And just like that, six weeks are up. It really seems like yesterday that I was introducing myself to my new teammates and just starting to get to know them. In the blink of an eye, we have come together to make something that we are very proud of. I am proud of the suggestions that we made to the design studio managers. I am proud of the pitch we gave to stakeholders, donors, and others involved with Rice 360. I am proud of the work we have put in and the innovation that has resulted. Most importantly, I am so very proud of my team. The way that we were able to connect and click from the onset was beyond anything I could have hoped for. It is truly a joy to be a part of this team and to interact with my teammates on a daily basis. I cannot thank them enough for making this internship the unforgettable experience that it was. All that being said, let’s get in to what we actually did this week.
Monday was a work day for us. The Education Team and the TAs gave us a bit more information on what the pitches were supposed to look like and we had time to work on them (with guidance from the TAs). We found this quite difficult. We could only present on one prototype and we quickly chose the UV Disinfection System. That’s when we started encountering problems. How in the world were we supposed to reduce our whole prototype, our whole internship’s work, and a 10 minute long technical presentation into a 5 minute pitch? We were told to make it easy to follow, include background information that the audience would need to understand the prototype, and again to keep it under 5 minutes. We clearly had to take a bunch out of our technical presentation. We boiled our project down to its core elements and started pulling together a pitch.
On Tuesday, Dr. Volz joined the workshop again, and thank goodness she did. Hearing the feedback she gave the other teams helped us to modify and improve our pitch before we even had the chance to give it to her. Dr. Volz was the perfect person to give us feedback that day because one, she didn’t know too much about our project so what we pitched is what she got, and two she is so incredible at giving feedback. She pointed out the large knowledge gaps that were present in our pitch. She gave us suggestions on adding a slide to help clarify the current system and make the transition from the current system to our suggested improvements clear. She also pointed out that the ending was not quite strong enough, and that if we emphasized impact, people would remember our project. These suggestions were hugely important in making our pitch something that we were proud to present. Before the Dr. Volz workshop, we were not very confident about the quality of our pitch. After implementing her suggestions and modifying the pitch a bit on our own, we had a product that really highlighted the work we had done in a way that most people could understand.
The beginning of the end approached quickly. After all this work, we were finally pitching our technical presentations to the design studio heads. We gave our presentation and everybody’s parts went very smoothly. We were prepared for a tough Q&A session that was critical of our suggestions, but the feedback was very positive. We were overjoyed and relieved. They did ask some great questions that allowed us to further clarify aspects of our suggested design improvements and they were quite satisfied with our answers. As a team, we felt really accomplished after this, as it was a confirmation that our work, ideas, and innovation was all valid.
Thursday was pitch day. While I was expecting many more people on the Zoom call than usual, I was surprised to see 90 people join. Alex, one of the TAs, made a highlight video of this summer’s internship which was played near the beginning of the meeting and it was quite moving. It really reminded us of how much we had grown as a group in the weeks of the internship. We were up first to present, and Yankholanga nailed her part. I gave my part of the pitch and was relieved when we finished at 5 minutes and 5 seconds (the last 5-10 seconds were to say thank you so in my mind we still hit the mark đŸ˜†). The Q&A again went well, as we were able to clarify, explain, and answer any questions the audience had. The other teams followed us and they were fantastic. What a great group of people to get to share the summer with. The reflections on the program were moving, and I’m hoping that everyone watching understood the impact that this internship had on us.
The last day of the internship. Wow I can hardly believe it. With a sense of accomplishment, we started a day of games, reflections, awards, thank yous, and goodbyes (only for now!). Our team won the Care Bear Award for how much our team came to care for one another and for others in the internship as well. I am honored to be a part of the team that was able to bring so much joy, laughter, and unity both to each other and to the internship as a whole. I really hope that I have the opportunity to meet up with my teammates in Malawi one day and bring this dream team back together once again.
Lastly, thank you to the Education Team, the faculty leaders, and the TAs for being there for us and with us every step of the way. Your work is hugely appreciated and we could not have done this all without you. Your flexibility and selflessness have made this possible. Thanks again.
Signing off for the last time,
Andrew Abikhaled