BAO TO

Hi, I'm Bao!

I'm a student at Columbia University in NYC, double majoring in Computer Science and Visual Art.

My professional philosophy is driven by curiosity. To develop good products, I have taken on many roles in my ongoing period of self-development: a designer, a programmer, a marketing specialist, and a PM. By understanding more than just one side of the product cycle, I acquire the tools that it takes bring features from ideation to delivery, and also the best practices of communications between different teams within the project.

I have always been a maker. As a part-time artist, I fill my sketchbook with scribbles of all my different ideas. Later on, I would open up one of the old pages, and leave comments & thoughts all over my own sketches. This practice of constant reflection generates a natural process that I bring to my work - my ideas are formed through rapid iterations, each built on the previous, and always centered around the users needs.

Outside of work, I am an active city dweller. I play the electric guitar and rock-climb casually. In the mornings, I (try to) go on runs in the park, or throw football on the lawns. I love singing and instruments - one of my bucket list items is to make my own music.

My fuel of choice? A black & white arizona iced tea from the local bodega.

As an immigrant to the US and someone who has always been more of a generalist and just generally curious about so many things, I understand how hard it is to start your career from scratch and establishing your network and experience. If you need help with advice for early-stage, or have questions about how to establish footing in the current design/engineering world, feel free to send me a message on LinkedIn! I will try to respond to as many as possible.

I hope that we can connect and have a chat!

Email me at btt2118@columbia.edu