Getting in the Game

Incredibly, Moonlit’s and Ilias’s paths didn’t cross on campus—even though they overlapped at Harvard, knew the same friends, and were both first-generation College students. It wasn’t until a friend from Currier House told Ilias that Moonlit was working at the same gaming company that they met at all.  

Gaming may have brought them together—Ilias reveled in seeing Moonlit beat coworkers at the console—but Harvard helped bridge the connection. Now married with two children, Moonlit is the head of gaming and global partnerships at Google and Ilias is a serial entrepreneur. Following the acquisition of his last company, Celential.ai, Ilias cofounded ClassHour, an online higher education company. They’ve recently made a bequest in support of financial aid for the College and Harvard Business School, where Moonlit earned her MBA. They share why they are so grateful to Harvard, Moonlit’s experiences as a woman in gaming, and what the Harvard community means to them.  

Can you share a little bit about your Harvard journeys?

Moonlit: I was born in China and immigrated to San Francisco when I was 12 years old. I didn’t speak any English and went to public schools. My high school guidance counselor told me: Don’t even look at Ivy League schools. I applied anyway and was one of the first two students ever to get into Harvard from my school. 

Ilias: What’s very true about Moonlit is that you cannot tell her no. She was like: Watch me! Challenge accepted.

I was a transfer student. I was studying mechanical engineering in England and realized I wanted more. My brother was in a master’s program at Harvard and said in America there is something called a liberal arts education. You get to study more than whatever your subject is. I thought this was exactly what I needed. 

Why is Harvard so important to you?

Moonlit: We are deeply grateful. We are first-generation immigrants. My parents were on food stamps. Harvard took a chance on me. I received a full scholarship. Otherwise, there’s no way my parents could afford that. 

Ilias: Harvard has been instrumental to my family. Right after college, my parents came to the U.S. to seek political asylum from Kyrgyzstan. It was traumatic, and they had to flee for their lives. My dad was invited to be a part of the Scholar Rescue program and was a visiting professor at Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. My mom ended up working at a program at the Carr Center at the Harvard Kennedy School.

How has Harvard influenced your path after college?

Ilias: I like building services that help people get to the next stage in their life: how do you find a different job, how do you find a better job, how do you figure out where you fit best? I’m trying to build a way to help people learn and apply knowledge where they can find a more fulfilling career.

Part of it is driven by what Harvard did for us. Harvard increases students’ perceptions of what is possible for them. It’s about giving yourself permission to dream more and think more.

Moonlit: Because Harvard brings together a community of people who are the best of each industry, in their respective field and specialties, in the world. You cannot dream what you cannot see. Being among a peer like this really opens your mind to the possibilities of what you could do.

Can you tell us more about your connections with gaming?

Ilias: We’ve worked together twice at two different gaming companies. I remember having a team off-site where we had a retro video games tournament. The funniest part was seeing them look over at Moonlit as she begins to destroy everybody. It was the most glorious, hilarious thing to see these lifelong gamers, some of them world-ranked, playing this classic game and getting destroyed by somebody that they didn’t think was one of them.

Moonlit: I grew up playing video games, even though it was against my parents’ permission. I just love the gaming industry. Did you know the gaming industry is bigger than the film and the music industries combined? People who work in gaming are innovative, creative but also analytical, and best of all, don’t take themselves too seriously.  I also love how gaming is always at the cutting edge of technology and innovation.

It’s OK to own up to what you like. It’s OK if you’re not a stereotype. I realized how important it is to represent when people come up to me after my talks at women in gaming, in tech, in leadership, and in business conferences. I tell my story to other women or people who feel that they’re not part of the stereotypical mainstream, and I tell them: yes, you do belong here, yes, your voice matters, and yes, tell your story.

Moonlit, you are returning for your 15th College Reunion this spring. What excites you about coming back to campus?

Moonlit: I’m coming back for my 15th College Reunion and 10th Harvard Business School Reunion. I’m looking forward to catching up with my classmates and making new connections! I love that the Reunion brings people back from all around the world. When else would you get everybody in the same place and recreate that energy and magic again. Working in tech and having most of my meetings virtually, there’s something powerful about in-person, real life connections. I'm also excited to reconnect with my professors and see how the campus has evolved since then. It’s hard to get that immersive experience, human connection and school spirit unless you are there in person.

What do you do these days that might surprise your friends from College?

Moonlit: I was very shy in college. I was the kid who probably never raised their hand in a lecture hall. That fear became my catalyst. I intentionally pushed myself beyond my comfort zone, joining Toastmasters to build confidence and then challenging myself with the rigorous case method of Harvard Business School, where I debated the sharpest business minds daily. Now I give keynotes at conferences multiple times a year, like CES, GDC, Variety Entertainment Summit etc., in rooms full of hundreds to thousands of people. The most rewarding feedback I receive is from people who say my TED Talk on YouTube compelled them to confront their personal obstacles. It's in these moments that I truly feel fulfilled, knowing my story empowers others to discover and use their own voices.

What does being part of the Harvard alumni community mean to you? 

Moonlit: Having both close friends and others in my network who inspire me, challenge me, and help me see the world and make decisions a little differently. I believe you are the average of your closest friends. Harvard brings a class of very accomplished, very smart, but also very kind, thoughtful, and very funny people into my life. And because of that, I’m inspired to be a better version of myself every day.

Ilias: I was thinking of my classmates at Harvard, and I felt like they were aliens. I thought: how could they think so deeply, so quickly? How do people like this exist? I’m learning not just from my professors but from crazy kids around me. Sitting next to a person and seeing what they write down. This was inspiring and exciting and added so much more color and possibilities to life than I could otherwise imagine. That’s invaluable when you are part of something like the Harvard community.

You recently made a bequest intention to Harvard College and Harvard Business School. Why a planned gift? You are both young.  

Ilias: Well, that’s her. She wants to plan ahead, and I have seen that this is a much better approach to life.

Moonlit: I was looking for different ways to make charitable donations that were long-term and would help with our own financial management. We know we’re going to give to Harvard for as many years as we’re alive. Estate planning and a bequest was a natural choice.

Ilias: We are extremely grateful and trying to find more ways to thank Harvard for what it has given us, today and in the future. Estate planning made sense for our children. We want them to lead a good and adventurous life, but we also believe that identity and character is forged in pursuit of and striving for something.

How do you hope that makes a difference for future students at Harvard?

Moonlit: We’re dedicating 100 percent to financial aid. We’re hoping to pay it forward to help other kids who will then go out and make a difference in the world.

Ilias: Harvard is this place where if you work hard enough and if you show it, your own capabilities are the only thing that can stop you. This is one of the corners where the American dream is alive.

We want to be contributing so more students like us can experience it and can get opportunities that otherwise are completely closed off for them. Financial aid is an unbelievable kindness.