I've always believed that to truly understand the value of crypto, you need to be involved and hands-on. This year, I took that belief to a new level.

Since I bought my first BTC and ETH about four years ago, the advice has always been the same: HOLD. So, two years ago, when I was trying to figure out how to finance a Master's Degree abroad, I initially thought of the traditional routes—student loans, scholarships, and maybe a part-time job. But due to the type of VISA I had, working part-time wasn’t an option.

I began applying for scholarships and a loan through a financial institution in my home country, which offered one of the lowest interest rates available. After navigating some of the most frustrating bureaucratic processes I've ever encountered, I managed to secure a 15% scholarship and a (small) loan to finance the upcoming year. But it wasn’t enough. I was still short of the money I needed to cover tuition and, of course, living expenses in a new city. I didn’t want to deplete my savings or cash out my crypto—not yet.

It's important to mention that my previous job involved founding Metagals, where all the funds raised from partners were reinvested directly into the community. Essentially, I had zero income during 2023.

As I continued my research, I stumbled upon Aave. For those unfamiliar, Aave is a decentralized liquidity protocol that allows you to borrow and lend crypto. This seemed like a much better option than just burning through all my savings. The idea of lending my crypto assets and earning interest without relying on a traditional bank was revolutionary. What do you mean I don't have to put up my parents' house as collateral to access this lending!?

With Aave, I had enough to survive my year abroad, albeit on a tight budget. Then, just when I arrived in Madrid, Optimism's Retro Funding Round was announced. Could it be possible to get rewarded and recognized for all the work Metagals had done through 2022 and 2023? It was. Of course, I didn't use all the money to fund my stay here; I needed to give back to my community first, split it with my co-founder, and then kept a small reward for myself for the work I had done over the past few years. This experience has been key for me in understanding the true power of Web3 and community incentives. Everything we do should be rewarded at some point, even using financial services shouldn’t feel like a punishment for users.

My journey with Aave and Optimism has taught me that there are alternative paths to achieving your goals, especially in the world of web3 where your efforts should matter and where we should be free to decide how to achieve our financial freedom. It’s about being proactive, staying informed, and doing your research on ways to make the most of the resources available.

For anyone considering a similar path, my advice is simple: dive in, stay curious, and remember that in the world of crypto, opportunities are enormous. If you need any help I'm always open to help <3.

I've always believed that to truly understand the value of crypto, you need to be involved and hands-on. This year, I took that belief to a new level.

Since I bought my first BTC and ETH about four years ago, the advice has always been the same: HOLD. So, two years ago, when I was trying to figure out how to finance a Master's Degree abroad, I initially thought of the traditional routes—student loans, scholarships, and maybe a part-time job. But due to the type of VISA I had, working part-time wasn’t an option.

I began applying for scholarships and a loan through a financial institution in my home country, which offered one of the lowest interest rates available. After navigating some of the most frustrating bureaucratic processes I've ever encountered, I managed to secure a 15% scholarship and a (small) loan to finance the upcoming year. But it wasn’t enough. I was still short of the money I needed to cover tuition and, of course, living expenses in a new city. I didn’t want to deplete my savings or cash out my crypto—not yet.

It's important to mention that my previous job involved founding Metagals, where all the funds raised from partners were reinvested directly into the community. Essentially, I had zero income during 2023.

As I continued my research, I stumbled upon Aave. For those unfamiliar, Aave is a decentralized liquidity protocol that allows you to borrow and lend crypto. This seemed like a much better option than just burning through all my savings. The idea of lending my crypto assets and earning interest without relying on a traditional bank was revolutionary. What do you mean I don't have to put up my parents' house as collateral to access this lending!?

With Aave, I had enough to survive my year abroad, albeit on a tight budget. Then, just when I arrived in Madrid, Optimism's Retro Funding Round was announced. Could it be possible to get rewarded and recognized for all the work Metagals had done through 2022 and 2023? It was. Of course, I didn't use all the money to fund my stay here; I needed to give back to my community first, split it with my co-founder, and then kept a small reward for myself for the work I had done over the past few years. This experience has been key for me in understanding the true power of Web3 and community incentives. Everything we do should be rewarded at some point, even using financial services shouldn’t feel like a punishment for users.

My journey with Aave and Optimism has taught me that there are alternative paths to achieving your goals, especially in the world of web3 where your efforts should matter and where we should be free to decide how to achieve our financial freedom. It’s about being proactive, staying informed, and doing your research on ways to make the most of the resources available.

For anyone considering a similar path, my advice is simple: dive in, stay curious, and remember that in the world of crypto, opportunities are enormous. If you need any help I'm always open to help <3.