Where Oli is from
Interview
What was your dream when you were a kid? What was the reason?
I wanted to be a pilot because I really liked airplanes.
What was your dream when you were 18 years old? What was the reason?
I already was working for a big company by then so I wanted to have a good career, travel the world and learn as much as I can from other cultures.
What made you start thinking about social entrepreneurship/social enterprises? When was that?
I was working for the CSR department of a big financial institution when we started to work with Ashoka. A bit later, I was assigned to a Swiss Civilian Service mission for a social enterprise in Cambodia that was building up learning centers.
How much do you think social entrepreneurs play an important role in the world?
I believe it still is a grassroots movement of people that are visionaries and understand the need of change to keep our planet alive. I don’t think we social entrepreneurs are delusional hippies that only think in a narrow “love, peace and happiness” scheme, we are very driven and realistic group of people that just understood that the human race needs to change rather sooner than later to ensure its survival.
What would you say to future social entrepreneurs / those who are interested in social entrepreneurs?
Join the movement!
What is your favorite quote? Who said that quote?
“It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living.” – Eckhart Tolle
Who Oli is
Nothing is right for sure, but Oli is a person who makes things right. Oli was one of my second teammates at Hult so I can tell you this without any doubts. He is always right, making no mistakes because he knows both what he should do and what others need to do. I trust him and his decisions every time. Oli is the guy that I always count on. He is not only right but also makes others right. When you talk to him or share opinions with him, you can hear “you’re right” or “I agree” many times, even though he wants to insist on something else. He listens to others very carefully and accept everything you say.
Oli checks everything in a team or group and it makes him a great leader. I mentioned the RV trip on Thanksgiving last year in Yacine’s article, but it was Oli who organized and he drove almost the whole time during those 5 days. He was also in charge of our schedule. It was such a fun trip because of him.
Oli usually asks great questions and shares clever thoughts. People usually respond, saying, “great point!”, “you’re right,” or “that is correct.” See? I’m not the only one who thinks that he is always right. Also, actually this is my favorite part about Oli, he is “inpatient,” always finding another way or other ways to make things better without waiting or being satisfied with the current situation.
For example, he is not going to wait for trains to in order get to a destination — he will try to catch other transportation if it is a better and faster way to reach there. He is not going to wait for a taxi if the corner is not the best spot to stand until the taxi comes, moving to a better corner to catch another taxi. It means that Oli’s brain always works hard and thinks of ways to make things better.
I would strongly say this about Oli; he is the least likely person to get stressed, at least it seems that way for me. He is so chill, calm and a little bit weird. He likes weird things and notices weird points that nobody would notice. What makes a person laugh is unique for everyone, I would say. And for Oli, this is also very true.
Oli and I became sports buddies, both of us love sports like baseball, American Football, soccer, ice hockey, etc. This year, whenever I watched a sports game, Oli was always with me. We watched so many sports games at bars over the past year.
Awesome Episode
Oli asked if I wanted to go to a stadium to watch an NFL (National Football League: American Football) playoff game last January. The game was Arizona Cardinals vs Green Bay Packers, and took place in Arizona. It took 2 hours to reach Arizona by airplane, and it cost over $500 each for the trip, which included a game ticket, round trip plane tickets, and the hotel. It was only for 1 day, only for the game, but I said “YES!” It was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life! And…WHAT A GAME!!!!! It was not only the best game in my life but also one the craziest games in NFL history.
Screaming, shouts and cheers were heard from both sides of fans, Cardinals and Packers. The atmosphere that I felt at the stadium in those moments was not like anything I had ever experienced before. I really, really appreciate Oli’s craziness, which spurred him to ask me if I wanted to watch the game that day all the way in Arizona.
The Power of MSE
What Oli is holding is a symbol called “go-en(ご縁)”, which means ‘fate’, ’destiny’ and ’special tie.’
I believe that it is meant to be that we met in San Francisco! I studied Social Entrepreneurship with Oli for a year, saying “We will make the world a better place.” I would love to spend the rest of my life with MSEs (Master of Social Entrepreneurship; my classmates) until the very day I die. They have already completely changed my life.
At the same time, however, I also think that we should not be together all the time, because that is not the reason why we learned Social Entrepreneurship. That is not how we will deliver the impact we want to give to society and to the world.
I think MSEs are like dandelions. We were seeded at the first day at Hult and we bloomed on our graduation day. Our mission is that we spread all over the world like dandelions and seed the future, the next generation, from each place where each of us has landed.
本当にありがとう(Honto ni Arigato-); Thank you very very much for everything!! The world needs you! Let’s make the world a better place together!!
Joyage 
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