Our final pitches were today and they brought mixed emotions. I was super excited to present because I felt confident in our product, Charge!, however, I was also surprisingly nervous. Unfortunately, I feel like I could’ve done better. I practiced many times prior to this morning, yet as soon as it was my turn to speak my mind went blank. There was defiantly room for improvement.

Another curveball was the question time at the end of the pitch. Having a new set of judges brought about a more difficult round of questions and we struggled to find answers for some of those presented. In that regard, we definitely could’ve taken Blake’s advice and tailored our pitch to steer questions in a certain direction.

That being said, from this experience I’ve definitely gained confidence in my public speaking abilities. Being as comfortable as I am in front of my classmates definitely helps soothe my nerves, but the regularity of public speaking has built my confidence tremendously. These skills will definitely come in handy throughout the remainder of my college and professional careers.

These projects have defiantly refined my researching skills too. I feel more confident in my ability to find credible information online and site my sources properly. This, again, is a vital skill I will continue to use and refine.

Tomorrow we depart for Ireland and the group absolutely could not be more excited to leave! Personally I am going to miss Oakland, but I cannot wait for the opportunities that await us across the Atlantic!