fruit Fly Moment
During my sophomore summer, I was conducting genetic research – separating male and female fruit flies under a microscope for eight hours daily.
It was necessary for medical school applications, but I was miserable.
That’s when it hit me: Why spend nine more years doing things that didn’t fulfill me, waiting for someone else to tell me when I was ready to make an impact?
I was already making a difference through the storage business. I didn’t need to wait until my thirties to start helping people.
I realized I could make a meaningful impact by hiring people, training them, becoming a mentor, and being generous with my time and resources.
Entrepreneurship offered immediate impact without requiring more certificates, applications, or interviews.
The only person it depended on was me.
Taking the Leap
By senior year, I’d made my decision. I told Sam, I don’t want to be a doctor. I want to do this full-time.
I made it clear that I hoped for equity because that was my motivation, but regardless – I was committed. My timing was fortuitous.
When the pandemic hit, we worked a hundred days straight without breaks.
We completely rebuilt our business model to adapt to students suddenly leaving campus, calling them on FaceTime to show their abandoned rooms and arrange for storage, shipping, or donations of their belongings.
That intense period solidified our partnership.
After we’d weathered this crisis together, Sam finally said, “You should be my business partner. I trust you completely. Let’s do this together.”
Finding My True Path
I still believe I would have been happy as a doctor. Medicine remains fascinating to me – I love the idea of helping people and being at the forefront of treatment innovations.
It’s one of the most amazing parts of our society.
When I first joined the storage business, entrepreneurship wasn’t on my radar. I didn’t know the term and certainly didn’t aspire to it.
But through this unexpected journey, I discovered I could make a meaningful difference without waiting years for a degree to tell me I was qualified to help people.
Sometimes the right path isn’t the one you’ve planned but the one that allows you to make an impact right now.