Project Thoughts and Considerations
We have had the past 6 months to work on something we wanted to change in the world. Throughout many mistakes and prototypes and complications within that time, I am truly proud of what I have created.
The biggest goal of my project was to create a safe space for students who are struggling with their mental health. My project changed from being a big out there space to a more calm and collective space. My audience at the expo got to interact with my VR headset that was used to display my project. I wanted something that would truly change the minds of high schools students and help them realize they are not alone.
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The biggest challenges I faced were coding, designing, and funding. The coding in my prototype one went smoothly up until the night of the professional review. At that time my coding said they couldn't find the door I was coding or there was an error somewhere. Along with that the design process was difficult for me. Trying to figure out the best layout to accommodate everything I wanted in the end. I also struggled with figuring out who will fund my idea. I still to this day do not know how my project would be funded, however I do have a better understanding of where high school funding has come from.
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The most rewarding things for me was my end result, the VR, and talking about my project. In the end I was so happy and proud of what I created. My end result was what I wanted to see in the beginning and some much more. I managed to create a safe space for the high school students struggling with mental health. I also enjoyed the VR aspect. Everyone was excited when I w=mentioned the VR world. It allowed them to take a lot inside my head and actually see what I created in a whole new way. I also loved talking about my project. As someone who has experienced mental health issues within herself, her friends, and her family, it felt very reliving to explore something I wanted to change and then explain the end result to people who may struggle to.
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The past 4 years for me have been quite amazing. I have loved every second of being a part of this program, even when the hardest parts hit. I am very grateful to have had this experience. This has changed my way of thinking. In the future I plan to do the impossible. I want to change the world, expand my knowledge, and allow room from trial and error. I would not be the person I am today without this program. It allowed me to realize the first idea isn't always the best, sometimes the weirdest teachers become your favorite, nothing in life is perfect but make what you can of it, and strive for the impossible. If its impossible that just means you have the chance to make it possible. These past 4 years have been a highway, now its time to choose my own route.