# May 2025 newsletter Canonical URL: https://gabrieldalton.com/writing/newsletter/may-2025 Date sent: 2025-06-02T14:34:12.998Z Author: Gabriel Dalton Original Substack URL: https://gabrieldalton.substack.com/p/gabriel-daltons-may-newsletter-3 [All newsletter issues](https://gabrieldalton.com/writing/newsletter) 02 Jun 2025 3 Min Read Web Summit highlights, a Dragon's Pen feature, and a $7,000 government grant secured to make senior technology more accessible! ## **Hello everyone!** Can you believe that **41.72%** of the year is already done? Time is flying! ![A wall of Web Summit logos welcomes attendees to the conference.](https://gabrieldalton.com/img/newsletter/may-2025/5b19b8b049c01af9.webp) ## **What I’ve Been Up To 📈** - **Web Summit:**It was such a privilege to attend the inaugural event in Vancouver and connect with amazing startups and speakers from around the world. (More details on the [Web Summit website](https://vancouver.websummit.com/)). ![Audience members face the illuminated Web Summit Centre Stage during Brad Smith’s presentation.](https://gabrieldalton.com/img/newsletter/may-2025/e940f4b569a7a375.webp) *Sat in on Brad Smith, President and Vice Chair of Microsoft, delivering a powerful presentation on Centre Stage.* - **Global News:** I’m excited to share that I’m in discussions with the team at Global News’ *This is BC* show with Jay Durant about a possible feature on my work and story. Stay tuned! [Learn more](https://globalnews.ca/tag/this-is-bc-with-jay-durant/). - **Denman Place Mall**: I’m working on refreshing their website to better serve our local community. - **TKS**: We wrapped up our last official session on June 1st. [Pranav](https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonpranav/) shared valuable insights on handling fear and frameworks to help us grow. These are tools I’ll be carrying forward into the future. ## **Achievements & Highlights 🏆** - 5,940+ LinkedIn followers! - Secured a ~$7,000 government grant for the [West End Seniors’ Network (WESN)](https://wesn.ca/) to improve website accessibility. - Featured in *Dragon’s Pen*: [Read the article](https://www.thewestendjournal.ca/blog/2025/6/1/the-dragons-pen) - Connected with amazing people and innovative startups at Web Summit: ![Gabriel, Darien Yang and Yousef Soliman stand with British Columbia Finance Minister Brenda Bailey at Web Summit.](https://gabrieldalton.com/img/newsletter/may-2025/82c1390a1edbe3b6.webp) *My fellow soon-to-be TKS alumni, Darien Yang and Yousef Soliman, and I, with the Honourable Brenda Bailey, British Columbia’s Minister of Finance.* ## Quotes 💬 > "That's why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it." **- George Carlin** > “The only way to achieve unconventional success is to follow an unconventional path.” **- Navid Nathoo** > "AI isn't going to take your job. 'Someone using AI' isn't going to take your job. Because life is more complex than this." **- Tom Goodwin** ## **Shoutouts 👏** 1. Big thanks to the [Cursor](https://www.cursor.com/) team for giving students a free Pro Plan for a year! That is incredibly generous, and we are very grateful! 2. Huge appreciation to [Jennah](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennah-dohms/) and [Pranav](https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonpranav/) for advocating for maximum Web Summit tickets for TKS. 3. Grateful to Henry for writing and featuring me in the West End Journal. ## **What’s Next? 🚀** - Heading to Ireland, the UK, and Croatia for three weeks! - I’m working on an article that recaps my entire Web Summit experience — stay tuned for the next monthly update where I’ll share the link! - TKS Showcase, the final official presentation at TKS, where we’ll be celebrating the graduating students and awarding certificates. The event will feature conversations with parents and innovators, plus a keynote from John Westwood, the Director of Microsoft Garage in Vancouver. I might even be joining the entrepreneurship panel, so stay tuned! As always, I love connecting — whether you have questions, feedback, or just want to say hi, feel free to reach out. Your support truly means the world as I continue to learn, build, and grow. Best, **Gabriel Dalton** P.S. Check out my [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrieldalton/) or [Medium](https://gabrieldalton.medium.com/) for deeper dives. [Read this issue on Substack](https://gabrieldalton.substack.com/p/gabriel-daltons-may-newsletter-3) [Subscribe on Substack](https://gabrieldalton.substack.com/subscribe)