Meet Kaki McNeel
Q & A
If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be and why?
I would teleport. I love the idea of bouncing from place to place, attending the Tomatina festival in Colombia one day and seeing the Whirling Dervishes in Turkey the next, with a break to visit family and recharge in between!
What does innovation mean to you?
Innovation is being scrappy and adaptive. It's pushing the limits. It's loving fast-paced work and meeting criticism and conflict with an open mind. Two years ago, I started a mental health texting service with two of my best friends. We were scrappy -- we applied for student competitions, met with angel investors between classes, and used our intro programming classes to apply CS matching algorithms to a usable texting platform. The three of us learned what it meant to be innovative and fell in love with the limitless world of entrepreneurship.
What was your favorite toy as a kid?
No one could separate me from my Razor scooter. We were unstoppable. In elementary school, I started the 'Major Razors.' The group consisted of me and six neighborhood friends who met daily after school to soar around the block in perfect form. You'll be sad to hear I lost my technique in middle school and never went pro.
Where is your favorite place on
campus and why?
Eighth floor Davis group study room no doubt. The view is impeccable -- a birds-eye view of the whole campus where students are ants and buildings are Legos. It's a magical space to work with friends, get lost in group project brainstorming, or ponder life. If you're reading this, keep the room quiet, it's our little secret!