This inspiring speech encourages young minds to embrace curiosity, resilience, and purpose as they navigate their personal and professional journeys in science and innovation. Drawing from the speaker’s own unconventional path from dentistry to biotech, it delivers ten powerful lessons—from embracing failure as data and thinking beyond the lab, to prioritizing ethics, equity, and ommunication. The core message is clear: you don’t need to be a genius or wear a lab coat to change the world—you just need the courage to ask the right questions and the drive to serve others. With humility and hope, the speaker reminds us that the future of healthcare and innovation lies not just in technology, but in the hands of those who lead with purpose and compassion. Dr. Rasha Msallam is a pluri-disciplinary scientist, entrepreneur, and science communicator whose career spans dentistry, biomedical research, and biotech consulting worldwide. She began her journey as a dentist, establishing her own clinic in Syria before pursuing a PhD in Immunology at Paris Descartes (Sorbonne-Cité). Her academic path led her to A*STAR Singapore, where she worked on pioneering projects that explored the origins of the immune system in human and lab models, mechanisms of allergic diseases in newborns, and precision medicine strategies for cancer patients. Beyond her scientific contributions, Dr. Msallam has played influential roles in fostering gender equity in STEM. As an active member of Singapore Women in Science (SgWIS), she organized impactful initiatives to support women researchers and co-led key discussions at the Gender Summit 2018, amplifying the voices of women in biomedical research. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx