This project has been pretty revealing when it comes to how I plan stuff. More specifically, I set numerous, detailed schedules and due dates to keep myself on track, most of which I failed to adhere to. Things always got done when they absolutely needed to, but I never could follow the perfect timeline laid out by my own hands. For instance, I initially played on releasing a background guide in February, but in the end, it got released almost two weeks into March. It was still enough time for the delegates to properly prepare for the committee, but it could've been a lot better. Additionally, keeping my learning journal up-to-date has been a challenge. It has just never felt necessary or integral in any way, so remembering to continuously update it was difficult. And most interestingly, I learned that I was more of a perfectionist than I had previously thought. I wanted anything that I provided to the delegates to be very high-quality. While this shouldn’t be a problem in and of itself, it did lead to some unnecessary and redundant stressing about perfecting certain aspects of the project.
In the end, though, I think this was the perfect project for me. It was challenging in specific categories for me that had not really been fully challenged before. Its scope was just right, it had great community engagement, and I think it overall made the Academy a better place and made me a more competent human being. When thinking about things that I would do differently if I had to do it again, it’s easy to say “stick to the timeline,” but that’s not really a great answer. I’d say a more honest one would be “communicate with others to give me more accountability.” Had I worked with others to help keep myself accountable to my schedule, I could’ve better remained on track and everything would’ve gone a lot smoother.
I am very glad that I moved away from my original proposal. Looking back, it’s not entirely clear what I was thinking. That project would’ve been insanely ambitious, lacked significant community engagement, and not really challenge myself in new ways. Even though hinging on the Academy student body did cause some issues, such as MANY students dropping out on short notice, it’s overall far more personally fulfilling than just a coding project. Hearing about how much they enjoyed it really made my day! It helped kids learn about an interesting historical period, hone their writing, researching, and speaking skills, and how to work with others to achieve a common goal, all while thinking creatively. Many students who may have never tried normal Model UN will likely join the Model UN club next year. This is a very positive note to end on for my Academy experience. I felt like I finally gave back. This sense of personal fulfillment and warmth would not have been possible without switching senior projects. Even though it did give me some trouble to completely pivot in November, it was highly beneficial in the long run.
All in all, I’m happy with how my project turned out. It challenged me in very important ways, provided a very nice service to the Academy student body, and, most of all, was exceptionally fun! I’m pleased to end my senior year with this spectacular experience. I want to thank my senior project advisor, Neale Gay, for all the hard work he did! I also want to thank Ivan and Fallon for their work in the backrooms! This was all so amazing, and I’d do it all again if I could.