This was the final week before our presentation. The ETC was quieter than usual.
Our team had two parallel goals:
- Finalize our deliverables—the demo video, documentation, and promo video.
- Prepare for the final presentation — write and memorize a script, design clear and compelling slides, and rehearse our 15-minute talk.
End-of-semester tasks were also due. Each of us will complete a self-assessment and contribute to the project’s post-mortem.
During rehearsal, our faculty advisor, John Dessler, asked: Do you think you’ve succeeded this semester?
Christina and Grace immediately and simultaneously answered — but with different responses. Christina said, “Sort of.” Grace said, “Yes.”
Neither answer was wrong.
“Sort of” reflects an honest recognition: we had meaningful successes, frustrating failures, and lingering questions about what this semester was meant to be.
“Yes” carries pride, self-affirmation, and a quiet refusal to call the experience a failure.
If the question had been, “Did you do your best?” The answer might have been unanimously a “Yes.”
Given who we were at the time — our abilities, our knowledge, and the team we had — we stayed engaged and kept pushing things forward.
Sometimes, all you can do is show up, solve problems, and care.
April 20-24, 2026