How Bitcoin Changed My Life & The first time I discovered Bitcoin

In 2016, I was deep into my doctorate program, drowning in research papers and ramen noodles, when a colleague leaned over after class and whispered, “Have you heard of Bitcoin?”

At the time, it sounded like science fiction—a fringe currency no one on campus really understood, let alone trusted. But curiosity got the better of me. I scraped together $800, nearly emptying my savings as a broke student, and bought a single Bitcoin.

That single step sent me tumbling down the rabbit hole. I read whitepapers instead of textbooks, watched markets instead of movies, and before long, I was maxing out my credit cards to accumulate more. It was reckless, maybe even foolish, but something told me this was bigger than anyone around me realized.

Once I was hooked, I found ways to keep stacking no matter what. I ran garage sales, picked up tutoring gigs, and scraped together nearly every dollar from my part-time job—stretching my living expenses to the bare minimum, living like a broke college student for years—just so I could buy more Bitcoin. Month after month, I added to my stash, convinced I was building something for my future while most people laughed it off.

By the time I turned 26, that gamble had transformed into a dream: I sold part of my Bitcoin holdings and purchased my first house—something I never imagined possible at that age.

What began as a whispered tip in a classroom became the foundation of my financial freedom. Bitcoin didn’t just change my portfolio; it rewrote the story of my life.