For our April Member of the Month, we interviewed superstar member Alex Yang! Read on to learn more about him.
From Alex: Before anything else I just want to take a moment to wish everyone well in this current situation! And give thanks/appreciation to any health professionals, transit workers, businesses, and anyone else keeping our communities going.
Tell us about yourself! It can be about anything – where you grew up, your professional background, your hobbies, etc.
I’ve lived on the west coast for most of my life. I was born+raised in the Bay Area (Cupertino for those familiar w/ south bay), and went to university in San Diego to study Computer Science. Afterwards, I lived in Seattle before deciding I wanted to move to NYC 2 years ago. I still clearly remember stepping out of the airport with my one luggage containing all my belongings, and it’s been a blast so far.
I’ve always been into computers from a young age, so I’m fortunate to be in a career that I love. Currently, I work as a software engineer at Two Sigma (quantitative hedge fund) – I work on distributed systems there.
Outside of work I’m typically doing some form of physical activity/sport (climbing, weightlifting, and snowboarding), something music related (djing, attending concerts/festivals), or at home unwinding with books or video games (melee, tekken, or indie games like ‘Baba is You’). I’m also really into art/fashion and am slowly finding avenues to pursue that in more depth.
Why did you join TAP? What are your favorite events?
My first TAP event was a happy hour that a mutual friend brought me to. I had a great time and met some good friends. I started coming out more consistently when I discovered that TAP hosted climbing events as well (shoutouts to Harrison), and I started attending those semi-regularly. I would say those are definitely my favorite events because I’m low-key obsessed with bouldering, and you can typically catch me at those.
Tell us something cool that happened to you this past year.
In no particular order:
– sent a V8 climb for the first time
– went to an international art fair called Art Basel (its where the duct-taped banana sold for 100K)
– jet skiing in Costa Rica
– so, so many great concerts, the music scene here is incredible
– got promoted at work
– organized some large cabin events with friends – discovered I’m pretty into event planning
If we wanted to hang out, where would we find you?
Well considering there is an actual pandemic at the moment, at home.
But normally, you can find me at Brooklyn Boulders, at a bar/speakeasy, wandering around window-shopping in Soho (my office is there), or somewhere in Brooklyn at a concert/warehouse.
What’s your advice for newer members who want to get more involved?
Do not be afraid to put yourself out there. It can be intimidating to show up to an event where you don’t know 90% of the people (trust me I know), but recognize that several others feel the same way. Introduce yourself to anyone/everyone. Establish common ground, make meaningful conversation. Talk to board members and ask them how you can get more involved. Go to more events, become a familiar face! There are events like the happy hours where it’s really easy to meet people, but also smaller dinners, volunteer opportunities, etc. Or come climb with me (-: