Beyond Tech: Merrill Keating

Merrill Keating

Writer, youth leader, philanthropist, world traveler, musician, athlete, artist, entrepreneur

University of Washington-Seattle ‘24

An idyllic island across from Seattle

“Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals.” –Unknown

Q: How has being a [Writer, youth leader, philanthropist, world traveler, musician, athlete, artist, entrepreneur] impacted your life in a positive way?

A:I see them as inseparable from who I am as a holistic being. The ability to express myself creatively while exploring and pursuing life passions is essential to what makes me tick. That I get to embrace my love of STEM while forging pathways and bringing others with me is a purposeful legacy rife with positive vibes.

Q: Does being who you are beyond tech impact your life in tech, or do you keep them separate?

A: There are instances where I try to separate them, and communing with nature is one example. Even then however, I might end up using my phone to count my steps or capture the experience. Tech is like electricity. It’s a challenge to think of anything we do in life without also identifying how technology plays some role.

Q: What are you most proud of as it relates to your life beyond tech?

A: I’m proud of being a lover of life and people, of being someone who experiences tremendous joy in uplifting and empowering others while challenging myself to experience as much as possible. I recognize there are many places in the world where people can’t, and that drives me to create a different world.

Q: Is there anything else that you would like to tell us about who you are beyond tech?

A: Currently, I am investing a big chunk of my time launching The Power of 100 Girls. It’s a way for girls to invest some of their Starbucks money towards empowering others so they can embark upon their passion projects. There are many great things happening with girls and women in STEM and even leadership and advocacy, but we have so much further to go, and the small steps matter as much as the bigger ones.

The Beyond Tech campaign aims to highlight the extraordinary members of RTC and all that they are outside of being a tech student! As part of our mission to empower our community, we would like to provide a platform to highlight all of the wonderful things that our members do outside of RTC. Get to know our first three students, Beyond Tech, below!

Are you a member of RTC who would like to be featured? Please fill out the form below to give us some more information about who you are, beyond tech, and let RTC highlight you!

Please submit your own, Beyond Tech story here: https://forms.gle/P3khnm1XagGVFUHZA