We have so many stellar Options alumni, and in our new series, we wanted to shine a light on a few of our past clients who have gone on to do great things both near and far. This month, we chatted with Zach about what he’s been up to since he graduated and his advice for current post-secondary students.
What’s your name?
Zach Yamaoka
Where and what did you study?
2016 – 2019
Design Engineering
Imperial College London, UK
How did you choose this institution and program?
Design, innovation & enterprise – those were the words I saw when I first browsed the program’s webpage and they deeply resonated with me. All I have wanted to do, since I started wanting to do stuff, is create technology that would change the world. This seemed like the place I would learn how to do it.
Although the program was new, it had just started a year prior, Imperial College was fairly well ranked on the leaderboards and my older sister had also studied in the UK, so it seemed like a safe option.
Once I got all the decisions on my university applications back, this program was the clear winner. I actually ended up losing my conditional acceptance due to glossing over some fine print and not submitting a proof of English proficiency. Although English was my worst subject in school I would never have imagined proof of my literacy would be needed from a Canadian. After a carefully crafted email to the school’s dean, I was readmitted, thank god!
A drill for night workers. A school project in 2nd year. [2018]
What would you tell current post-secondary students about finding a path?
Follow your intuition. Speak to others who are older than you and listen. Do the best you can do. Enjoy the journey.
What are you doing now?
After graduation, I worked as an Innovation Design Engineer at Dyson. I then left to start my own company selling high performance face shields for Dentists. I am now working on creating a low-cost robot to remove organic waste from landfills – decomposing organic materials account for 20% of global methane emissions, a greenhouse gas 100x more damaging than carbon dioxide – so it’s a super important problem to solve!
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pictured next to the Ambience Face Shield at Western University Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry [2022]
The Ambience Face Shield was voted best product of the year 4 times. Picture is Zach at the famous Chicago Mid-Winter conference receiving one of the awards. [2022]
What at Options Solutions helped you the most?
One-on-one meetings with Melinda. Having those conversations starting in grade 9 was a game changer. Melinda suggested I do a program called Shad Valley, which my family and I had never heard of before. Shad was my first encounter with entrepreneurship and ended up being very important in my development!
Options solutions is not really about university, it’s more about life coaching. Thinking back on it, this makes sense as you need to develop in your life to understand what you want to do at university!
Sometimes when I am feeling lost, I wish I had a coach like Melinda for this stage of my life. Someone who could lay everything out and help me think clearly.
I plan to send my kids to options solutions.
A fun fact about you?
I used to work as a dishwasher.
Where can our readers find you?
The world needs less social media!
