Meet Sabrina Lee Welch

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sabrina Lee Welch. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Sabrina, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

When I was younger, my mother and I would play games to improve my Cantonese, with miscellaneous phrases of 刷牙, (teeth brushing), 我想返屋企 (going home), and 樹 (tree) floating around the room as I begged her to teach me the secrets of a dialect I could use with my sister to illicit a fun privacy for conversations we could have as a sibling duo. But above all, past the fun phrases, and random sayings, the most prized phrase my mother told me to treasure was “多謝你照顧我”; thank you for taking care of me. In Chinese culture, familial care and the family unit is a vital factor to consider towards the thought processes which drive your everyday decisions. She taught me that this phrase was an expression of sincere gratitude for the care you have received by others who have gifted love to you. During the beginning of my life, I used this phrase much in vain when trying to get my mother to buy my sister and I ice-cream, making sure to express my gratitude during very convenient timing to enact my ice-cream receiving plans. Later in life, I found it to be a great quick relayer of my thankfulness for someone, equipping a quick and convenient “多謝你照顧我” into the ends of my conversations with my family, or those I loved to offer a quick dosage of my gratefulness. However, now, I have found it to be a phrase which is a summarizer of how much someone means to me, as within the last few years, I have been faced with situations which called for the need for a short way to say everything. Last year, most notably, my father died. As I picked up his hand from his casket and wove our hands together, I felt the coldness of each individual intersection of touch between our interlocked fingers, the undeniable mark of death that replaced the warmth of the hands I have held throughout my whole life. The only phrase which seemed substantial enough to scratch the surface of gratefulness for the 15 years of fatherhood I had experienced from him was a thanking for his care. So, the day of my father’s wake, I left “多謝你照顧我” as my final words to him as I let my hands leave his for the final time of my life, hoping to sum up the endless gratitude and love for him in a single line as my forever goodbye. The day I left my grandfather when departing the hospice room after visiting him to send coffee and our love, I whispered “多謝你照顧我” for the time he had spent watching me through my childhood, slipping me endless cookies, and teaching me the abacus. With my wavered pronunciations of Cantonese words, I didn’t say much in fear I’d say sentences wrong while time was running out to say anything at all, but this I knew he’d understand. As an appreciation to my grandmother for her advice of allowing myself to follow my heart over and over, to my mother for her commitment to supporting her daughter’s success, to my sister for forever being my shoulder to lean on, I thank them all with the same line. In Cantonese, this phrase of appreciation for the care you have received is a resolute thankfulness, a phrase my mother has taught me is said in your greatest gratitude. I have learned that the highest form of mission that you can embark on to impact others’ life is taking good care of them. Consequently, I have found my calling and importance in caring for others to my best ability. People, I have learned, will come and go within your life, whether through the ultimate ending of death, or through other forms of departure, but while you have the opportunity, care is the greatest gift you can provide them with. Through experiencing life to a fuller extent and through gaining a greater understanding of the fulfillment meaningful relationships can introduce you to, I was able to realize how much my purpose lies in uplifting good experiences and connection with, and for others. I used to think my purpose lied solely in talents and work I could offer to the world, and my purpose would be something difficult I would have to work my whole life to acquire and figure out how to give, but I have found my purpose lies in something much simpler, and within those around me. It is something I have, and everyone has; effort to care. Through this, I have learned that a declaration of your commitment to taking care of someone is the most treasurable citation of a purpose. As a return to the care I have received from my loved ones and my community around me, I promise to do my best to represent, “我會照顧你”; “I will take care of you”.

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?

As a child entranced by medicine, I recall sitting through Eventbrite’s public medical lectures, which my mother took me too after I begged her to email the organizers, and heading to the medical section of the library to read books sharing the beauty of medicine through words I (truthfully) couldn’t understand. With my routine of attending seminars and attempting to understand lengthy medical books full of knowledge within the difficult words on each page, there was a notable fact- I was often alone. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity I was given by being permitted to attend these lectures, and for the librarians who encouraged my medical reading, however, I must admit it was intimidating to venture into STEM without fellow youth to bounce off of around. Above all, it was discouraging. While each lecture and book was greatly informative, these resources did not foster what I craved as a kid: community. Having a community truly encourages engagement. Feeling alone in exploring medicine as a kid, I wished to find other children interested in STEM. When I was a bit older, my mother began to take me to events which were suited for my age as STEM opportunities opened for older students. When I found this community, it felt magical. It was motivating to talk with other youth determined to engage in science. However, I noticed something was missing too in these events. In-depth content. In each experience, learning science from a youth perspective felt incomplete. By recognizing this, as a high-schooler, I have dedicated myself to uplifting educational STEM resources for my student community that make it so future children aiming to immerse themselves in science can have the best of both worlds. In 2022, I created my own neuroscience magic show, Mind Tricks: The Magic of Neuroscience, which tackles advanced concepts of neuroscience such as myelination, lobe functions & the brain stem, craniotomy, and more, and explains them through the lens of entertaining card magic, allowing all ages to learn advanced neurology in a way that is understandable for everyone regardless of their background or age.

Mind Tricks is a comedic magic show which utilizes the way card tricks work as physical representations of neurology topics. Integrating hands-on activities and stimuluses into learning helps students have better long-term learning of topics through fostering enriched environments, encouraging the myelination needed for retention. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is activated when exposed to magic, acting as cognitive stimuli, allowing the fun of magic coupled with neuroscience to not only create a memorably fun experience, but allow kids to want to remember the learning apart of the program. I strive to open up the world of neuroscience to youth to provide them a platform to stay curious and develop their passions in science by being supported by a resource of education tailored to their learning. I have grown Mind Tricks into an international organization.

I believe the most special part of Mind Tricks truly lies in its unique approach to teaching, combining the upbeat nature of magic shows with neuroscience to make education something people can get excited about. Its twist of entertainment and education spearheads innovation in the classroom, opening up something new, unique, and ever exciting. This element gives it a charm that is forever meaningful. I believe the reach Mind Tricks has been able to garner is the most exciting part to me personally, as I am so endeared, and honored to be able to have the contents of my magic show take place all over the world. With each update from my chapter leaders, I seriously stop and think “wow this is absolutely crazy and so incredible to see that something I started alone has reached so many amazing students, and has happened in places in the world I haven’t even been to before!”. It is an absolute dream come true to be able to reach the hearts of young, motivated minds all over the globe, and I aspire to continue paving the way for youth to have a welcoming community to come home to in science.

I currently have chapters in Hong Kong, Minnesota, Ohio, India, China, California, Michigan, Canada, Washington, and Massachusetts, and more! Our Hong Kong chapter recently received a grant of 9.3k HK dollars, and have performed two shows along with participating in a fair, with our Michigan and California branches having their first show scheduled to take place soon (we are also always accepting chapter applications, if anyone is interested in applying)! We have been invited to perform at MIT Cambridge Science Festival in 2023 and 2024, and sold out in both years, amassing a waiting list of 60 people in 2023, and having the hosting space exceed max capacity, requiring for the room to be adjusted to fit the 200+ people audience in 2024. We were also part of the CSF Carnival. I lead and oversee the 60+ members now apart of Mind Tricks, each having special jobs aiding in collaboration, outreach, and leadership. We have presented directly to over 900+ people, and have reached over 150k+ exposures on instagram, growing our following to 1.7k+.We have also collaborated with many youth organizations around the globe, partaking in a forum for STEM students as the neuroscience pillar of the community, seminars of how to get started in research, and more. Mind Tricks has additionally collaborated with multiple schools, holding a show at Boston International School, and Estabrook Elementary school. I also street perform the show at Harvard Square! I hope to move towards matching with patients currently being treated for neurological disorders to pay for sums of the treatment. That step would truly be a dream for me, and I aim to make this happen by 2025-2026. This organization has been my to-date greatest leadership endeavor, an achievement quite personal to my story, as I have found deep purpose in growing from a kid who used to attend every STEM event I could find online on Eventbrite, or in libraries, to having the ability to offer a worldwide program I know I would have loved as a child craving an advanced and fun introduction into science’s wonders. Through my current and future endeavors, I aim to inspire youth to take on uplifting science with passion, excitement, and most importantly, a genuine interest.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three qualities I believe were most impactful in my journey to have garnered are motivation, curiosity, and patience. Motivation is an ever-essential trait to get far in any endeavor, as it is the key to having the drive to get past all obstacles you may face. Motivation and a restless hunger to take action to make the impact you want is something nothing can take away from you no matter the challenges that will inevitably face you when you are trying to make a difference. The stubbornness of your own motivation will take you far by acting as a landmark of permanence for your goals, and ambitions. Curiosity is another factor which is absolutely essential. I found this trait to guide me to be forever intrigued and excited to engage in every endeavor I find myself embarking on, making my pursuits fun and rewarding to me throughout the full time. Lastly, patience is another trait I believe to be of utmost importance to have success in your endeavors. Patience is my favorite trait to find in others, and I try my best to have it as well. Patience is a gentle strength to have in order to have the will to wait for something you know will be meaningful, and often, when you are hoping to make an impact, the journey is long, strenuous, and involves a lot of waiting. Being able to have the will to patiently wait for your aspirations to come to fruition is a very powerful characteristic.

My advice for people who are early on in their journey is to stay motivated. When my dad would drop me off at school, he would relay this line to me, and now I hope to inspire others by passing his messages on. Truly, this message is essentially what you need to find the passion to keep going. Throughout any process, rejection, endings, and challenges will try to negate your drive, and your love for what you are doing. If you can try to love life, with all of its idiosyncrasies and even in its unfairness, you will find much more happiness and contentment to come your way. When I am faced with challenges, or things which I wished to go the opposite way it did, I like to think that everything happened for a reason, and that perhaps an exiting of one thing in my life will lead to the entrance of something I will come to love, or at very least make peace with. When things happen for reasons I feel have no positive explanation, I try to allow myself to understand and acknowledge the future which I can look forward to, even if it projects to look different than what I wished for initially. The future can always be enjoyable in some way, as long as you have the passion and drive to make it that way. When my father died last year in a motorcycle accident when I was 15, I found it hard, and honestly, still find it to be difficult to find any positivity in the fact that my father is gone. When my father was alive he would take me on his motorcycle and when he would, I would always think that those moments would be my happiest recollections of my childhood. I never thought such a stain would be placed on something so happy. However, even in his death, I have found that there is a lesson to be learnt. Death is a stubborn limitation, and has no exceptions to bend upon; it is essentially resolute. However, life is the opposite of death, and every limitation that life places on you, you have the opportunity to overcome in some way. If you get rejected from a job, you can reapply, if you failed a test, there is a next test to study for, if your relationship ends, you always have the opportunity to try your best to fix it somehow, or you can move on. All challenges which life will put on you before death has the opportunity to be reversed or changed to find improvement in some way. That is a motivating message to me, which I know my father would have wanted me to take on. I hope to relay this message as well to others for them to enjoy without needing to experience the loss that contextualizes this understanding. I also implore you to have the patience to wait for the best opportunities that come your way, and not to rush into the first offer which comes your way if it does not succeed your expectations and wants. You will be faced with many decisions in life, and especially if you are hoping to create a platform, and the first option isn’t always the best, so if you can find the patience to wait for an opportunity which is everything you want, you will find your greatest happiness in choosing that whether it finds you in 1 day, or 1 year.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

From beginning Mind Tricks as an attempt to get my idea to merge magic and neuroscience together into action, I initially independently performed shows with my sister and mother accompanying me to document the process and take photos. Since my 2023 launch, I have expanded Mind Tricks to 12+ chapters across the globe, with my neuroscience magic shows taking place in Hong Kong in two languages, China, Canada, India, Washington, California, Minnesota, Michigan, and more! We have grown to have over 60+ members, and have been able to share the magic of Mind Tricks with youth all around the world, a pursuit I am ever ecstatic about in regards to being able to connect with so many talented, motivated, and absolutely passionate youth to bring them into the Mind Tricks community! Having a team is a blessing I am forever grateful for in being able to find passionate students hoping to uplift the welcoming nature of the STEM community along with me! For this section, I wanted to give the spotlight to my team of motivated fellow students to showcase their goals, and experience with pursuing neuroscience, STEM, and encouraging community through Mind Tricks! All who have admirable passion, kindness, and enthusiasm are absolutely welcome to join the team, and I believe the best way to showcase what I look for when looking for collaborators is through showing insights into the role models I have had the pleasure to come into contact with.

Avril Lim, our absolutely all-around incredible Hong Kong Chapter founder and leader states “to be completely honest, the reason I launched the Hong Kong chapter of Mind Tricks was my fascination with the innovative concept of a neuroscience magic show—teaching kids about neuroscience through magic tricks. Who would have thought? It struck me as one of the most creative approaches I had ever encountered, and I was eager to experience it firsthand. However, after nearly seven months with Mind Tricks, my perspective has shifted. Through our performances in both English and Cantonese and our participation in local fairs, I have witnessed something truly special: seeing children leave our shows and booths with bright smiles, their minds ignited with curiosity and a desire to learn more, embodies the true ‘magic’ of neuroscience.”

Tanisha Bansal, one of our upbeat, fun, and sweet content creators says, “the reason I initially joined MindTricks was truly because of the massive appeal that such a successful neuroscience related passion project had. As a STEM girl, I was drawn to the concept and the dedication Sabrina put into every show. What drives me to continue promoting this community is the fact that I am part of something so much bigger than myself. Being part of the mind tricks family is so inspiring yet so humbling at the same time because every single person is so driven and dedicated towards this mission. I am truly honored to be contributing to the unique and impactful community working to educate younger brains through magic.”

Jasjot Padam, our outstanding, passionate, and motivated youngest member of the team explains, “My journey with The Mind Tricks of Neuroscience began with my passion for understanding the brain and its connection to mental health, combined with my creativity and photography skills, an area I have been interested in since 8 years ago. As someone who hopes to pursue a career in psychology or neuroscience, I’m inspired by how much there is to discover and how those discoveries can change lives. What drives me to uplift the Mind Tricks community is the opportunity to connect with others who share this curiosity and to help advocate for people who don’t have the means to learn about neuroscience and psychology. Everyone deserves access to knowledge that could empower them or inspire their future, and I want to be part of breaking down those barriers. As Lead Photographer and Co-Fundraising Director, I love combining creativity and purpose, and knowing that my work could spark curiosity, open doors, or change perspectives is what keeps me excited every day.”

Amy He, our clever and sweet accounting director and newsletter writer reports “I originally got into Mind Tricks because I was intrigued by the concept; combining magic tricks and neuroscience was a very surprising idea to me, and I felt like I needed to research the organization further. After following the progress of the organization for a couple months, I applied for a position and am now the accounting manager and newsletter writer. Over the months I’ve spent with Mind Tricks, I’ve seen so much positive growth in the scope of our impact, and Mind Tricks has stayed fun and collaborative. Being part of Mind Tricks has been such a great experience, and I hope that the organization expands more in the future!”

Hannah Lambert, a talented and kind STEM enthusiast, and our wonderful event coordinator and YES ambassador explains, “I joined Mind Tricks because of my love for biology and because I wanted to support my best friend’s passion for neuroscience! Uplifting neglected science topics and more specifically diseases are of utmost importance to me. Personally I am working on a research project on endometriosis, which is a women’s health disease! I have high hopes for the future of Mind Tricks and I look forward to uplifting the organization with the rest of the team!”

Kylie Porter, an optimistic and kind social media manager states, “being a part of mind tricks has been such a great experience for me! Being able to spread education about neuroscience is such a rewarding feeling! The Mind Tricks community is also extremely inclusive and uplifting, and is a great example of a positive work environment.”

Anushri Mishra, our very driven and organized photographer, hiring director, and YES ambassador explains, “I mainly wanted to join Mind Tricks because I thought the connection between magic and neuroscience, despite making perfect sense in my mind, was never explored before. It was an opportunity to learn about the brain in innovative ways outside of the traditional college lecture or the decade old textbook. My passion for uplifting the community is driven by this same reason— I want to explore different ways we can teach younger generations topics commonly misunderstood as ‘too complex.’ I believe any topic can be explained and explored in an effectively engaging way, if only you just believe in it.”

I am so grateful for all of the absolutely amazing people who are apart of the Mind Tricks team, and am so happy to be able to share their stories, inspiring drive, and contributions in their first person testimonials as an important part of my journey of creating Mind Tricks, an organization with the purpose of empowering youth in STEM.

If you would like to join Mind Tricks, I would love to have you as a part of the team! If you live outside of Massachusetts, feel free to found your own chapter with this form: https://forms.gle/pogYJapSbiN6jmB89, and if you are in Massachusetts, or would like a leadership role outside of being a chapter leader, feel free to fill https://forms.gle/CmqSqUycEGvC4nBu5 !!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mindtricksneuro.wixsite.com/mindtricksneuro
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mind.tricks_official/
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@SabrinaWelch88

Image Credits

Jasjot Padam
Selina Wu
Anushri Mishra
MIT CSF staff photographers