.107 Shivang Patel
The moment I met Shivang felt like an asteroid collision of good, positive energy. We both were attending a TED conference in Whistler, Canada, and it honestly took just a few seconds for me to realize how special Shivang truly was. Incredibly bright and overflowing with potential, he quickly melded with the small but adventurous group we found ourselves in and I found myself smiling at the magic that had brought us all together. Shivang is just someone you need in your life, and once he’s in it, you can’t quite imagine life without him.
Over the course of that week, I was fortunate enough to spend most of my time with Shivang and become a witness to his innate compassion and true curiosity for people and ideas. I vividly remember watching other people meet him and kind of look at me like, is this guy real? He’s just so, so sweet and filled with kindness that he gives out everywhere he goes. On top of this, he’s ridiculously smart and is a blast to have any type of conversation with. He’s openhearted and allows himself to be vulnerable for the sake of experiencing everything that life has to offer. As I would later find out, he pairs his immense passion for cooking with his genuine skill (dare I say expertise?) at it. He’s always thinking up or literally creating something new and exciting, and it’s just a wonderful feeling for people like me to watch a friend be so enthused, joyful and fulfilled by something so beautiful. Shivang is truly just good company; there has never been a moment of spending time together that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy and leave thinking, “what a pleasure that was.”
What’s more exciting than all of this is that Shivang lives in NYC, too, and so seeing him is more common now than it was during those college / immediate post-college years. He’s on a short list of people I know I can call on for advice, a listening (and patient) ear, and of course, a good laugh.
Shivang, thank you so much for being exactly who you are, all of the time, and so wonderfully committing yourself to growing and learning each and every day. Thank you for your fabulous sense of humor, style(!), and for that insane moment last year of lending me those damn white chairs… Thank you for always being so loving, caring and compassionate; to me and everyone around you. Thank you for being an example of what it means to be a good human being and to do good work. I’m so grateful to have you in my life and always will be. Thank you, Shivang, for being you.
-BD