“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn it by doing and by falling over and over again.”

If this quote had a face, it would be my GESS 2025 journey because entrepreneurship, at its core, is not a checklist—it’s a lived experience. One that knocks you down, forces you to reflect, and then gives you the courage to try again—this time, a little wiser. When I applied for GESS, I wasn’t doing it to write “entrepreneur” in my CV. I was doing it because I had real problems—like struggling to find food that matched my dietary needs or being blocked from labs just because of my passport (yep, being an aerospace engineering major isn’t always rocket fuel and stardust). I could either sulk or get scrappy. KAIST taught me to choose the latter.

But truth be told, my GESS journey didn’t start with the application. It began a year before, sharing a class with Seunguk, when I heard about the program from him and said to myself, “Yep. That’s for me.” I told myself I would be part of GESS 2025—and I did everything I could to make that happen. Fast forward to First Orientation: I walked into orientation buzzing with excitement… and panic. I wanted to be part of a team that clicked—not just for the semester, but for the long haul. Because let’s be real—investors fund teams, not ideas. Ideas evolve. But people? That’s the magic. And lucky me, I found a team that wasn’t just talented—they were weird, wonderful, and just the right amount of chaotic. My kind of people.

Now let’s talk about the fun part—aka the “Are we even doing this right?” phase. We went in circles, talked in loops, scribbled on whiteboards until our markers gave up, and survived the 3 hrs long Zoom calls. But slowly, with our mentor Merey’s feedback and our market validation surveys (106 responses—still can’t believe it!), we began to see the shape of Avarris forming. Then came Doomsday—also known as the final pitch. Was I confident? No. Was I terrified? Absolutely. I wasn’t scared of losing a competition; I feared losing this—the rhythm, the thrill, the grind, the team. I even promised God (might sound superstitious but I am a little what to do!?): if we got selected, I’d give up meat for a week. Spoiler: we did. And I kept my promise. (Still mourning the chicken, I didn’t eat at the second orientation. RIP.) Just when I thought the rollercoaster was slowing down, we had a full pivot moment after a mentoring session with Miss Ara Goh. We reworked our problem, rebuilt our model, and basically restarted from scratch. Fun, right? (Said no one ever.) But it paid off. Mentor Ben Sun taught us how to show off our unique edge, not just build a solution but sell it like we meant it. And we did.

But every good story has a twist. Mine? The US visa. Denied. Silicon Valley? Cancelled. Cue sad violin music. I was crushed. But GESS staff Miss Jinkyoung, Miss Sooa—and my amazing team—were absolute lifesavers. They didn’t let me sink. Instead, we geared up for the KAIST domestic program, and wow—it was a blast. What a whirlwind it was. Prof. Byungchae reminded us that while thousands dream of being entrepreneurs, only a few persist. Miss Ara Goh drilled us on perfecting the smallest details—from posture (sorry Aze) to pitch slides. Her workshop taught me that even “final” ideas still need polishing. David Jung, a KAIST alum like us, shared his raw, honest journey—his successes, his missteps. The fact that his business covered the first half of the shopping process and ours the second made his talk feel like a full-circle moment.

Looking back, GESS wasn’t just a program—it was a simulation of real entrepreneurial life. I found a team, built a startup from scratch, battled rejection and burnout, pivoted when necessary, pitched under pressure, and embraced vulnerability. I learned that not everything is in my control—and that’s okay. What matters is how I show up, each time.
GESS 2025 didn’t end for me with the final pitch or last lecture. It opened doors—to friendships, mentorships, and the unshakeable belief that I can build something real. I’m grateful to my teammates (for bearing with my personality and also sometimes when I cursed)  , mentors, the GESS staff (Miss Jinkyoung and Miss Sooa whose presence felt like a warm hug), and every passionate participant who made this journey so alive and fulfilling.

We may have started as students, dreamers, and hustlers. But the next time we meet—I believe it’ll be as founders, as changemakers, as CEOs of our own stories.

Till then, signing off,
Aanya