Meet Bruno Lam
Bruno Lam is on a quest to improve economic mobility for frontline workers through innovative learning experiences.
What led to your interest in education?
Both my personal and professional experiences set me on this path.
On a personal level, I’m highly aware of all the opportunities I have had and, in stark contrast, what my parents did not have. Although my dad takes pride in his work, my parents never had the ability to go to college or the opportunity to take time off from work to invest in their skills or pursue training or upskilling. It is incredibly difficult to further one’s education when you have to raise a family in a new country and pursue financial stability.
As for how my professional history has contributed to my present interest in education, a few years ago, I worked at TELUS Pollinator Fund, an impact investment fund. The best part of my job was speaking to entrepreneurs who were on the ground doing the difficult work of creating products that tackled issues like education access, affordability, and learning outcomes. I jokingly and affectionately say that the EdTech founders are the Hufflepuffs of entrepreneurs in that they're wicked smart, super collaborative, and quite friendly. A common question they ask is how can we help? Through my job, I fell in love with the sector.
After I graduated from the University of British Columbia, I reflected on my desire to be in a community where folks were interested in taking what they were learning—be it business, computer science, engineering, etc.—and applying it to social impact issues such as climate change. This desire was the impetus for me to co-found a nonprofit called Propel Impact—a Canadian organization operating experiential learning programs focused on impact investing and social innovation. The community consists of young career people interested in the intersection of social and environmental issues and their craft. I built the curriculum for Propel. As I went through the process, I thought, “There must be a better and more streamlined way to do this.” So, that created a spark in me to explore designing effective learning experiences.
What inspired you to apply to Stanford and Knight-Hennessy?
For the Graduate School of Education (GSE)—unsurprisingly, its location in Silicon Valley played a significant role in my decision. I wanted to be a part of an environment that was conducive to innovation. I was also drawn to the excellent academics and research at GSE. One thing I didn't fully appreciate until I started taking classes there was proximity to excellence. In class, we would read papers by the same brilliant people that we often crossed paths with every single day. Being in the presence of the “who's who” in education research is such a great honor.
As for Knight-Hennessy, I first came across it when my friend Albert dragged me to an information session during my last term in undergrad. I remember thinking, “Wow, what an amazing opportunity this would be!” and, in equal parts, I doubted myself, thinking, “There's absolutely no way I’ll ever qualify for this.” With those thoughts ruminating in my mind, I signed up for the KH newsletter. It would pop up regularly in my inbox. It was the summer of 2022 when I realized it was my last chance to apply. This realization was timely, as I was at a point in my career where I was thinking about deepening my expertise in education.
What do you intend to do when you graduate, and how do you plan to bring your academic background into your everyday practice?
To answer this question, I have to go back to those I want to serve: adult learners and, more specifically, frontline workers who are doing essential work and want to upscale and build their career mobility by learning. That’s the area within the big world of education that I want to focus on. In terms of what I want to do next—I think coming from a finance investment background I recognize the role of financial capital in helping EdTech companies grow, but on the other hand I want to get closer to the action and help identify what certain learners need, help design the product, and actually see it out in the world.
How has Knight-Hennessy impacted your experience here at Stanford?
An amazing aspect of KH that I appreciate is that, on any given day, you could be speaking to a future neurosurgeon or a future policymaker. There are also people working on interesting, intersectional problems. Knight-Hennessy has made it easier for me to talk to other people outside of my silo, and it has introduced me to an invaluable community of people who are pursuing incredible ideas.
Also, this year we had the chance to connect with folks from the Stanford Distinguished Career Institute (DCI Fellows program)—a cohort of people who have had decades of work experience and are exceptionally accomplished in their respective fields. Sometimes, I pinch myself because I get to pick the brains of these inspirational individuals. Fellows will even reach out to me saying, “Hey, let’s check in again. I want to support you.” Such relationships are simply irreplaceable.
Since moving to the Bay Area, some of my closest friends have been Knight-Hennessy scholars. Whether it’s finding someone to play tennis with on the weekend, going on a hike, or just chatting about things that are difficult at school, work, or life, I’ve found quite a few confidants at Knight-Hennessy.
The last thing I’ll mention is that in undergrad I was skeptical of the need for communication and storytelling skills. I’d often say, “If you can do the technical work, that's enough.” Then I realized in recent years that you can have the greatest idea, but if you can’t communicate it well, it's basically worth nothing. I love Knight-Hennessy’s focus on the power of storytelling, which includes a lot of structured programming in the first year. Building that muscle around concise, persuasive, effective storytelling is such an important skill to have.
What advice would you give to someone applying for Knight-Hennessy?
First off, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s a scholar today who was like, “Yeah, I knew I was going to get it.” Folks here faced self-doubt and many experienced imposter syndrome.
My second piece of advice is to remember that there is no formula to being a Knight-Hennessy scholar. The application is not a test. There’s no right answer. The only right answer is authenticity. So, be true to who you are, don’t undersell yourself, don’t oversell yourself. Spend intentional time reflecting on what drives you. Understand your story and practice compellingly communicating it. Lastly, believe in yourself. It's super cliché, but it’s true.