TCO21 Finalist Interviews

Is this your first TCO?

This year is my 11th time to participate in TCO. Starting from 2007, most years I made it to the finals for either Algorithm or Marathon.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

TCO 2015.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Embrace uncertainty during the competition.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

It is continuously changing and developing.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Founding the company pony.ai.

What do you value the most and why?

Predict the future. That's the meaning of human existence.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Winning the TCO Regionals 2021 despite only solving the easiest problem in every round.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Have fun.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Topcoder is located in this country.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Qualifying for TCO Finals 2021.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Topcoder!

Is this your first TCO?

I've been to TCO 2020 and TCO 2019.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

I remember running a lockout tournament among the Algorithm contestants in 2019; it was a ton of fun, and the format has definitely taken off.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Practice your fundamentals.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

I've been to 25 of the 50 states in the US.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

My proudest moment was getting a full score on day 2 of IOI 2015.

Is this your first TCO?

I hope to face the best of the best.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Qualifying to Algorithm round 4 at 4am.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

The harder it gets, the closer you are.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

My native language is Tatar, which is something like Turkish, Kazakh and Russian.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

To be who I am.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

The belief my family has in me.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

They help me a lot mentally.

Finalist Bio.

I'm a software engineer in MOLOCO. I was an undergratuate at KAIST, but took a leave.

Is this your first TCO?

This is my first TCO Finals experience. What I really like from the onsite contest is the new experiences in different places, contests come second. So it's pretty sad to have it held virtually, but I respect the safety efforts of all the organizers.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

I don't remember well, maybe some fiddlings with arena.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

You can query for maximum numbers on an interval in $O(\log N)$ time.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Korea is a home for top celebrities such as BTS, Son Heung-min, Lee Sang-hyeok, and Jo Sunghyeon.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Qualifying to IOI 2015.

What do you value the most and why?

Persistent link cut cactus.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

I memorized the Seoul subway map.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

My salary.

Where do you live and why?

I live in Sinsa-dong of Seoul, mostly because of the proximity to my employer, partly because of what I said above. A river is nearby and there are cool dining spots everywhere. Visit me!

Finalist Bio.

I’m an undergraduate at Zhejiang University. I am applying for jobs and postgraduate programs now.

Is this your first TCO?

Yes. It's exciting to compete against the top contestants.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

At TCO21 round 4, many submissions failed on system tests, but mine did not. So, I can participate in TCO21 Finals.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Stay calm in any situation. Believe things can get better.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Genshin Impact is an excellent Chinese video game.

What do you value the most and why?

Creativity. It makes things not boring.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Chatting with strangers online.

Is this your first TCO?

I've been to quite a lot of TCOs. I don't remember all the years, but the two recent ones were in Dallas and Washington. The other ones were longer ago, several in Las Vegas and also a couple in Santa Clara.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

The best result was a second place in a TCCC. But the Topcoder event that I remember best was the first TCO in Las Vegas, especially the after party :)

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Don't give up, keep practicing (and have fun).

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

The Dutch own more bicycles than any other country in the world.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

My promotion to the highest division of bridge in the Netherlands.

What do you value the most and why?

Happiness.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Seeing my son grow up (now almost two years).

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My wife always cheers for me when I'm competing. Afterwards, she also allows me to ramble on about all the problems (and actually tries to understand what I'm saying).

Is this your first TCO?

TCO 2015 Algorithm runner-up, TCO-17 finalist.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Becoming top-100 rated in the algorithm track back in school. It was proof that I can compete on that level.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

You should like what you do. Otherwise, you won't do it effectively.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

This question is hard and strange. Should I answer with some joke about bear and balalaika?

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

I don't think I succeed in it.

Finalist Bio.

Likes rabbits and 998244353.

Is this your first TCO?

The stage made the competition much more thrilling.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

When I found myself standing on the top of the terrific scoreboard in SRM 638.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Keep checking emails!

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

I like the Japanese slang in algorithmic competition called 除原理, which translates to exclusion-principle (like inclusion-exclusion principle), so it is actually just subtraction.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

This exact moment when I am writing this before the deadline.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

Have you tried repeatedly pressing the square root button of a calculator? In my childhood I was fond of the cases where it converged to 0.9999998.

Other thoughts to share?

I was always assigned to Semifinal 1 and took the second place there in all three of my TCOs.

Is this your first TCO?

I took part in the TCO Finals 2019.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

In the TCO semi-final 2019 I couldn't solve any problem.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Solve more problems.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Smash Bros.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Third place in the ICPC WF 2019.

Finalist Bio.

Hi, I'm Neal. I've been doing competitive programming since 2006, and I currently work at a fintech startup called Ramp.

Is this your first TCO?

No, I attended TCO20 (and multiple TCHS editions!).

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Challenge phase in the semifinals of TCO20, and making it as the ninth person into the (normally eight-person) TCO finals after a challenge mishap was resolved.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

When something doesn't go well (e.g., a contest), go back and review afterward how you could have done it better.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

It's hard to find a good summarizing fact about the US, but that's actually one thing that's great about it -- it's a mix of people from so many different origins.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

I was super happy back in middle school when I won National Mathcounts, which is where I really kick-started my competitive career.

What do you value the most and why?

Insight: a deep understanding into how something works.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Setting up a home gym to lift weights has helped me stay sane during the past year and a half.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My mom has been really supportive of me competing since middle school. She was always the first to congratulate me when I did well.

Other thoughts to share?

I'm excited to be back at TCO for the second year in a row!

Finalist Bio.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petr_Mitrichev.

Is this your first TCO?

I've been part of all the TCOs since 2005 (maybe I skipped one, I'm not 100% sure). Have to keep up with Jessie :)

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Maybe the TCO 2008 finals: https://apps.topcoder.com/forums/?module=Thread&threadID=613611&start=0

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Definitely not applicable to everybody, but I think this advice was really important for me: if you're regularly waking up to an alarm, then something is wrong. You are effectively saying that your responsibilities or activities are more important than your health, and while that may be true for some and in the short term, often the right long term decision is to reconsider one's priorities to either be able to go to bed early enough or to shift the responsibilities from the morning.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

I find it awesome that there is no race for university education in Switzerland. Only ~25% of all school students go to the university, with the rest going through a more job-oriented "apprenticeship" route. I think this is made possible by the fact that education/salary/"social class" does not have a high weight in the society, and there is respect for people of all professions, which avoids undue pressure and makes everyone happier.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Can't choose a single moment - just doing my best to be honest and kind to everyone every day, and taking pride in doing so :)

Finalist Bio.

I’m a Louisiana native who loves seafood. I loved math growing up and learned to program in middle school. I’m currently the cofounder of a company called Lunchclub!

Is this your first TCO?

No, I was a part of TCO15-20.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Getting a successful challenge to make it into TCO finals 2017!

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Stay curious and ask "Why" often.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Mardi Gras is huge in Louisiana. We have parades in the streets every year and parties with king cake and Cajun food.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

It's hard to pick one moment. But in general I'm proud of the friendships and connections I've made, and the ability to make a meaningful impact.

Is this your first TCO?

This will be my first one.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Debugging and submitting the third problem during the last minutes of round 4 this year was memorable enough.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Don't focus on one thing when you get stuck. It's actually advice for solving problems during a contest, but somehow it works on a larger scale, too.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Russians are everywhere. You can find them in any unexpected place. I once was surprised to see a Russian waiter in some random restaurant in Switzerland.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

It's hard to tell. Maybe it was when I took first place on the national olympiad in informatics in 2015, because it was my first success like that.

Is this your first TCO?

TCO Algorithm Finalist since 2013, TCO Marathon Finalist since 2018!

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Winning both TCO Algorithm and TCO Marathon in 2019 is something I'll definitely never forget.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Practice makes perfect.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

There are no bears on the streets of Russia and Belarus.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

It's hard to choose one, but TCO 2018 is definitely one of them!

Finalist Bio.

I have solved problems for ten years and here I am.

Is this your first TCO?

I have participated in all TCOs since 2016.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

When for one day I thought that I had won TCO finals last year. It would have been my first win on Topcoder, actually. But it wasn't meant to be.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Nobody is thinking about you, so don't worry about what are they thinking about you.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

The country I live in and represent now has at least some democracy compared to the country I lived in and represented before. Isn't it fun?

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

When I became brave enough to go to therapy.

What do you value the most and why?

My wife, because I love her.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

My wife, my dog and therapy.

Where do you live and why?

I live in an apartment because it would be crazy to live on the street.

Other thoughts to share?

Last year I "recommended" Brooklyn Nine-Nine, people even remember it. This year I would like to recommend Mythic Quest.

Is this your first TCO?

Yes. I was hoping to join an on-site TCO Final and meet all the legends I've heard of on TopCoder when I resolved to get a ticket to the Final. But the pandemic just let us down on that. There is an old saying in Chinese, that is, a man has to achieve something at the age of 30. I just turned 30 this year and got a valuable ticket to the TCO Final. This will be a wonderful and memorable event anyway.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

One of the most memorable moment was when I got a TopCoder T-shirt on an April Fools' Day raffle. Not only is it one of the few times that I won something in a raffle, it's also the first time I got a delivery from abroad.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

I think the resolution to get things done, to get what I want, is the vital key to getting me so far.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

You know it's Chinese New Year when you walk in the neighborhood during the day but there is almost no one on the street. Chinese New Year is the biggest festival in China and almost all people will go back to their hometown and reunite with their family. So, If you live in an urban area, most of the people there are not local, they only work there. But, during New Year, they will travel a long way to go back to their hometown.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

The moment I got admitted to the best high school in my city.

Is this your first TCO?

Yes, I'm so exiced to see it, I just can't wait.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

The moment I found out I made it to the finals. I didn't even know there was such a thing as TCO and I was racing to qualify.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Whatever you do, always give 100%. Unless you're donating blood.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

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What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Having this interview.

Finalist Bio.

Hi, my name is Jiangliwu, this is also my Topcoder handle. I am a full-time developer on Topcoder and I am happy to participate in TCO 2021.

Is this your first TCO?

This is my fourth time to participate in TCO, but I prefer offline TCO.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Hard work and persistence is the only way.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

It was a mild night, I won the 2019 development championship.

Is this your first TCO?

I've been a part of TCO16, TCO17, TCO18, and TCO19.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

During TCO19 my girlfriend Julia was a QA finalist, but she was denied a U.S. visa on her first attempt, which was one of the biggest disappointments in my life. So, she tried to apply for the second time. It took more than two weeks for administrative processing, but was finally approved one day after TCO started. Jessie helped to organize Julia's trip from Ukraine to the U.S. in a very short period of time, and her arrival the next day was my best and most memorable Topcoder moment! After TCO we spent few great days in Houston!

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

I'm still waiting for such tip or piece of advice :D

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Our government is real fun. Btw, the president of Ukraine is an ex-comedian.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

In terms of achievements, it is probably winning the bronze medal in IOI 2005, where I participated with just about four months of experience solving real algorithm problems.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

I've got new hobby - dirt bike racing, which is a real fun :)

Is this your first TCO?

No, this is my second TCO final experience, I participated in TCO20. It was my first time to compete on a Development track TCO Finals, I did not have much experience on that track so I did not win a good placement.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

The time when my handle color became red.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Reading and confirming carefully.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

My country has two New Year's days. One is January 1st, the other is Spring Festival in February.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

After I had a hard time learning in second grade to junior high school, my school scores came to be good from medium.

Is this your first TCO?

This is my first TCO finals. I never thought that I would be in the TCO finals.

One day I received a Slack message that I had been added to the finalist channel. I thought, what is this? I looked into the messages, there was a spreadsheet. In that spreadsheet, it had my name. I was shocked! How can I be a finalist? Then I checked the website. On the website my name was listed. I messaged Jessie to see if it was correct that I have won a trip to USA? She told me yes. I was filled with ecstasy because I was doing challenges for fun. I had no idea that I had done so many challenges which made me a finalist in TCO. It was like luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

My most memorable moment in Topcoder is that I had registered for a challenge which was due in one day. I saw there were 42 participants registered but none of them had submitted or asked specific questions. More importantly, I didn't know the tech stack (i.e. PowerBI). I began to look at the details of the challenge in the evening. I learned a few things about PowerBI then I slept. The next day, I had a strange sense of confidence that I could do it, because nobody else was able to do it, so I started working around 7AM and it was due around 6:15PM. I sat straight through for 10 hrs and completed the project. Indeed, I won the challenge.

This challenge gave me confidence. From this challenge onwards, I never doubted myself, I kept on improving, and today I am writing this story as a TCO21 finalist.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Its simple advice but effective, "DO THE WORK WITH SPEED!". When you do work with speed, you can complete more things in less time. Thus, giving you edge in life.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

India is so diverse that every 100kms you will see a change in language, food and culture, which makes India an interesting place to travel.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

My proudest moment is that I am able to generate income from writing code.

What do you value the most and why?

I value time and health the most because every other thing can be replaced in life.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

I am always positive. I find the silver-lining in the clouds. I read somewhere that "Your personal happiness is directly correlated to the amount of effort you apply to personal excellence". If you are moving in life, you will feel positivity because there is momentum. If you stop, you will start feeling negativity toward life or feeling depressed.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My family takes care of the daily chores so that I can focus on solving challenges.

Where do you live and why?

I live in Vyara, Gujarat, India. I live here because its my home town and there is not much effect of coronavirus. If there were no coronavirus then I would live in a metropolitan city.

Is this your first TCO?

Yes, this will be my first TCO finals. I think it is a wonderful opportunity to put myself to the test and learn a lot from the other participants. Very excited about it.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Yet to come.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Don't stop trying. No problem is big enough to be unsolvable.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

It cost more to make The Martian movie ($100m) than for India to go to Mars ($75m).

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Probably building a self-balancing robot in my undergrad years.

Finalist Bio.

I’m a father and a Control Engineer. I graduated in Brazil and I studied for one year in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania as an exchange student. I mainly work on industrial automation with emphasis in process control for the oil and gas industry. I started programming when I was eleven. I don’t remember doing any formal course on programming other than two or three general classes in college. I love math/mechanics/machines but programming is a strong skill to have that many people lack in my area of expertise.

Is this your first TCO?

This is my second TCO. I participated in TCO20.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Winning TCO20.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Never stop trying new things.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Hmmm. You know açai berry juice, right? We usually eat it with meat on top of it. :D

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

When I went abroad to study for one year even though I never expected I could achieve that.

What do you value the most and why?

My daughter, freedom, life.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

I loved to go to my Aunt and Uncles' house back then. Once going back from her home I was walking down the street along with my Aunt, she asked me to hold hands so I don't get hurt. I said no and started talking about the weather and stuff, but I do remember that I was looking at her while talking...a few moments later, the last thing I remember was the gray big tilted light pole in front of me. I broke my central incisors that day and started crying. My aunt was trying to calm me down, while leading me home, but she was laughing all the way. I begged her to stop but she couldn't, haha. That made me pissed off for sure. You know how children are... now, everytime I start talking too much, she remembers that.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Hope. Looking to the past always clears up the future. Humankind passed through these dark moments before, and we need to understand that, unfortunately, they are part of life.

Other thoughts to share?

If everything goes as expected, I'll participate in TCO21 aboard a ship sailing on the Indian Ocean.

Finalist Bio.

I started coding back in high school in India, when I heard about competitive coding. That helped me to get into University of Oxford to study Mathematics and Computer Science. During my first year I started doing software development, participated in some Topcoder development challenges and did some freelancing. After finishing my Bachelor's degree, I joined the industry. While having a full time job, I kept myself updated with Topcoder challenges and loved to jump into the rabbit hole every now and then. Finally, in December 2020 during a job transition period when I was free for two months, I spent most of that time on Topcoder and managed to secure a place in TCO 2021!

Is this your first TCO?

This is my first TCO final. Previously I mainly tried in Algorithm when I was still in high school, but after becoming a full time software developer, I realized I'm much better in Development and F2Fs.

I was really looking forward to the onsite event, as I have heard so much about it! But I'm sure the virtual event will be equally amazing. I'm just really excited to meet likeminded people in the same industry.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Coding for a straight thirty hours (with some small breaks of course)! I loved the adrenaline rush - it was a F2F, so I still believe I made the right call (but will never do it again though :P )

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Instead of going for a bigger goal, make smaller targets and achieve them one by one. It's all about divide and conquer!

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

According to Google, my language (Bengali) is considered to be the "sweetest language in the world". Now, I don't know if this is actually based on some UNESCO survey, or if it's just one of those WhatsApp fake news, but who am I to judge! ;)

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

When my dad told me that he is proud of me (culturally, it's a very rare moment!).

What do you value the most and why?

Quality of life. Who knows what's gonna happen tomorrow! It's nice to have a future planning, but I don't want to ruin my present just to secure my future.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Music - a lot of music!

Where do you live and why?

Vancouver, Canada - for my current full time job.

Finalist Bio.

I am a self-taught developer who loves to write code. I love to work for Topcoder because of the freedom I get and I am trying to improve my skills every day by working for Topcoder.

Is this your first TCO?

I was part of TCO 20 that was conducted online due to pandemic, but I enjoyed the event.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

The day I won my first development challenge.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Be consistent and work smart.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

The funniest thing in our culture is people don't value freelancers when compared with 9-5 jobs.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Getting to live this life is itself is a proud thing for me, the things I do everyday from the moment I wake up everyday make me proud.

What do you value the most and why?

I value myself the most.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

In my childhood I wanted to build a company like Tesla, but it's already being done now.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

The people I admire everyday in my life who are changing this world and also the Topcoder community.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

They are very supportive with whatever things I pursue in my life.

Where do you live and why?

I live in a town in india, my goal is to travel around the world and experience everything.

Finalist Bio.

I'm a minimalist and love to keep it that way. I like to live a simple and happy life.

Is this your first TCO?

This is going to be my first TCO, looking forward for the big event. Lots of unknowns - fingers crossed.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Winning the first F2F challenge.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Take opportunity that comes your way and make the most of it.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

We are the master of chaos management, we like it that way.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Hard to mention anything specific, I have many. But one that really stands out is when I had early success in my career.

What do you value the most and why?

Hard work and its after effect.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Topcoder for certain.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

Ironically, they don't have any idea though.

Where do you live and why?

India because this is where I was born.

Finalist Bio.

I am working as a software engineer with TomTom. I have five years of software development experience. I have expertise in web and Android development and I like to explore other technologies. I graduated from Pune University in information technology.

I like competing at Topcoder as it gives me a platform to work on technologies of my interest and an even opportunity to everyone. I'd like to work on Topcoder full-time in near future.

Is this your first TCO?

This will be my first TCO finals. And I am very excited to meet and compete with other members.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

My first Topcoder challenge.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Never stop learning!
It helped me to solve different problems in a best way possible and be competitive at topcoder.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Different festivals celebrated here are fun like Holi, Diwali, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri, etc.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

When the professor, who didn't like me initially, gave his award to me on teachers day for doing best in his subject.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

My family.

Where do you live and why?

I live in Pune, India because of my full time job.

Other thoughts to share?

I want to travel the whole world.

Is this your first TCO?

I have attended TCO finals in the past as a guest but this is my first time actually competing, which is awesome!

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

I still remember my first time attending the TCO finals as a guest when I couldn't speak any English and everyone was trying to communicate with me to make me comfortable :)

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

The more you try the more you succeed.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Easter time in Greece is magical.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

I'm proud every time I get closer to my goals.

What do you value the most and why?

Family. No need to explain why.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

You may know my brother Thomas Kranitsas. He's been my mentor for the past three years.

Finalist Bio.

Back in 2015, right after I completed my military duty in the Hellenic Air Force, I joined Topcoder. For the first two years I was a full-time competitor and reviewer. Then, I became a full-time, full-stack copilot, participated in the Community Advisory Board, and I am also a member of the Topcoder MVP program.

Is this your first TCO?

My first TCO was back in 2015 in Washington D.C. and since then I've made it my goal to attend the TCO finals every year.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

There are so many to choose from, it’s impossible to pick just one!

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Work hard. Never quit.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Did you know that my country's official name is the Hellenic Republic? It is known as Hellas or Ellada.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

I can't just pick one as the "proudest". Every single achievement, no matter how small or big makes me a bit more proud of myself and it's the fuel that keeps me motivated to do more and more and become better and better.

What do you value the most and why?

I live in Greece. Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdF6Rmt6Ado to find out the why ;)

Finalist Bio.

A small boy with big dreams of making some impact.

Is this your first TCO?

Yes, It is my first TCO Final. I am really missing the onsite Finals after seeing the previous years' videos. I hope next year I will be there. I started Topcoder as just a fun thing and never planned for TCO, as I didn’t know such thing exists. But after the email from Jessie saying that I was selected for TCO, I was really happy.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Of course it is my first win. It was an ideation challenge where I submitted my college project for that challenge and to my surprise I got 6th place out of 10. That kept me motivated to participate further.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

A poem by "Christopher Logue".

Come to the edge.
We might fall.
Come to the edge.
It's too high!
COME TO THE EDGE!
And they came
And he pushed
And they flew.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

In Tamil Nadu, we have a famous saying
"Vandhorai Vazha vaikum Tamizhagam"

Which Means, "We are the people who are ready to welcome anyone no matter what caste, religion and identity you belong to. We would treat you as one among us. We have all combinations of religious people here yet we live in harmony and stay united".

And our language is "தமிழ்", which is one of the oldest languages of all.

What do you value the most and why?

Time and trust. Because both are like glass. Once broken you can’t get them back.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

My mom told me I ate lot of sand when I was a child. One of her tedious jobs was to control me when she was busy with other things.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

To be honest it is Topcoder. When you see my first win date, it is just in the beginning of the pandemic. After that I participated regularly.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My mom really supported me a lot which gave me some extra time to spend in Topcoder.

Where do you live and why?

I live in my native place which in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu. Here I get home food. And it is a village with no tall buildings, no noise pollution, no buzz. It is full of greenery. But sometimes it is boring.

Other thoughts to share?

You have to do something in your life to make it more interesting to live. So, keep searching for something which makes you busy.

Finalist Bio.

Machine Learning lead @ Coinbase.

Interests include kitesurfing and snowboarding as well as learning something new every day.

Is this your first TCO?

This will be my fifth TCO, having attended the finals in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

I still remember the rush of my first onsite final in 2015 and placing fourth :)

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

The 'Post your approach' forums have been invaluable in my development.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Dracula is real.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

I will tell you in person :)

What do you value the most and why?

The journey - the destination keeps shifting.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

I lived and studied in four countries while growing up.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Meditation and exercising.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My parents were instrumental in me picking up computer science in high school which led to TCO finals.

Where do you live and why?

San Francisco; pre-COVID it was the place to be for tech, post-COVID things might change :)

Finalist Bio.

I'm a Google Engineer and TC Marathon enthusiast.

Is this your first TCO?

I've participated in TCO19 and TCO20.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Qualifying for TCO for the first time: I've tried that for quite a few years and finally succeeding has been really exciting for me.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Not sure if this counts as advice, but acquiring a taste for reading in childhood definitely was useful.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Ukrainian folk music is pretty cool, as has been proven by Go-A on the recent Eurovision contest.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

I'm somewhat proud of most of the things I work on. It's hard to find something that stands out.

Finalist Bio.

I often play football, table tennis, pool, bowling, chess and sometimes go on bike and motorcycle tours.
And almost never watch the TV

Is this your first TCO?

This is the first TCO Final for me and I was looking forward to meeting other finalists, but on the other hand, it will be more convenient to write code from home.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

There were lot of memorable moments I want to share but it's the fifth day I'm filling out this questionnaire so I'll save them for later.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

I can't say that one piece of advice changed me a lot but "You always get what you really want" can be used as an answer :)

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Georgia is a very small country with a very diverse nature and people.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

When I became a father ??

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

Anytime I'm too lazy to buy something for my family, I can tell them the competition will start in a few minutes, so Topcoder really supports me.

Where do you live and why?

I have been living here all my life (except when I studied). I once had an offer to move to California, but I missed it and it was the best thing that happened in my life.

Is this your first TCO?

I was surprised because I had never been aware of the finals. I want to get the most out of my current abilities.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Before joining Marathon Match, when I saw a flashy visualizer, I also wanted to make something that worked like that.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Even if you can't do it now, you can do it if you learn how to do it.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Japanese people say "zoi" before the programming contest starts. It means to do your best.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

When you win one of the contests or get excellent results.

Finalist Bio.

I'm doing competitive programming in-between two full time jobs: a day job and being a parent.

Is this your first TCO?

I've previously attended the TCO Finals in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019 (all in person back then - what fun times).

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

I can think of a few :) (e.g. post-finals beers)

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Generally being proactive rather than reactive.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

I am from Romania and other people have the misconception they should carry garlic with them to defend themselves against vampires. That's all wrong. We actually like garlic :)

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

When my daughter was born. Looking back, it was also one of the scariest, because my life as I knew it changed forever. But now I can't even remember how my life used to be before her :)

What do you value the most and why?

Being dependable.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

My family.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My wife takes more childcare responsibilities when I'm competing in a MM. In exchange, I try to be efficient and qualify to the TCO Finals as early as possible, so I don't need to participate in so many MMs :)

Where do you live and why?

I live in a small city in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Why Switzerland? Because I work there. Why a small city and not the big city of Zurich? Lower taxes :)

Is this your first TCO?

My first Topcoder event was TCCC 2007 in Disney World. Very impressive in every way possible. First real interaction with the community, first competition on stage, lots of fun activities. Next one was TCO 2008 in Las Vegas, an even bigger event.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

My very first event in 2007 and then my first successful event in 2011 are the most memorable.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Never give up.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Americans (and not only) confuse it with the US state :)

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Not sure, achieving the highest rating in Marathon was one of them.

Is this your first TCO?

There. Were. So. Many.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Many years ago, in the ancient times, there was a TCO (or more probably TCCC) final where we had a full DDR arcade onsite. This was the time where I felt in love with rhythm games.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Don't give unsolicited advice to people.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

*Googles interesting facts about Poland*
"Kissing woman's hand is still in fashion in Poland"
Thankfully, it's not the case.

What do you value the most and why?

Time. Because you get no respawns (at least my culture doesn't get any).

Finalist Bio.

I'm enjoying being a Marathon Match Player.

Is this your first TCO?

I feel regret that I couldn't attend an offline TCO due to COVID-19.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

The first time I participated in the contest (2013 TCO Marathon - Round 1).

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

DO NOT GIVE UP, DO YOUR BEST.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

We studied English for six years in middle school and high school. But most people can't understand and speak English.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Taking first place in MM.

What do you value the most and why?

Sleeping to keep up on my health.

Is this your first TCO?

This is my third Marathon final, after 2019 and 2020.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

TCO19, my first final and the only one I could do in person.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Don't give up!

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

French was the official language of England for about 300 years. You guys are lucky that it did not stay like that or we would all be speaking French =)

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Besides the birth of my son I guess? I would say completing an Ironman is one of my proudest moments.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Getting married just before the pandemic started helped. I had my wife with me to not be too lonely and now we have a little addition to the family which helps as well.

Where do you live and why?

California, this is where I met my wife. She is Taiwanese, I am French, we decided to live in the middle (we just did not take the shortest path to pick the middle).

Finalist Bio.

At work, I'm a software engineer at a large IT company known for its internet search engine. Outside work, I enjoy time with my family, trying to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

Is this your first TCO?

This is my second TCO final and so far I've only attended virtual ones. Let's hope that next year TCO will return to in-person finals and then I can claim to be present for all of the virtual ones.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

My most memorable Topcoder moment was the first time I won something. It was an early marathon, an Intel threading challenge match (NearestNeighbors). The problem was likely easier than anticipated and 39 competitors were all tied on first place. The prize was divided among each of us resulting in a small amount, but I was super happy about it.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Actually a quote from detective Sherlock Holmes saying “When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”. I found this to be very helpful when debugging various software (and sometimes hardware) issues.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

For 150 years it was considered rude to clink glasses of beer in Hungary as a protest against the execution of 13 military commanders after a failed revolution.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Becoming a father, and in that case I had two equally proudest moments in my life.

What do you value the most and why?

Punctuality, or at least being upfront about being late. I really hate when I'm just waiting for something or someone without knowing when it will happen.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

I was around 10 or 11, we were building some kind of fortress among the trees. I wanted to test if one of my defense traps worked. It did. I was hit on the head with a brick so badly that my mom needed to take me to the doctor.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Positive? I've taken a couple of Covid tests in the last 1.5 years but luckily they helped me to stay negative.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My wife is truly understanding when I'm still sitting at my desk (which happens to be in our bedroom) at 3am and cursing at the screen. My kids just try to grab all the various swag as soon as I open a package.

Where do you live and why?

We moved to Switzerland 9 years ago due to a job offer. At the beginning we said let's just try out one year here and now that the kids go to school here, we don't plan to move elsewhere in the near future.

Other thoughts to share?

Once I had the chance to work on a TV show as a software developer. The output of my application was shown live in one of the largest national (in Hungary) TV channels. I think I accumulated a year worth of stress during that one hour.

Finalist Bio.

I'm a computer forensics expert and long time Topcoder member. I love sports, puzzles, programming challenges, my wife and my kids.

Is this your first TCO?

My first TCO was in 2007 (Algorithm). Then I reached my first Marathon final in 2009, and I have competed in all TCO Marathon finals since 2011. So I guess this will be my 13th TCO :-)

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

There were soooo many, it is too hard to pick one. Each TCO was an unique and incredible experience for me.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

"Trust in yourself!" Although this sounds common place, I actually received this advice from friends who were attending (not competing) in a past TCO final. And I found out that confidence is really important in the Marathon track, when you feel like you've run out of ideas and need to pull a rabbit out of your hat.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Although Brazil is a tropical country, known for its beaches and sunny landscapes, in the southern part (where I live), it can be quite cold, at least for our standards.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Every day, when I look at my kids.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

I would never have succeeded in any TC Marathon if I hadn't had my family's full support.
I have a daughter and a son who love to hear about Marathon problems, look at the visualizers, and understand how daddy's solution works. My wife helps me a lot during the contests, making sure the kids will let me focus in the key moments :-)

Finalist Bio.

I formerly had the handle SATKAN. My interests are in QA track so far.

Is this your first TCO?

I participated in QA track finals @ TCO19 and TCO20.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Winning a TCO19 trip.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Time is precious.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Search for HOLI Day in Google.... you will fall in love with the colors.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Can't choose a moment... I am proud of doing my duties with utmost care and responsibility.

What do you value the most and why?

Trust : Relations are built stronger with trust.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

1) Family
2) Vaccination
3) Staying away from news feed

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

I am an SAP Technical consultant, working as a permanent employee. Alongside my work, I took to Topcoder with great interest. I have to work for continuously long hours a few days in a month. This is manageable since I plan my days per the challenges in the pipeline. My family has supported me very much when I cannot go out with them during weekends and they motivated me to work with Topcoder. With their support, I quit my job with the intention to work on Topcoder full time. But unfortunately, my timing seems to be bad since the QA project was closed a week after I had quit my job.

Where do you live and why?

I live in my native place (Gudlavalleru, India). Working from home has given me this wonderful gift.

Is this your first TCO?

This is my thrid TCO. My first one was TCO19 which was held in Houston, TX. When I got the message about being selected to TCO19 I was very excited because I could meet all the members, especially the members of the QA track that I have competed with. TCO is not just an ordinary event. When you walk into the place you will get a different feeling.

After that I participated in TCO20, which was an online event, but a very exciting event with full of fun activities.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Winning the TCO20 QA championship.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

I got this tip from a fellow member who introduced Topcoder to me. "Don’t give up. Focus, learn and compete.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Nicknamed Pearl of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is a hidden gem of the Indian Ocean. Beyond its ancient ruins, beautiful beaches, and amazing wildlife, the island nation has many other stories to uncover.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Winning the TCO20 QA championship.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

The best part is all my family members are now at home so we have more family time. It helps me a lot.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My wife and son 💕; they are very supportive. If I am busy with competing/Copiloting or doing some other stuff my wife will take care of everything, without them I wouldn't be able to do what I am doing here.

Is this your first TCO?

This will be my second TCO.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

The Finalist announcement.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Keep breathing and keep moving.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

A country of Himalayas, rich in culture and unity. Our country is the best example of diversity.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Growth - in the professional arena. Being a Mom - in my personal life.

What do you value the most and why?

Respect and gratitude have taught me many lessons.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

Throwing water balloons and pouring water through water guns at pedestrians was the funniest thing we used to do in our childhood as a part of the festival called Holi.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

My family and my kids , and a blessing from my Guru (teacher), Doing regular breathing exercise and meditation taught by my Guru has helped me stay positive.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

I live in a joint family with my in-laws and two kids. When it comes to my career, they all are supportive and make sure that I don't get involved in house chores during my deadlines.

Where do you live and why?

I live in Nepal. It's my mother land.

Other thoughts to share?

Working with a team is something I enjoy, but the pandemic taught me to enjoy my work, even I am alone.

Is this your first TCO?

Yes, I am very excited to participate in the TCO finals.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

When I participated in my first Bug Hunt challenge and got some prize money, as I remember it was $51. That time I was very happy ☺ and from then on I became part of the TC community.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

I learn form other experienced members in our TC community, and know I must be a quick debugger. Try to do things to your own way, then you can learn more.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

India is the wettest inhabited place and we have great diversity in the culture.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

I feel the proudest moments to me are when I am appreciated by senior manager in front of all.

What do you value the most and why?

My parents are the most valuable things to me.

Is this your first TCO?

Yes, this will be my first TCO finals and I'm excited for it.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

The first challenge I participated in TC.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

"Just to it"

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

India being culturally and geographically vast helps me experience peoples of different characters and behaviors in a single place, without requiring to travel much. This is fun.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

It will be the one when I become TCO finals champion :)

What do you value the most and why?

Time.

Finalist Bio.

I am an IT professional with experience working at many startups. An easy going person, a foodie. I love traveling and going on treks.

Is this your first TCO?

No, last year was my first TCO.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

I think the "first times" always have a special place in the heart. So my first win in a development contest in Nov 2016 will always be memorable.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Focus on the process, not on the results.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

I have started playing a lot of chess during the pandemic and when I once Googled about the origins of chess, I found out this:

"It is claimed that the game of chess originated in India some 1,500 years ago. It is said to be based on the 7th-century war game called chaturanga that flourished in northwestern India at the time."

So I found this pretty interesting about my country.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Qualifying for TCO finals for the first time last year is my proudest moment.

Finalist Bio.

I graduated in Electronics Engineering in Turkey. After working as a technician for about three years, I decided to shift my career to a freelance web developer. Since then, I am participating in Topcoder as often as possible.

Is this your first TCO?

It's my first TCO. I am super excited to compete with world-class QA Engineers. Also, I am developing a strategy for how to beat them. 🙌

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

The most memorable moment in Topcoder was being selected as Shining Star at the TCO21 Eastern Asia Regional.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Manage your time efficiently. Start working on challenges as early as possible.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Mongolia is the 18th largest country in the world, but its population is only three million. And half of the population is still nomadic.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Being selected for TCO Finals.

Is this your first TCO?

This is my first TCO and I am very excited about it.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Getting a score of 100 for the first time.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Have patience.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

India has the largest population of vegetarians in the world.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Passing the UGC-NET exam in my first attempt.

Finalist Bio.

I am a Retail Domain Expert and Automation Architect; this is my first TCO.

Is this your first TCO?

I am very excited to see all the members virtually, especially the members in the QA track that I have competed with.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

I twice won the North America Regional Event Championship in QA track (2020 , 2021) and was the overall QA winner in TCO21 Regional Event.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Self-evaluation and assessment should be a major part of our lives as believers.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

America is home to many natural wonders of the world.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

The day I got my MS degree and won my first challenge in Topcoder.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

TCCC07, first champion.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Be consistent.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

We have the most UI designers in Topcoder.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Joining Topcoder and becoming a TCO finalist.

What do you value the most and why?

Family.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Freelancing for Topcoder.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

They're very supportive since 2007.

Where do you live and why?

Indonesia.

Other thoughts to share?

See u later.

Finalist Bio.

I have a degree in math and science, majoring in chemistry. I am interested in design and programming as a freelancer and have experience in manufacturing and with a multimedia company.

Is this your first TCO?

Yes, happy and proud as a TripWinner in TCO21 for the first time. I hope to meet Topcoder family on site, but the pandemic made it only a virtual event.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

The first time I earned money after joining challenges in Topcoder in 2018.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Keep submitting and join all the challenges you can because they are all unique and different from each other.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

We have a different language on destination tourism in Indonesia.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Joining Topcoder.

What do you value the most and why?

Family, because the first people to care about you are family.

Finalist Bio.

iaminfinite knows Topcoder is the best remote platform in the world working with Fortune 500 companies. For the past five years, he has won hundreds of Topcoder challenges for big name clients (NASA, IBM, Microsoft, FAA, Halliburton). He has taught and mentored dozens of students and new members how to compete on Topcoder and win the challenges through the Topcoder Bootcamp program.

Is this your first TCO?

Thank God, this is my fifth TCO. I'm immensely grateful for that.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

The most memorable moment was when I met Topcoder members, admins and leaders in person for the first time at Southfork Ranch.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Follow your passion and do what you love.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Indonesia has 17,000+ islands, 300+ ethnic groups and there are 800+ languages spoken here.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Work remotely. No need to drive or commute to work.

Is this your first TCO?

I've been to many TCO Finals, and all were great. The most exciting one would be my first TCO final in Fort Lauderdale (10 years ago), as it was my first time to meet Topcoder members and staff.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Holding TCO Brackets.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Do research, pay attention to specs and feedback.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

20 °C (68 °F) is considered cold/ winter here in Thailand.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Being a quite decent husband and father.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

I think working remotely with Topcoder has helped me the most so far, as I didn't have to adjust my life much. We always work from home.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

They love Topcoder merch. My kids are always excited about what I've been working on and stuff.

Other thoughts to share?

Miss you Gh3ablo.

Finalist Bio.

My Name is Mohammad Iqbal, I am an UI/UX Designer from Indonesia.

Is this your first TCO?

This is my second TCO final, both held online (TCO20, TCO21). I hope next year I can qualify again and the pandemic is over.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

I am the logo creator and finalist on last year's TCO (TCO 2020).

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Make your job as a hobby. Believe me, if you do that, you will be able to handle the job more easily, effortlessly, and with great creativity.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Indonesia is a country with various cultures. Likewise with the food, if you are someone who likes culinary tourism, you may have to make Indonesia one of your destinations.I think one year would not even be enough to try the various kinds of food in my country.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Being a TCO Finalist.

What do you value the most and why?

Commitment and loyalty. With these two things we can make ourselves and others comfortable in life, organization, and at work.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

As a child, I loved to scribble on walls and equipment at home. Maybe this was the forerunner of my career as an UI/UX designer.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Maybe my habit of working from home since 2015 helped me more easily adapt to the regional quarantine and the new normal pattern that has occurred due to this pandemic.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

At the beginning of my career as a remote worker / freelancer, some family members were a little doubtful about the work I was involved in. But in the last few years when I was active at Topcoder I managed to reach some achievements that I had never had before, and finally my family felt confident and supported this career path that I was taking.

Where do you live and why?

Now I live in a city near Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Where I live is very close to the beach and several other tourist attractions, so when stuck with work I can take a few minutes to go to the beach and come back to my desk with fresh thoughts and moods.

Other thoughts to share?

I think every designer / developer should have a cat, because cats can help to relieve stress and improve your heart health. :D

Finalist Bio.

Hi all, I'm a creative designer, I love design and challenges.

Is this your first TCO?

Yes, this is my first time being a finalist at TCO. This is what I have dreamed of since joining Topcoder in 2008. I hope to be one of the best in Topcoder design.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Meeting with other designers in Medan at a workshop.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Never give up, give your best, and stay consistent. Read specs carefully, do research and solve problems.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Indonesia is a country that has many islands and cultures.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Winning four challenges at the same time.

What do you value the most and why?

My family. They are everything to me!

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

I was the best football player at that time :D

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Topcoder really helped me during the pandemic with financial support.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

Yup, my family supports me on Topcoder because they can see me work at home all the time.

Where do you live and why?

Medan, North Sumatra, because many of my family and friends live in this area.

Other thoughts to share?

I hope this pandemic ends soon and I can get tickets again next year to see a live TCO event in the US.

Finalist Bio.

My bio

Is this your first TCO?

TCO21 is going to be my fourth TCO, and I had a chance to attend two regional events as well in 2019.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

It is nearly impossible to pick just one. I think all the moments when we have a chance to reunite are unforgettable.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

I should probably write something like 'never give up', but that does not apply to me as even if I get really close to giving up on something from time to time, it doesn't really happen. So a right answer would probably be like 'calm down'... yeah I tend to stress a lot, especially in situations like competing on TCO.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

The Hungarian language is among the most difficult languages in the world.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

I cannot think of a single moment. My daughter makes me proud regularly, but that is not my achievement, but hers :-) There are some good moments connected to Topcoder as well, for which I am forever thankful.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Humour I guess, and also the fact that I used to work remotely anyway, so in that field of my life I didn't experience much change.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My daughter, Jojó is pretty good at cooking, so many times when I am overwhelmed with work she cooks for us.

Is this your first TCO?

This is going to be my second TCO. I first attended it last year in TCO20.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Making it to TCO20 Finals.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

In last year's TCO, Yoki mentioned that every one was a beginner at one point and that nothing is impossible. I thought that was amazing.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

0 was invented in India which changed the world big time. We wouldn't have computers today if 0 wasn't invented :)

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

There are many. One that comes to my mind is when I made it to the University of Michigan in 2008 as a graduate student with scholarship.

What do you value the most and why?

Being alive. I feel that life, this existence, will be the greatest gift we have.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

When my parents and siblings had gone to the movies, I gave the only beloved video game we had a nice hot water bath and applied talcum powder thinking that every body will be very impressed :)

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Hope and patience and the fact that this too shall pass.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

They are very excited and supportive and want me to do well. Pleasantly surprised to see me fare well in the recent years.

Is this your first TCO?

I've been part of TCO19 and TCO20.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Meeting my fellow competitors and friends and of course also travelling with them post-TCO.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Learn from every challenge the mistakes you make, and try to never repeat that same mistake.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

My country, India, has 121 different languages and 33 million gods (literally, idk how lol).

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Being onsite at TCO19 and visiting states on my own capability.

What do you value the most and why?

Time, because it will never come back; every thing else can. And, my family.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

Whenever and wherever we as family went, I've always been lost in the crowd. Just lucky to be found again and again, lol.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Being focused on what I love to do.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

I've two sisters and my parents. They all believe in me and in what I do, and have faith that whatever I'll do will be to the best of my ability and I will never let them down.

Finalist Bio.

Life doesn’t get easier, so I choose to be stronger and more resilient.

Is this your first TCO?

No, my first TCO was in 2017.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

The opening ceremony when we introduce ourselves as a contestant & our country’s best representative.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

You never fail until you give up.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Indonesia is the first developing country to operate their own domestic satellite system.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

In 2017 when I visited the United States for the first time to attend TCO17 as a contestant.

What do you value the most and why?

Experience. Because experience is the teacher of all things.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

I lost weight, almost 55lbs.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

There’s a rainbow after the rain :)

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

If I can rate how they support me from 1 to 10, absolutely 11!

Finalist Bio.

A designer with a Bachelor of Computer Science background, who is in the process of learning Arabic. For now, I'm a full-time competitor on Topcoder with the freedom of where to live and when to work, exciting! I am a person who is passionate about developing skills that support my vision in life.

Is this your first TCO?

Yes. Becoming a Finalist at TCO21 was my first global achievement/invitation to an overseas trip in my career as a designer (UI/UX/IxD). ✨✨✨

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

In 2019, I got the placement of challenge winner four times in a row (two times as first place winner, two times second place winner). What makes it special is that the moment was close to the birth of my first son. What a grateful moment (:

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Be patient, be grateful. Set clear goals and focus on doing your best to achieve them.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Based on survey results, Indonesia was once in the top ten most friendly countries in the world and at other times Indonesia was the country with the lowest level of politeness of internet users in Southeast Asia.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

When I can be grateful for every moment in life, take lessons from it and stay optimistic through the day.

Finalist Bio.

Topcoder member since 2005, currently a gig worker, enjoy working in complex and non-traditional projects.

Is this your first TCO?

No, TCO 2019 was my first.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Receiving my first Topcoder t-shirt back in 2006 :)

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

When building software, do only what is needed and do it well.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

About Arabic (my native language):
Although numeral digits 0123456789 are know as Arabic numerals, they are not currently used in Arabic fonts.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

My decision to move from normal to freelance style work.

What do you value the most and why?

Allah, my belief in Islam is that Allah is greater than everything in life.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Relocating to new country.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My little and big family supported me on making the transition from a normal to a freelance lifestyle possible.

Where do you live and why?

I live in UAE, a good country with many cultures living together.

Is this your first TCO?

This is first time I am participating in TCO.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Winning the first challenge.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Read the specs carefully - twice, and do not give up if you have any difficulties in your work.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

It's the country where Buddha was born.

Finalist Bio.

I grew up in Moscow, Russia, and got my formal education in Theoretical Physics. Later I moved to Spain to pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering, and I spent four more years working in academic research. Aiming to land a higher paying job in R&D or Software Engineering, I came across hte Topcoder platform while preparing for job interviews at Google. After rejection by Google I ended up participating in Topcoder challenges more and more, and soon quit my day job to become a full time Topcoder competitor and later copilot. In the next five years I saw quite a success. I won TCO17, and TCO20 Development Champion trophies, became one of Topcoder's MVPs, had lots of fun and got tons of useful experience on the way. Today I continue as an active member of the Topcoder community, perhaps somewhat less visible because I am mostly working on various Topcoder Gig projects lately.

Is this your first TCO?

This is my sixth TCO, as I was lucky to participate in each Topcoder Open final since I joined the community in 2016. Thus, I enjoyed the awesome on-site TCO events in Washington (2016), Buffalo (2017), Houston (2018, 2019), and also the special online 2020 Topcoder Open.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Many. If I am to select one, getting the champion trophy on the stage of TCO17 is my pick.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

I don't think there ever was a single magic tip or advice that particularly helped me to be successful. What really helped me was a lot of routine hard work while studying, and later in my career. The harder it is in past, the easier it gets going forward.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Spain is a great holiday and tourist destination, according to Wikipedia in 2019 it was the second most visited country in the world. It is a very diversive destination, with lots stuff to do, to see, and to experience, where everybody can find something interesting for them.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

I am quite proud of the moment (or rather the period) of my life when I left my regular traditional job, despite its safety, to try myself as a self-employed worker in the gig economy and managed to find my way to do better than before.

What do you value the most and why?

Comfort, because it is... comfy :)

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

My way of life before the COVID pandemic, in particular working remotely, full time from home on Topcoder challenges / projects, meant that I encountered the cataclysm living in a comfortable place, in a home nice to spend long times in working without leaving for days. The stream of work from Topcoder coninued, and, honestly, a large part of my life did not change much, and all this time I had it clear that my situation was far better than that of most people struck by this disaster. Whenever the isolation felt depressive I just reminded myself that I should be glad for the luxury I have, and just carry on waiting for better, brighter days, which always come after darker times.

Where do you live and why?

In the beginning of this year I moved to Benidorm, a beach resort town just 1.5 hours drive away from Valencia where I lived before, and now I reside at the first line of a nice Mediterranean beach. The motivation was just to have some scenery change after the boring first year of pandemic, especially seeing that the situation is far from being over.

Is this your first TCO?

TCO is amazing! It always feels great to meet the other members and staff in person and to share experiences and create new memories.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

There were so many great moments! Taking the butter chicken dinner at TCO17 in Buffalo with Jessie and other members is definitely one of the best.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Never give up! Fail and learn and then start over until you succeed.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

We have a happy cemetery in my country where a sculptor creates crosses and paints them, then writes short ironic poems about the life of the deceased. Each grave has a story and is definitely fun to visit. For example: "Here lies my mother-in-law, if she lived a year longer, I would lie here instead."

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Attending TCO so many times (8)!

Finalist Bio.

I am a software engineer by profession. I come from Nepal, the country of mesmerizing Himalayas and birthplace of Lord Buddha. My hobby is to inspire young people on the journey from being a student to a professional. I get utmost satisfaction from finding a bug in an application more than any other thing.

Is this your first TCO?

Last year I took part in TCO 20 which was a good experience for me.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Being nominated for TCO finals.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Do what you love!

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

It's the country of the living Goddess Kumari.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

When I received scholarship for graduation!

What do you value the most and why?

Inner peace, without it you can enjoy nothing!

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

Me and my friends used to climb trees and jump from one tree to another like monkeys on our way from school to home without touching the ground for fun.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Being a TC community member and dad to my baby son.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My family is always positive towards my career.

Where do you live and why?

I live in Kathmandu because of the weather.

Is this your first TCO?

No. I attended TCO17 in Buffalo.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Having my dreams come true.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

It came from adroc: don't assume, just ask!

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Beef is always well done and we have the numero uno dish in the world: rendang!

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Having my dreams come true.

Finalist Bio.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fajar-maulana/

Is this your first TCO?

I've attended TCO finals in 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

TCO Final 2013, the one when I won an iPad mini from the sponsor.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Never give up and keep moving forward.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Indonesia has more than 1300 tribes and each of them have their own native language.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Starting my own business.

Is this your first TCO?

TCO16 was my first one in person - I nearly won the F2F then.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Winning the first challenge :)

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Think of it differently.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Bosnia is basically Switzerland without the $€£ or the industry, but with better food :)

Finalist Bio.

I graduated in computer science engineering, am a software technology specialist, and work in quality assurance in software development and testing.

Is this your first TCO?

TCO20.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

My first time in the TCO Final selection.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Whatever you do in life, give it 100% of yourself.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Diwali is a festival of lights and one of the major festivals celebrated in India.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

As a math tutor, I met a lot of students who struggled with this subject. My proudest moment was when all of them received full marks in the last examination.

Finalist Bio.

I'm a development & QA Copilot at Topcoder, prior to this I was a Topcoder competitor since 2011. Several times I have been to Topcoder Open Finals as F2F track finalist, UI Prototype finalist track, or Copilot trip winner.

Is this your first TCO?

I have been to TCO-14, TCO-15, TCO-16, TCO-17, TCO-18 & TCO-19 final events. Besides these I was the part of several TCO India regionals & in 2019 I was the part of TCO Japan regional. I also won a finalist position in TCO-12 & TCO-13 events, however, due to some reasons I wasn't able to attend the onsite finals.
Going to all these events feels so amazing :)

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

In 2011 when I worked hard for three continuous months to earn enough TCO points by winning F2F challenges (in 2011 F2F was bug-bash) to make it to the onsite finals, and then a day before the end of TCO phase, I kept on refreshing the TCO-leaderboard-page to make sure I was still on the top of the leaderboard. I finally got an email from Jessie after some weeks with my handle in bug-bash (now F2F) qualifiers list. That made me so happy.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Select the right path at the beginning of your professional carrier and do things that you enjoy". Because of this I choose be a Topcoder competitor rather than an employee at some company for about 7.5 years. This changes everything for me in a positive way.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Here in India we have several cultures, religions, languages, food, and festivals. With all these different people living together and celebrating each others' festivals, we get a lot of holidays and reasons to celebrate. Usually from the beginning of October to the year-end we have many festivals.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Being a Topcoder finalist several times.

What do you value the most and why?

Learning new tools/techniques and adapting to new trends. While working on a project this makes me work faster by writing less code that's more efficient and also enables me to add more features to the application.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

I came back home from Bangalore and started living with my family instead of living alone. I also travelled a bit when there was some relaxation in lockdown and pandemic rules.

Where do you live and why?

I live in Lucknow, India. It's my hometown and less crowded than big Indian cities.

Other thoughts to share?

Coming to Topcoder final events is not just about competing. It's also about meeting other finalists and admins. Making actual friends from different countries [not social media friends], going on trips and shopping with them and waiting unit next year to meet them again to go on new trips.

Is this your first TCO?

I was at 2017 and 2019 as a contestant, and 2020 as a Dev and F2F finals hosting team member.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Probably getting my US visa approved relatively easily because of TCO. And then, meeting other members in person was also a great feeling.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Well, I haven't received any external advice as such - I just try to live and work authentically.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

I come from India, which truly has the maximum dynamic range when it comes to cultural aspects.

To name a few things - I love the local dance forms, music, festivals, traditions, clothing and particularly the cuisines, and I hope we don't lose it entirely with time.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Even small contributions that could potentially mean something to someone is something I feel proud about. So probably the proudest moments are when I make small donations to causes on the Internet, with the proudest of all being when I did it for the first time.

What do you value the most and why?

Peace and contentment in life - in fact I'm optimising for long-term unforced contentment in life, and have been making personal and career choices to keep myself in that pursuit.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

I loved my grandparent's village, where I literally had no restrictions in the day - I could go anywhere, play with any kid, visit anyone's home to check out their pets etc. Those moments really were and probably will be the best moments in my life.

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

The fact that I was fortunate enough to have remote work, which I've been used to for a long time. My life frankly didn't change as much during the lockdowns as it did for a lot of other people.

Where do you live and why?

I live mostly in Goa but visit my hometown in Ranchi from time to time. I chose to live in Goa because it's probably the coolest place in India with all of its beaches, greenery and a relatively laid back style of living that suits my work and personality.

Finalist Bio.

I am a university teacher with a passion for competitions.

Is this your first TCO?

TCO17 - trip winner, TCO20 - trip winner.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Winning my first marathon match.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

"Come to visit me!" (My wife before we started dating.)

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Slovakia and Slovenia are two different countries, though both match the "Slov??ia" pattern and their flags feature three strips of the same colors and a symbol with three hills. Just yesterday there was a soccer match (FIFA 2022 qualifiers) between Slovakia and Slovenia. Guess what was the result? A draw!

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

I climbed Rysy Mountain (the highest peak of Poland) at the age of 5!

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

I climbed Rysy mountain (the highest peak of Poland) at the age of 5 years!

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

Home office, hooray! No need to travel to my job.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

I live with my wife and three kids, ages 8, 5 and 2 years old. My wife helps me shoot the videos needed for online TCO Finals.

Where do you live and why?

Slovakia, Žilina. It is my place of birth. And, it is closer to Rysy mountain (the highest peak of Poland) than Bratislava (the other city I was living in for 19 years before moving back).

Is this your first TCO?

This is the second time I've gotten an invitation to TCO. But, the first time I failed to join due to the long visa processing time.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

I think the first time I won some challenge. It was something from NASA about locating items on ISS based on RFID-tag.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

There are always a lot of ways to can fix a problem, but you can be blind and not see some of them.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

Most Russians are always sad. It's very uncommon to see a man who just walks and smiles. Maybe it's because of the weather, we have sun only three months a year. This year right on the 1st of September the temperature fell from 25C to 10C, and we got rain and dirt on the roads. It will be the same (or worse) for the next nine months.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

When I quit my job and started spending 100% of my time on Topcoder and other possibilities that we have in the open market.

What do you value the most and why?

My daughter. She is so cute.

Share your favorite story about your childhood.

When I was about 5-6 years old, (1991-92 I think), my father took me to his work and I played Wolfenstein there. PCs were not common at that time (especially in Russia, which was just created from the former USSR with it's restrictions) and it was very exciting.

Finalist Bio.

UX Guy, Copilot and Community Team Member. Freelancing for the past 12+ years.

Is this your first TCO?

I have been to three TCO's (2011, 2012 and 2017).

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

Winning my first challenge back in 2009 was the most memorable moment!

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

Don't lose hope, always stay positive.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

There are over 33 million gods that are being followed in my culture in India.

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

Becoming a dad is my most proud moment :)

What in your life has helped you during these last few years during this global pandemic to stay positive?

I engage myself with my kids and of course Topcoder has been very supportive during this period.

Tell us about your family and how they support you with your Topcoder career.

My parents and my wife have been very encouraging/supportive, and my wife is also a part of the Topcoder community (her handle is pandorabox).

Where do you live and why?

I live down south in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu (state), India - this is called the Manchester of south India because of the cotton production and the thriving textile industry. Apart from this, the climate here is the best, which is something I love.

Finalist Bio.

TCO19 F2F Champion.

Is this your first TCO?

I've been to a few TCOs, I think 08, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17.

What is your most memorable Topcoder moment?

2008 TCO@Las Vegas was the first time I got to meet the staff and members from all over the world in person.

What is the best tip or piece of advice you ever received that has helped you be successful?

A friend advised me to read the book <<The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People>>. I thought it was some folksy self-help book but it turned out to be life changing.

Tell us something fun and interesting about your country or culture.

We don't really have fortune cookies in China!

What is your proudest moment in life so far?

It's hard to identify a single proudest moment, I feel great whenever I manage to achieve a goal. But in general I'm proud that I'm quite self-disciplined and can keep working on self-improvement.