Technology is a force that turns scarcity into abundance.
I often discuss how exponential technologies like AI are positively disrupting entire industries and creating more abundance for humanity as a whole.
But today, I want to talk about how technology has transformed one individual’s life for the better.
I learned about the following story at my private Abundance360 CEO Summit back in March during a conversation with Sal Khan, Founder and CEO of Khan Academy, a nonprofit that provides free world-class education online to anyone, anywhere.
He told me about a young girl in Afghanistan named Sultana who used Khan Academy ALONE to educate herself and change the course of her life.
I’ve reflected on this since our conversation and felt inspired to share it here…
Sultana’s Story
Sultana grew up in Afghanistan, and when the Taliban took over her town, they forbade all the young girls from going to school.
Khan Academy became her lifeline.
She studied everything from elementary school math to algebra and trigonometry, eventually moving on to physics, chemistry and other subjects.
All from her home, using Khan Academy’s free online lessons and courses.
Here’s how Sultana later described the experience in a 2021 article in The Economist:
“Armed with an iPad, the internet and a free education website called Khan Academy, I taught myself English. And philosophy. And math. And science. And history. I wanted to understand the world in every way possible, and my place in it. Solving math problems gave structure to the uncertain world I was living in, even if just in my head. I felt liberated when I first learned to make a graph of a linear equation. On the page, drawing a two-dimensional coordinate plane and graphing an equation, the world was in my control.”
Sultana then decided that she wanted to be a theoretical physicist in the US. So, she smuggled herself into Pakistan to take the SAT because the test wasn’t offered in Afghanistan… and she PASSED!
Soon after, she was admitted to Arizona State University, graduating with honors!
Where’s Sultana now?
She’s currently a member of the research faculty at Tufts University studying quantum computing.
Why This Matters
As I’ve often said, the world's most precious resource is the persistent and passionate human mind.
Even as the world changes rapidly around us, we should never forget that we are powerful beyond measure.
Our tools can help us become more—and give more. For example, Khan Academy is developing an AI that personalizes every student’s education, creating the gold standard of tutoring.
With AI and other exponential tech supporting us, we can have many more Sultanas in the future.
NOTE: My year-round leadership program Abundance360 has partnered with Africarare—creators of Africa's first VR Metaverse—to offer select condensed Abundance360 Summit content to a broader audience. Our goal is to spread the impact of some of the most inspiring content from Abundance360, and to empower entrepreneurs all over the world to transform their mindsets and solve global challenges.
The experience is being presented as a Metaverse Space Adventure, and will be available June 26 - 30, 2023.
If you’re interested in Abundance360’s topics, this is a great opportunity to get a taste of the content. A VR headset is encouraged but not required.
Go here for more info: https://www.africarare.io/a360