1 Minute Preview: Dhruv Makwana (PhD Computer Science, Stoicism, Buddhism, Depression, Trinity College, Cambridge University) | Coffee's on Me, David Quan 权丁文)

Dhruv Makwana is a 3rd Year PhD student in Computer Science at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was born in Mumbai, and moved a lot before growing up in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he stretched the school system to its limits. He has been consoled by and practising Stoicism since his efforts to overcome depression during his undergraduate degree. Having worked in industry for two years, he accidentally moved to Wellington, New Zealand, where he began his PhD, animal rights activism, vipassana meditation and Buddhism. Since returning, he founded the Aurelius Society (as part of work with the Aurelius Foundation), and is creating a seminar series on the subject of global wellbeing.“Wow didn't mean to talk about myself for two hours... what you [David] are doing is wonderful" - Dhruv1 Minute Preview Edited / Topics Distilled by Sophie Clare, Christ's College---WHY? COFFEE'S ON ME, DAVID QUAN 权丁文 TL;DR: To process my emotions after a grueling campaign for President of The Cambridge Union, I reflected upon the influences of my late Grandfather and wrote him a letter: https://www.varsity.co.uk/features/23458 . Drawing inspiration from him, I hope to learn more from others through genuine discussions – giving listeners heartfelt conversations filled with authentic insights, and giving guests legacy-worthy interviews to treasure. To converse with someone without a strict time limit or structure – meticulously engaging in a curious process of clarifications or elaborations – is not only a rare privilege. This longer format also allows the sharing of otherwise unshared or unappreciated anecdotes. There are appeals to sound-bite media, of course, but the metrics that matter most to me are more about the uniqueness of contribution than measures of virality. Over time, I hope to be able to better deconstruct guests' fascinating experiences – to seamlessly tease out the insights for listeners to enjoy and learn from while cooking, commuting, relaxing, or walking their pet. But this personal project is fundamentally as much about what we can learn from the guests as it is to give them (current) legacy-worthy interviews. My top priority is for guests to enjoy a unique opportunity to challenge, learn about, and be themselves; hopefully, they will be able to keep recordings of in-depth, heartfelt conversations to reflect on in years’ time. And the best part for guests? Coffee’s on Me, David Quan 权丁文--- NOMINATE A GUEST Please contact me to nominate someone. This would really help identify the anonymous extraordinaries, those who humbly go about their lives with great meaning and purpose. ---CONTACT MEHaving grown up in Xi'an, China, and Adelaide, Australia, I am a 2nd year undergraduate student at Clare College, University of Cambridge, UK. Please do have the courage to say hello!LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/DavidQuanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dingwen-david-quan/Instagram: @DavidQuan32Facebook: David QuanYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-_zEeiF5n5ZTArvMcXpMlQ