When did you first learn / participate in the Student Project Showcase?
I heard about the Student Project Showcase after my very first Hackathon in 2018. At the time, I was just a freshman and I was happy enough that I was able to produce something meaningful at HackAZ. During this experience I developed a script that reverse engineered an existing API for the Tello Drone. I was successfully able to add new features to it, such as (back-rolls, front-flips, hover landing, precision packet halting, as well as pre-programed tasks). Although I didn't come in first place as a finalist at HackAZ, I started getting a lot of attention for what I was able to accomplish as a freshman! I was then approached by someone from the CS department about possibly presenting my project at the Student Project Showcase. 

 

What was the most exciting part of the Student Project Showcase?
I was honored to be able to show others what I was able to do in such a short amount of time. The most exciting part about the showcase is the feeling of accomplishment. Surprisingly, many people come to see what CS students can do and what types of projects they have been working on. This sort of experience really helps with public speaking since you are the only one who can really share the ins and outs about how your project was developed and the extent of what it can really do!

 

What advice would you give to someone that is interested in participating for their first time?
If I could give any advice to students interested in participating in the Student Project Showcase, I would say go for it! If you have a project that you are developing, then you should know that it does not need to be perfect. The main goal of a showcase is to show what you were able to accomplish and not how perfect it is. Also, don't be afraid to talk about your project's development over time. Sometimes recruiters come in disguise and are looking for you to tackle those "If you had more time, what would you do?" or "What if this happens, what does it do then?" types of questions. So, in short, be prepared to answer lots of questions and remember to just have fun!