Longitude Sound Bytes
Ep 73: Chart Your Own Course | Audra Herrera Hansen – by Jesse Annan van der Meulen (Listen)
At the intersection of ideas and action, this is Longitude Sound Bytes, where we bring innovative insights from around the world directly to you.
I am Longitude fellow Jesse Annan van der Meulen from Rice University, and today I’ll be presenting a sound byte by Audra Herrera Hansen, co-founder and CEO at Gradspyre. She’ll be speaking to us about setting your own course, and following your inner desire.
Audra Herrera Hansen, co-founder and CEO of Gradspyre, Inc.:
I sometimes think about the summer before 6th grade with my friend Gladys. Gladys’s family lived in the bottom half of a duplex just a few minutes away from my parents’ place, and we would spend time in their backyard, which was situated on a hill. We would follow each other around the backyard, as if hiking on a narrow trail, while we circled around trees and jumped from rock to rock. We would pass the time by just talking about anything that came to mind: music, movies, our families. One time, I told her I wanted to go to Harvard Law School. Even now, I am not quite sure why I said Harvard specifically. I had probably learned of it on TV and thought if it’s a good place to go then that’s where I should aim to go.
“You can’t do that,” she said. A natural resistance bubbled in my stomach and rose up my throat, but before I responded, she added, “We don’t know anyone who has done that.” I let out a breath. She was partly right; we didn’t know anyone outside of our teachers that graduated from college, not to mention Harvard Law School. But after some thought, I did not feel deterred, only concerned that Gladys might have been holding herself back from her own dreams.
I wish I could say that I was always confident that I was going to meet my goal, but I wasn’t. Looking back, it was not so much about reaching a specific goal, but about feeling inspired and feeling like I had a purpose I was willing to work hard for.
I am grateful to say that I did get into Harvard Law School. The day I was sworn into the Texas bar, I could see how proud my dad was, and I will never forget the joy I felt from that. I joined a Houston law firm and worked there for a few years, but eventually, I felt an inner desire to branch out and do something completely new to me: start my own business. It was mentally hard to do this during COVID, when everywhere I looked there seemed to be scarcity and uncertainty, but a couple months ago, I decided to take the leap. Currently, I am creating my own student loan tracking app, Gradspyre, which is basically the tool that I wish I had when I was paying down my student loans from undergrad and law school.
Although I am loving the ability to set my own course as an entrepreneur, it has been a very challenging experience learning the world of mobile app development, graphic design, social media, marketing, business, and more. For this reason, I have to make sure that I take care of myself. It is a lot easier to have the energy and mental clarity to work towards my goals when I have had proper sleep. I am regularly exercising, and I make time for calls with family and friends. I also regularly think back to the times that I have overcome obstacles, and how a seeming failure led to something wonderful and unpredictable. I do not know what my life will look like in five or 10 years, but I feel confident that I have something to contribute to the world, and I will be able to handle whatever the future holds.
Jesse Annan van der Meulen, Longitude fellow, Rice University:
Thank you Audra for sharing that because I believe that your story can be inspiring to many people, just as it was inspiring to me.
We’ve all had experiences where someone told us, “You can’t do that,” which can be motivated by many things. I have heard people say it out of envy or pure disbelief, but sometimes it is simply the result of people not having anyone in their close environment to prove that their “impossible dream” is possible.
Once, I was in a similar situation. But I was the one telling myself, “You can’t do that.” Thankfully, I was able to let go of this inner resistance and managed to do things I had never seen myself doing, like studying at Rice University. That’s why Audra’s story resonated with me so much.
After being told that we can’t do something, there are different ways to respond. Some of us may start to doubt ourselves, and possibly even give up on our dreams. But some of us feel more encouraged to break free from the expectations of others, or our own expectations, and decide to follow their heart. It amazes me how Audra kept finding the courage to do something that nobody around her had done before, not just by going to Harvard Law School, but also by starting a business in a completely new field, during these unprecedented times.
By following her inner desire, Audra is able to give back to people who are in the same situation as she was after graduation. To me, that shows that following this “inner desire” can be rewarding to yourself, while allowing you to help others at the same time.
Another thing that stood out to me is how Audra recalls the times that she encountered obstacles, and how she notes that what we may perceive as failures can sometimes lead to the most wonderful things in life.
Life would be so much easier if we could appreciate our unexpected obstacles more, look at the bigger picture, and say: whatever comes my way, I’ll be able to deal with it, and I’ll be able to contribute to the world no matter what the future holds.
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