Rising Stars: Meet Will Yu of Stanford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Yu

Hi Will, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Will Yu; I’m an incoming sophomore at Stanford University majoring in Data Science and minoring in Education. I’m originally from San Francisco, California!

In high school, I worked with San Francisco Ignite Leadership in Youth and the Junior Economic Club of San Francisco to lead workshops on financial literacy, public speaking, advocacy, and identity development for underserved middle schoolers. These experiences ignited my passion for educational equity. I believe that education is the greatest gift one can receive, and that everyone deserves access to a high-quality education, regardless of background.

I remember seeing a little article about Spokes towards the beginning of my freshman year pop into my email – intrigued, I opened it, and reading the blog of Spokes 2023 truly warmed my heart. I felt so inspired by the idea of Stanford students biking across the country to further education among youth. The mission of Spokes – evoking love and passion for education in all youth, no matter their background – really resonates with me, as I feel that my lower education stifled my passions and hindered my ability to discover topics that I wanted to explore further.

In the future, I hope to work in management consulting or real estate!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a now-publicly gay man from San Francisco, one might assume I was always surrounded by queerness. However, attending Catholic school for 11 years, I was often told by priests that homosexuality was a sin. This created an internal struggle and made me question my identity and what I was capable of at a young age. Because of these experiences, I feel a deep responsibility to ensure that all kids, regardless of their background or identity, receive an education that not only informs but empowers them to be who they truly want to be. Every child deserves access to an education that supports their growth, celebrates their individuality, and gives them the tools to thrive. Educational equity is not just about academics—it’s about creating a safe space where kids can develop into confident, self-assured adults. I want to be part of the solution that ensures all students, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, receive the resources and support they need to embrace their full potential, unafraid of who they are or who they want to become – personally or professionally.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
“This summer, six Stanford students will be biking and teaching across the country. From San Francisco to Kansas City to Washington, D.C., our goal is to encourage a love for learning in children and young adults through teaching, biking, and sharing our own love for both.
We will be teaching workshops and learning festivals along the way that focus on introducing young students to topics outside of their standard curriculum. Our belief is that hands-on, project-based workshops are an effective way to teach practical skills and build relationships with young students.
We are especially motivated to reach those students who are underrepresented in post-secondary education in terms of race, gender, geographic region, or socioeconomic background. Our mission is rooted in the belief that education and sports can inspire students to defy stereotypes while developing a lifelong love for learning.”
This year, we emphasized experiential learning, with each member creating and leading a workshop. The workshops featured hands-on activities, such as making slime stress balls, creating “elephant toothpaste” (a foamy mixture of hydrogen peroxide, yeast, and warm water), and participating in a physics escape room.

Spokes originated in 2013 with students from MIT, Harvard, and Columbia who wanted to bring STEM education to schools across the country.
This trip was incredibly special for several reasons, the most important being that it was entirely student-led. While we had sponsorship and support from Stanford Digital Education, we were responsible for designing everything ourselves—from planning our cycling and teaching route to deciding where we would stay each night. We also fundraised $25,000 for the trip and had full agency over how to allocate it, for housing, food, and bike and camping gear. This level of independence provided an invaluable learning experience and brought us closer together as a team – spending so much time with each other with so many decisions to make allowed us to truly understand each other’s strengths and quirks, and form a second family – we became each other’s home away from home.
One of the most fulfilling aspects was curating my own teaching plan, which I tailored around my passion for psychology and mental health. I taught a workshop on the Psychology of Slime, where students learned about mindfulness, oxytocin, and the nervous system while making slime. Other workshops included rice processing, chalk rocket launching, making elephant toothpaste, extracting DNA from strawberries, and a physics escape room! We were all able to develop lessons related to our fields of study back at Stanford.
This experience also taught me a lot about teaching. I learned that building a balanced relationship with students—one that mixes professional authority with a friendly approach—is key to effective learning. I also discovered how incorporating mindfulness exercises at the start of lessons helps students focus better. Towards the end of the trip, I introduced progressive muscle relaxation before my psychology and slime workshop, and I noticed a significant difference in how focused and engaged the students were. They not only followed my instructions more easily but also absorbed the content much more effectively!
One of the most memorable parts of the trip was seeing the kids’ faces light up during our science experiments—whether it was launching rockets, making elephant toothpaste explode, or extracting strawberry DNA. Their excitement and curiosity were contagious, reminding me of the magic that hands-on learning can bring. Watching them eagerly engage with each experiment, asking questions, and sharing their thoughts with one another brought the classroom to life. Those moments were a powerful reminder of how enjoyable and fulfilling education can be.
Lastly, traveling across the country, taking in its beauty, and meeting such a diverse range of people was eye-opening, informative and fulfilling. Having grown up in San Francisco and stayed in the Bay Area for college, I realized I had been living in somewhat of a bubble. This trip gave me the opportunity to break out of that and connect with people from all walks of life. Along the way, I came across a quote from Mark Twain: “Travel is fatal to prejudice.” That sentiment perfectly encapsulates the learning and growth I experienced throughout the journey. Before this trip, I had never visited more than half of the states we traveled through, and many of the preconceived notions I held about these places and their people quickly dissolved. Many of the preconceived notions and biases I’d had of people in those states completely melted away as we were welcomed by kind and generous hosts, curious servers in restaurants, and incredible motorcyclists on the side of the road. Meeting these people was the greatest gift I received on this trip – it truly made me realize that Americans have more in common than we do apart.
It’s an experience I’ll carry with me forever!

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Form authentic connections! The most meaningful opportunities in my life have come from connections that were rooted in genuine personal value. When I approached networking solely as a way to gain something, it rarely led to success. However, when I shifted my mindset and attended events with the goal of truly understanding and connecting with people—valuing who they were as individuals rather than just focusing on their roles or what they could offer—I not only found the experience more enjoyable and fulfilling, but I also saw more tangible outcomes, like internship and job offers!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stanfordspokes.squarespace.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/stanfordspokes
• Other: Email: [email protected]