A meeting of the minds

When Udemy instructor Angela Yu travels to different cities, she has a habit of scheduling meetups with local learners who’ve taken her courses. The polymath and former surgeon has a restless need to inspire and connect. She’s also accustomed to receiving links to apps her learners have made, along with effusive praise. We can’t be sure just how many apps Angela’s courses have begun, but it’s safe to say her courses — which are full of wit and personality — have launched many beginner app developers down a course of discovery.

Last year Angela found herself in Toronto where she met with app developer Alvin Lim, who took her iOS development bootcamp course and co-created Dimensional (with his partner Saeid Fard). Dimensional is a mobile app designed to better lives and relationships through personality science. Since its launch, it has achieved top placement on Singapore’s Apple App Store. And Alvin now has a whole team working on Dimensional.

Learning is not a one-way street. Instructors inspire learners, and learners inspire instructors. The connections they make are nothing short of incredible. In the case of Alvin and Angela, their particular connection may partly come from the way both their lives changed course in similar ways. Angela left surgery because she wasn’t spending enough time with patients. Alvin too had started down the road of healthcare, initially pursuing a PhD in clinical health psychology before he changed paths. Now both have found their ways in the world of iOS development.

And they’re both helping people connect to new futures, themselves, and one another.