Bringing everyone in the world access to quality education.
Matthew Yao
Welcome to my website.
MATTHEW'S STORY
Matthew went from a delinquent teenager from getting arrested and kicked out of school, to running his own business & being mentored by billionaires & CEOs while now inspiring thousands of people around the world.
THE MISSION
At the University of Greatness, Matthew is building the world’s first online learning platform dedicated to real world practical education focussed on mentorship & entrepreneurial skills.
17 April 1999
Auckland, New Zealand.
Born to Chinese immigrant parents.

That's me in the blue jumpsuit and with my older brother.
2001
As a boy, I always had a wild imagination and was very curious. I wanted to become an inventor and a big businessman! 
2006
I had an amazing childhood growing up in Auckland, New Zealand.
2007
Like any little boy, I wanted to be a fighter and a warrior. I loved Star Wars and I wanted to be the HERO of my own story!
2009
Singapore! It was exciting and fun to get a taste of the world outside of Auckland. 
2011
I studied hard and got into one of the best schools in Singapore. I was proud of myself and this was the first time I understood that hard work lead to success. It felt amazing!
2014
Nearing my mid teens, the pressures of moving around a lot and being a round peg in a square hole lead me down a tumultuous path. 

I started smoking cigarettes, weed, drinking, partying and other dangerous and illegal things.
2014
I found solace in this unhealthy lifestyle. It made me “cooler” than everyone else. I was part of the “in” crowd. I had respect. I had status. But I didn't know that I was headed fast on a one-way path to destructiveness. 

I was not proud of the person I had become.
Rock Bottom
Then one night, as I was out and about my antics, I was arrested. The police had caught up to me, they tied me up in handcuffs, and I spent the night on the floor of a cold, hard jail cell. Very soon after, I was kicked out of school. I was 15 years old.

2014
The next week, I'm on a plane to Perth, Australia. Another year, another country. I still didn't know what I was doing in my life.
March 2015
I woke up one day and I decided I had enough of the old life and I broke all my cigarettes in half. 

The old Matthew was dead. 
August 2015
I needed something to replace the bad habits with and something to take the place of the old life that I had decided to leave behind. 

So I got into bodybuilding and starting exercising at the gym. After a few months of working out almost everyday, I had another taste of success that I hadn't tasted since 2012. I felt good. I looked good. It was amazing.
December 2015
I used the positive momentum I was getting from working out at the gym to start planning my life seriously. I wrote myself a letter that I would open when I turned 18, on 17 April 2017.
August 2016
Life was getting better. I was in my last year of high school, and was working hard on myself. 

I meet my first mentor. This was the start of something amazing. 
November 2016
I graduate high school!
November 2016
This is one for the history books! I take a selfie picture with my principal on stage at my graduation ceremony. Everyone was talking about it for weeks!
November 2016
I finish high school and go travelling around Asia. I go to Bali, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore.
March 2017
I move back to Singapore by myself and start working as an intern for an award-winning social enterprise start up company called Wateroam. I learn what it takes to be an entrepreneur and help the company raise $25,000 in seed funding.
  17 April 2017
I turn 18 years old and I'm finally an adult! I open the letter I wrote to myself from two years ago. I had accomplished all my goals. 

I start giving talks and presentations. Here I am talking to a bunch of graduate students (they don't know I'm 18!)
2017
At Wateroam, we worked on some really important stuff, we were creating a water filter to bring clean water to the poor. 700 million people around the world don't have clean water!

The team was recognized by the United Nations as the first Young Leader's for the Sustainable Development Goals in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
2017
Our filter works! Gotta put it on my Instagram story ;)
2017
Working hard to change the world. I'm starting to get the hang of this entrepreneurship thing...;)
2017
I do a lot of watching and learning during this time. Here I am with David the CEO of Wateroam, one of my mentors. Learn from the best!
2017
I humbled myself and continued to find mentors and older people to learn from! Try and spot me! ;)
2017
I'm ready to take on the world!
2017
I spend some of the best months of my life here. Learning big things and being mentored by true blue entrepreneurs changing the world. But now, time to go to college...Thanks Wateroam!
2017
Melbourne Uni, here I come!
2017
While at uni, I teach myself how to drive traffic with social media and start building a following. I continue to learn from my mentors and travel the world.
2017
I've always loved reading. Learn from the greats, dead or alive! I especially enjoy biographies :)
2018 - 2019
I love travelling and I embark on a learning journey to visit all the major cities of the world in a period of 12 months.

I go to Singapore, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, London, New York, Washington DC, Tokyo, Los Angeles and more!

Los Angeles

London

Tokyo

Hong Kong

Guangzhou

New York

Growing up and seeing the world as it was...I didn't like how some things were done.

One of the things I didn't like was that people weren't taught the right things...

So I began to embark on a journey on my most ambitious project yet - to bring everyone in the world access to quality education.

2019
I launch the University of Greatness.

It's an online movement I created to educate people on entrepreneurship and practical 21st century skills.

It's my first step towards my vision of building a world where everyone has access to quality education. 

As of November 2019, we currently have almost 500 students enrolled.
The New Decade:
2020 and onwards
Here in Los Angeles, California...

I'm planning and plotting my next moves.

As the New Decade rolls in, I'm excited for what the future brings.
My Mission
The Hero Of My Own Story
In order to have the best life possible, you must know what the best decisions are and have the courage to make them. 

My name is Matthew Yao. And this is my story.
What's yours?
Learn from me! 
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Representations made by Matthew Yao, matthewyao.com, MJY Organization, University of Greatness, mentorships, and their advertisers/sponsors are aspirational statements. The success of Matthew Yao, testimonials and other examples used are exceptional, non-typical results and are not intended to be and are not a guarantee that you or others will achieve the same results. Individual results will always vary and yours will depend entirely on your individual capacity, work ethic, business skills and experience, level of motivation, diligence in applying the Matthew Yao Programs, the economy, the normal and unforeseen risks of doing business, and other factors.

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