After consecutive internships and a major campus ambassador program during my first two years of college, I came to a pivotal realization: corporate life, with its 9-to-5 structure, wasn’t for me. I couldn’t picture myself following the conventional path of studying in my 20s, working in my 30s, and retiring in my 60s. I feared becoming just another cog in the machine, living a life that followed societal expectations without genuine fulfillment. I recognized that the corporate management structure didn’t align with my strengths; rather than enhancing my productivity and leadership skills, it seemed to limit them. With a broad range of interests and a strong appetite for risk and dynamic challenges, I decided to shift my career focus from corporate marketing to entrepreneurship. I added a concentration in management to my Business and Marketing major and joined NYU Stern’s Social Entrepreneurship program to support this new direction.

In my junior year, studying away in New York, I threw myself into the entrepreneurial world. I took related courses and participated in numerous events at NYU’s Leslie eLab, where my focus on entrepreneurship began to take shape. During my time in New York, I noticed a lack of variety in men’s fashion; shopping options were limited to either fast fashion or luxury brands, with little in between. Compared to the extensive options available on platforms like Taobao in China, I found the selection in SoHo and Fifth Avenue to be narrow. Driven by this gap and leveraging the knowledge I’d gained in marketing, branding, supply chain management, e-commerce, customer acquisition, and visual design, I launched Martini Kills, an international e-commerce platform dedicated to men’s fashion in North America.

Martini Kills has become more than just a business—it’s a venture rooted in my values of social impact and innovation. I saw the need to create something sustainable, addressing the high costs of recycling, which often outweigh the cost of producing new items and limit the potential of true recycling in fashion. The brand combines international design with efficient cross-border e-commerce, monthly profit reaching over 3,000 USD. I also used this project to participate in the NYU Startup Accelerator Program in the spring of 2023, where I received valuable mentorship from the director, Keith, and achieved strong placement. This project has allowed me to grow as a visionary entrepreneur, brand launcher, and strategic marketer, building something with the potential to make a lasting impact in both fashion and sustainability.