My Values

To make the world a better place, I embrace the following common values that guide my decision-making. I believe these common values are not fashion slogans to make some people stand on the moral high ground, but are timeless "compile-time guarantees" that will hopefully make our world a safer, more peaceful, and more sustainable place for all kinds of life to thrive.

• Communication: exchanging thoughts and ideas in an honest and open manner while respecting the right of others to do the same.
• Honesty: being truthful, genuine, and sincere in our words and actions.
• Individuality: valuing diversity and things that make people unique, including encouraging one another to pursue professional goals, explore personal interests, and spend time with friends.
• Maturity: staying calm and thinking clearly in difficult situations, being open-minded and accepting constructive criticism, taking responsibility, and accountability for individual actions.
• Respect: accepting someone for who they are and what they stand for, including their boundaries and differences.
• Thoughtfulness: being considerate of others and mindful of how our actions might affect them.

I guess I also understand that the opposites of these values are also an important part of our world. The dishonest only thrive among the honest, just as honesty often rise from the ashes of the dishonest. If given a choice, I will firmly choose the "light" side.

References

These values are inspired by lessons and training I’ve received from various sources, including:

• Sexual Misconduct Prevention Training program for graduate students at UIUC
• The Siebel School of Computing and Data Science's Values & Code of Conduct. Link (Last Accessed y2025m10d15)