This Gen Zer was 15 when she built a VR aid to assist neurodiverse individuals. Here's how she is turning her passion project into a career

Welcome to Keeping the Balance, a newsletter for Gen Z. Subscribe to receive upcoming editions. This week, I spoke to Anika Mistry, a third-year student at Johns Hopkins University who entered college with her sights set on being a young founder. Here's how she's making that happen.

Anika Mistry had a clear vision for her career ever since she was an early teen. Born with an entrepreneurial spirit, Mistry desired to become her own boss by pursuing her passion project full time. That project was DevMind VR , a virtual reality aid that assists neurodiverse individuals.

The now 20 year old was first introduced to the virtual reality space in high school while working at a local California-based university in the assistive technology department. She observed how VR can help people with disabilities, which inspired Mistry to spearhead her own project. The idea for DevMind VR was born during her sophomore year of high school. Mistry's goal was to one day implement the technology in schools that lack funding like hers.?

"I noticed that my peers in special education programs really struggled to get one-on-one assistance. My aid is targeted for individuals like them, as well as families who may not be able to go to in-person therapy," Mistry says.?

To bring her idea to life, Mistry got involved with Girls With Impact , a business and leadership academy for younger women. She had already spent hours conducting user research and laying the groundwork for the aid, but Mistry was unsure how to get her product in the right hands. That's where Girls With Impact came in.?

"Once I was with Girls With Impact, I decided after the incubator [program] to continue with my venture and develop it," she says. "That's when I went to college and got involved with my college's entrepreneurship team and got funding from my university."?

While studying computer science and cognitive science at Johns Hopkins University, Mistry has continued to refine her product. She is at school on a three-fourths merit-based scholarship, which has allowed her to invest the money she saved for college into developing DevMind VR.?

Now in her third year at Johns Hopkins, Mistry plans to graduate early in May and begin the university's two-year MBA program. She hopes business school equips her with the necessary skills to build a team and achieve the goal she set years ago: to roll out DevMind VR across schools.

I spoke with Mistry to learn how a college education has benefited her entrepreneurial venture, why pursuing an MBA degree is the next step and more. Below are excerpts from our conversation (some quotes were lightly edited for length and clarity):

Because you knew before college that you wanted to pursue DevMind VR after, how did you select a school and decide which majors to pursue??

A lot of what my search entailed was [looking for] a school that would give me the resources to pursue multiple majors. Entrepreneurship requires a lot of skills. I wanted to have some sort of business education, some sort of cognitive science education and some sort of computer science education. In the early stages of a startup, you need to understand your customers and understand who you're trying to target, as well as develop the actual feature. It's going to be very important for me to understand the terms that are being used on the cognitive science side, as well as understand why the technology is doing what it's doing.

How has a college education benefited your career as a young founder?

One of the main benefits is having a strong network. I've had amazing mentors who are really knowledgeable in the field. I've had wonderful talks with PhD students who are studying individuals with autism. Also, I'm getting technical skills that I can't learn myself. There are certain things that are so much easier if you sit in a classroom, which is why I want to go back and basically refine my entire product. Yes, I had something that was working, but I was also 15 and had no computer science knowledge. Also, [college] teaches you how to communicate with people from all walks of life. I grew up in a predominantly white community. Being in college has helped me learn how to speak to anyone.

Why have you decided to pursue an MBA degree right after college, rather than gaining experience in the workforce first?

One of the reasons why I want to do my MBA now is because it would be a quicker process. I am able to get both degrees in five years. If I waited, I would have to complete my four years at Johns Hopkins and then do an additional two years. At this point in my life, I know what I want to do and I know that I'm ready to do it. If I spent that additional year in school, I would feel like I was losing time. Now, I have an additional year to make mistakes, try new things and experiment. The time was a huge driving factor for me. And going back to the industry itself, since my aid falls under telehealth and healthcare, Johns Hopkins' MBA program really fit me because they have a pathway that focuses on health innovation technology.

What's your advice to your peers on discovering their passion?

Try something. If you just put yourself in positions where you can try new parts of an industry that you know you're interested in, you'll be bound to find something that really sticks with you. Don't limit yourself and don't stick to the status quo. As a computer science major, something I definitely struggled with is having the stereotypical path because a lot of my classmates want to be software engineers and have dreams of working at Google or Facebook. They know that they'll make six figures once they graduate. It's hard to sometimes be like, 'Should I do that or should I stick to what I really love?' So, be true with yourself and do what you want to do and not what you think you should do. That's what entrepreneurship is. It's being different. It's taking risks and it's putting yourself out there.

?? The 411: What Gen Z is talking about

On Monday, President Joe Biden issued an executive order on AI — and AI ethicist Neha Shukla wants to debrief. She shares on LinkedIn five key takeaways from the executive order and why they're important. They include: new standards for AI safety and security, protecting America's privacy, advancing equity and civil rights, supporting workers and promoting innovation and competition.

See what these five sections imply for the future of AI in Shukla's post below ??

?? College corner: Tips for career starters

People say money talks, but it's equally important to talk about money. That means regularly checking in to see how your current pay compares to the market rate for your position. What do you do if it's lower than average? You may want to request a raise. Doing your research is the first step to asking for a pay bump at work. Career coach Rachel Wells also recommends leveraging data, showcasing your strengths and displaying a learner's mindset.

Click the image below to read how to successfully take each step ??

Before you go…

? Check out last week's edition of my newsletter: How to build career confidence as a Gen Zer. You can read it here , in case you missed it.

?? Know someone who would enjoy my newsletter? Share this link with them to subscribe. And, connect with me on LinkedIn to let me know what topic you'd like me to explore next. If you're Gen Z and want to share your story, send me a message. I'd love to hear from you.

?? See you back here next week!