Albert Lin came to UC San Diego to study engineering. But it was here where he began his quest to find answers to burning questions leading him to adventures that have taken him around the world.
From the deserts in Sudan to the pyramids in Mexico, Explorer Albert Lin has always had a passion to dig deeper looking to find ways to tell stories showcasing various cultures, while testing new theories, looking for new information.
ABC 10News, sat down with Lin as he walked us through his passion in finding answers.
He says, “It's about finding the story of why that matters. And bring that out into the world. Making thing that resonates to how we see the world today.”
Lin came to San Diego from the Bay area. When he wasn’t in class, he found ways to travel.
Lin says, “anytime I could save up my money I'd grab a backpack and a plane ticket. And I would end up zooming out somewhere around the globe.”
After graduating, Lin decided he was going to explore.
He says, “ I sold everything I had and I gave myself one year to raise the funds for my first expedition in Mongolia to search for the tomb of Gengis Kahn.”
With a lot of determination and a little bit of luck, Lin would get connected with National Geographic, getting the opportunity to make his dream a reality.
Lin says, " I feel like every time you choose to believe in an audacious dream even if it doesn't happen the face that you chose to try makes the next time that much easier to try again.'
But his view of life would be tested a few years later, when he was injured in an accident. His leg needed to be amputated. He laid in the hospital wondering would he ever explore again.
Lin says, “Everything is in the mind right .. what comes at you can't choose but you get to choose our perspective.”
And he chose to rely on the outpour of support from the community, finding different ways to continue doing what he loved and what he’s passionate about.
And now when he’s not exploring or documenting his travels, he tours the country sharing his experience and knowledge with others on the stage or through his podcasts.
He adds, “My biggest privilege is to travel across the planet and through time ... and every time I look at a new chapter of a version of humanity I see that essence inside of me no matter where I came from
