Many people first got to know Robert Basel through a myriad of intimidating rumors.
- Rob got an offer from Harvard, but he rejected it.
- At high school senior year, Rob passed a new law in Nevada.
- Rob doesn’t have to follow school attendance, he makes his own schedule.
- Rob is a genius. He is basically a different species of human.
Feeling determined to look under all these layers of mysterious veil, I had a deep conversation with this charismatic super nerd, Robert Basel, a freshman majored Biology Engineering at Duke University, one of the world’s leading institutes for this science field.
Rob’s student career is certainly special. But many of his motivations and actions are also very doable for us.
- Such as that he applied for more than 20 scholarships to support college tuition, in order to ease the financial burden for his single parent.
- Such as between paying high tuition for Harvard and going to Duke for free, he chose affordability over the top luxury brand.
- Such as he worked on the same social charity cause for more than 10 years. He chose a volunteer project out of his own heart instead of building a “strategic resume.”
- Such as not really passing a law, instead, he wrote and spoke as a student representative to initiate a bill, with the hope to provide more support to children who lost parents the same way as he did. His social efforts are much more testing than glorious, and it will take a lot of painful efforts to see any change at a systematic level in the state of Nevada.
What has shaken my heart and mind about Rob, is how his genuine charisma speaks care and understanding for others.
How he sees light during challenges, and is generous to share.
How the pursuit of greatness is still possible, even in this traumatized society of ours.