We caught up with the brilliant and insightful William Simpson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
William, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from seeing the extraordinary potential my generation has and the unique perspective and tools we bring to address the challenges of the world.
I spoke to a man at a restaurant a couple of days ago who told me, “Teenagers are lazy these days. They sit on their phones, and are extremely lazy and spoiled.”
This angered me. It is true that our generation faces unique struggles and pressures, including social media and rising mental health problems. However, I believe these circumstances have also made us acutely aware of the issues affecting our society. We see the injustices, environmental crises, and social inequalities, and refuse to be passive bystanders. We don’t live in our own physical spaces as did generations before us, we live in the whole world, in all locations at once. Social media puts the whole world into our awareness. All of its beauty and challenges are with us. As a result, we are eager to take action and make a positive impact.
We have grown up in a rapidly changing world, with unprecedented access to technology and information and, instead of succumbing to despair, I see young people leveraging these tools to find innovative solutions and disrupt traditional ways. We have the capacity to think outside the box, collaborate across boundaries, and challenge the status quo.
The non-profit I founded, Resolve LA, was born out of this desire to give back and empower students across Los Angeles to become active agents of social change. We provide students with the resources, guidance, and platforms to address the issues that matter most to them. Through social media blogs, educational infographics, and events like our recent fashion show, we are working to make tangible differences in our communities. Youth are not lazy–we are challenged by some adverse effects on our planet/communities (including global warming, overpopulation, and drought) and some positive ones (including innovation, awareness, and forward-thinking). I have met and collaborated with some amazing young people that make me optimistic that we can turn our world problems around.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a soon-to-be freshman at UC San Diego majoring in Economics. A couple of years ago, I founded Resolve Los Angeles, a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to make a positive impact on issues like homelessness, social injustice, and environmental concerns in Los Angeles, while empowering young people to make a difference. This is done through the sale of clothing collections designed by young adults.
When I started Resolve Los Angeles, I didn’t have a grand plan. I was simply interested in learning to code, so I took a shot and built our website. Then it hit me—Why not turn it into a clothing brand? One of my friends suggested the name “resolve” and I immediately asked myself, “What does resolve really mean?” It means to make something better or fix a problem. I also thought about where I live—good old Los Angeles. So, I pondered, “How can I help improve the city?” That’s when I knew our brand should confront these issues head-on.
Since then, Resolve LA has grown. We’ve donated thousands of dollars to causes and empowered numerous young adults to become agents of change. It’s been an incredible journey, and we’re just getting started. We have internships open now. Check us out at www.resolvelosangeles.org.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first quality that impacted me is drive. From an early age, I was obsessed with business. I got involved with day trading stocks and writing investor reports with my uncle, and watched tons of YouTube videos about emerging companies. I was driven to succeed and my interests impacted me so much that I wanted to focus on them full time so I switched to an online high school that would give me the flexibility to do this. I started to grow my nonprofit and it kind of snowballed into me feeling like I had outgrown high school so I began taking college courses where I made friends that I had more synergy with. I got involved with the company that was printing Resolve LA clothing and became their full-time manager, running fashion shows and managing their promotion work. I was able to learn a tremendous amount by doing this.
Sacrifice comes to mind because I have spent 100% of my time for the past three years focusing on business. I sacrificed hobbies. Before tenth grade, I played video games almost all the time and then I stopped that completely. I didn’t date or do what most teenagers I knew did. Instead, I went to conferences like the Berkshire Hathaway one, did high school and college courses, worked full-time, and spent all the rest of my time on Resolve LA. While I did sacrifice many teen-age milestones, my life has been so fulfilling that I don’t regret any of it.
Third, generosity has been a focus of my life. I have always believed that what goes around comes around and that we all have different talents and ways to help. Whenever I feel myself becoming annoyed, I remember that others have a lot to give and I try to get whatever good I can from every exchange. I think, “Maybe there is another way to look at this question or situation.”
My advice to people starting out on their journey is to be willing to be all in and start immediately. Pinpoint exactly the end you envision and write out the steps to get there, then begin! We are not too young, we are the right age and this is the right time. As the famous German philosopher Goethe wrote,” Whatever you do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
My mother has been most helpful because she believed in me and followed a specific parenting style with the premise that parents should not project their limiting beliefs on their children, so she followed my lead. When I wanted to leave high school as a junior and go directly to college, she signed me up for the high school equivalency exam and tutored me. I passed it but ultimately decided to stay in online high school instead (so I could go to a four-year college later), and just take a few college courses in person. I took micro and macroeconomics and loved talking to fellow students and professors.
I had a non-stop schedule and my mom made sure I always had the support I needed to do my best. My school did not have a college counselor so she helped me figure out what had to be done to get my applications in. The summer before my senior year, my step-father died so it was a very sad time for me, but she helped me keep all of the balls in the air even when she was grieving tremendously. She treated me like an adult but gave me a safety net.
For Resolve LA, The Shop, a fashion consulting company in DTLA has been extremely influential. Their support and equipment allowed us to be hands-on in the production of our clothing and merchandise. They allowed us to meet so many business owners and creatives. Working with brands like SINSVS, Team XII, Vive Le Fue, and creative colleagues such as Martina Monti, Fendi, and dozens of others taught me so much about an industry of which I knew so little.
Contact Info:
- Website: resolvelosangeles.org
- Instagram: resolvelosangeles
- Facebook: resolvelosangeles1
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/william-simpson-697385234/
- Youtube: resolvela
Image Credits
Tiel Bowers, Clarissa Rosen, Sam Steiner, Zenon Samuels
