laila's reflection
In the beginning, I thought this capstone project would be pretty hard. I did not think that Maya and I would end up creating such a project. I am honestly incredibly proud of us, and although we did not just invent the one device that could cease sexual assault forever, I believe we did contribute to watching it end. I feel like the hardest part of the project was coming up with the problem to solve. This is the problem that would be with us all semester. Maya and I work well in a team and balance each other out. I am glad that we were able to work together on this project because we both have similar interests and viewpoints. The construction of Safe Zip was a lot simpler than Maya and I had thought. Originally, we thought the electrical engineering aspect would be the hardest part to figure it out. That was one thing that I was really concerned about, because I honestly had no idea how to even begin doing such a thing. Ultimately, the design was very simple and sometimes, simplicity is best. All in all, I am very proud of the product we created and I would not change a thing about how this project turned out. The past 4 years have been incredible and I would not have changed it for the world.
maya's reflection
This project, despite its ups and downs, has been my favorite of this program by far. Coming into this project, I was slightly worried that I wouldn't enjoy it because I am not as passionate about engineering as I once was, however the freedom we had with this project allowed me to pursue a problem I was inspired by. I am very proud of SafeZip and the innovation and creativity that Laila and I put into it. I am also proud that we pursued a socially conscience project, which I feel is a testament to the dedication of young people to society today. I also really enjoyed working with Laila on this final project, as we are very like-minded and always work well together, even as we dealt with numerous frustrations. I know that some of our problems could have been avoided through better time management, however most of our 3D printing problems were completely out of our hands, but it taught us flexibility and patience. I also learned of the importance of connections and mentorship, which will help me as I pursue a degree in political science. Overall, I really enjoyed this project, class, and program.