When I began my practice, I said I'm going to be a pediatrician that really thinks about and understands a child's educational trajectory.
Luck is not scalable. Luck is not a national strategy.
It takes a long time to get good at something, so it's important to begin as early as possible so that we can improve and begin to see the compounding benefits of the work over time.
We live in Palo Alto, which has, fortunately, one of the greatest school districts in the country.
There are many philanthropists who we admire and have learned a great deal from, including mentors like Bill and Melinda Gates and peers like Cari Tuna and Dustin Moskovitz.
I think it's a shame when people don't see the funny, thoughtful Mark that I know. He is incredibly sensitive and really cares about what other people need and want and really wants to be able to make someone else's day. And that's the Mark that I see.
We try to stick pretty close to what our goals are and what we believe and what we enjoy doing in life - just simple things.
We are all more capable than we could ever imagine or admit to.
Education is an incredibly personal issue for me. If you're the first generation to go to college, sometimes you don't realize your potential until others point it out.
You - and I have to remind myself of this - are capable beyond your wildest imagination.
We - the current generation - have a moral responsibility to make the world better for future generations.
My identity, I felt, was so distinct. I felt very much like an outsider. My family didn't have the same rituals that everyone else seemed to have.
We have Beast, our Hungarian sheep dog. And he is so talented. He's so smart. He knows his daily schedule. He has an extracurricular activity. He goes herding. He herds sheep. And we've been told that he's quite gifted.
I am a simple creature.
I'm pro-hoodie.
My public school teachers did a great job of saying, 'Check this out. You're qualified for this. You should explore these opportunities.' They're the ones who said, 'You know, apply to Harvard. You might be a good fit here.'
We've invested in Newark's children, the schools and teachers, and these are long-term bets that need a number of years to really pan out. We've seen and learned how important it is to listen to the community and really get a sense of what they need and want. And it's a long journey.
I'd love a job at Facebook.
I bossed my middle sister around all the time.
Mama showed me that I didn't have to change just because someone else saw things differently. She showed me that having differences is normal and that I didn't have to be afraid of the differences in all of us.
