Montal Prize, Atlanta Adventures, and Capstone Progress

A whirlwind week filled with entrepreneurial endeavors, a successful trip to Atlanta, and meaningful progress on my capstone project.

Welcome back to week two of my weekly journal! I'm thrilled to have remembered to continue this endeavor. This week was a whirlwind of activities, from working on the Montal Prize application to an exciting trip to Atlanta. Disclaimer: I talked for 15 minutes and then had AI generate this post, which I then edited lightly.

Weekend Hustle: Montal Prize Application The weekend kicked off with a focus on the Montal Prize, a prestigious entrepreneurship award at Tufts for undergraduates. I dedicated significant time to perfecting my application. Amidst this, I managed to squeeze in some refreshing runs and bike rides, making the most of the crisp fall weather.

Capstone and Probabilistic Robotics Presentations The start of the week was relatively calm, with a focus on preparing for upcoming travels. I spent Monday and Tuesday working on homework and presentations for my capstone and probabilistic robotics classes. The literature presentation for robotics went smoothly, and I felt well-prepared for the journey ahead.

Triumph at the Montal Prize Before boarding my flight to Atlanta, I received thrilling news: I won the "Most Progress in a New Venture" award, securing $10,000 for my work at BX Coding. I'm grateful for this recognition for the work my team and I have put in over the past 5+ years.

Atlanta Adventure: Startup Exchange Fellowship Pitch Wednesday marked the beginning of my Atlanta adventure. After a quick flight, Elliot picked me up, and we dove into preparations for the Startup Exchange Fellowship pitch event. Our product, a video transformer tool for educational videos, was well-received. Despite initial technical hiccups, the demo impressed many, and we garnered valuable feedback.

Georgia Tech Fun Thursday offered a chance to unwind with Elliot's friends, exploring Atlanta, attending a Georgia Tech football game, and enjoying some downtime.

Capstone Design Review Upon returning to Boston, I jumped straight into a design review for our capstone project. The feedback from Kenny and Beau, Tufts alumni, was invaluable in refining our MVP and focusing our efforts.

Recurring Segment - Cool People I Met This Week

  • Kayli Joy Cooper: A remarkable individual who runs a nonprofit delivering essential items to girls experiencing homelessness. Started and runs a nonprofit, even as a current undergraduate student.

  • Kenny & Beau: These two Tufts alumni, computer and electrical engineers who graduated in 2014, provided insightful feedback during our capstone design review, helping us hone our project direction.

  • Josh Pullen: A full-time math teacher in Michigan with a passion for ed tech. It's a pleasure to speak with Josh every two weeks as we talk about the wacky ed tech project each of us are working on.

Toodles.