From Bricks to Stone: A Transition Defined

Today marks the official launch of Bricks to Stone Education.

My journey to this moment began years ago with a "lucky" fourth choice on an SAT score report—a decision that led me from a Vancouver public school to the campus of Duke University.

It was there that I first encountered the "Bricks to Stone" tradition—the symbolic transition from the red-brick walls of East Campus to the enduring, gothic stone of West Campus. At Duke, this isn't just a change in architecture; it represents a student’s growth, a deepening of purpose, and the move toward a more rigorous, permanent foundation.

That transition became the blueprint for my own life. It fuelled a decade-long career in global finance and technology, spanning from the corporate offices of investment banks and Amazon to the halls of international schools like BASIS. Throughout those years in the U.S. and Asia, I realized that the most successful individuals weren't just those with the best "bricks"—the temporary, surface-level credentials. They were the ones built on "stone"—the permanent foundations of independence, intellectual agency, and the resilience to navigate an unpredictable world.

I returned home to Vancouver to replicate this transition for the next generation. Bricks to Stone is not a traditional admissions factory; we are a mentorship firm dedicated to the architecture of the person. We believe that if you develop a student into an exceptional, self-sufficient individual, the elite university offers follow naturally.

Spencer Li

Founder, Bricks to Stone Education