It’s been a crazy week, considering the number of things I’ve had to go through just to come here. I have to say that it’s not been easy. From getting a new laptop to having serious bank issues, I’ve been jumping from one issue to another.
However, one recurring issue from last month that has persistently been annoying me is my final-year project defense. It had been scheduled to be held sometime in October, not too long after our exams were concluded. However, for some reason, it was postponed indefinitely. So, everything was done and ready, but we were simply waiting around for the new date to be circulated so we could go and defend what we worked on.
Well, last week, a new memo was released announcing that a new date for the defense had been fixed and it was held this week; yesterday, as a matter of fact. It was yet another day that I got to spend outside and in the hot sun. And boy, did the sun do a number on me.
I talked about my seminar defense last semester and how I tried to do it fast by being one of the first people to do our defense. Well, my team and I decided to recreate that yesterday as well. None of us wanted to waste time, we already knew our project like the back of our hands and we were not scared of defending it before the panelists. So, we were ready to get on with it.
Scheduled to start by 10 am, we were already in the school by 9 am. Although there were some discrepancies and some issues which were fixed in due course, we still had to go through the hassle of walking all the way to the Part-time block, a set of buildings located on the outskirts of the school. We would have used buses, but for some reason, the number of buses available was ridiculously few. I guess this has to do with the fact that exams are over and many students have traveled.
Either way, it was a long walk under the hot mid-morning sun. However, we did it, collecting vitamin D along the way. When we got to the place, it was crawling with people in black & whites. It wasn’t just our department having their defense in that area. It was as if everyone doing defense that day was having it there. After all, it was large enough to contain everyone.
Everything was going great, the only issue was the scorching sun. It was merciless. None of our panelists had arrived, so we had to wait for them. We did this under the scorching sun, while trying to refresh our memory on what we were going to do and say with regards to the coming defense. As I said before, we wanted to be done with it and move on.
Eventually, the panelists arrived and began setting up. With our invention, we waited patiently for them. We had prepared for this moment and while everyone else was getting the finishing touches before their defense, we were simply waiting for the panelists to begin the process. I guess we got too confident in our ability to defend the project we built. Hehe…
Anyway, when they were ready, exactly as we planned, we were the first through the door. We built a smart door lock system, but unlike my seminar topic, this one came with a variety of features. It had the standard code system, it also worked with a card, a thumbprint, and sensors to trigger alarms when there is a break-in or a wrong code inputted. It also came with a camera that showcased whoever was at the door, trying to get it open and the video could be accessed on the phone through an app that was created exclusively for it.
Well, the defense began and boy, were we grilled. Omo, they asked questions that made me begin to doubt if I was even part of the team to begin with. However, thankfully, we were able to work together and we scaled it all. We didn’t spend more than ten minutes in front of the panel, but when we left, we could see that we had impressed them. Not just with our project, but also with the way we defended it.
Once we left, that heavy weight of tension and expectancy was lifted. It was only then that we were able to calm down and take pictures. I also waited around for some of my friends who were yet to do their defense and when everyone was done, I simply went home. It was a great way to end the long wait. Of course, there were people with various degrees of trouble. From those whose invention didn’t work, or those who couldn’t defend their projects… well, that’s not my problem, I guess.
What can I say? All is well that ends well. And for this final year project of mine, it’s one thing that definitely ended well for me. And that’s something I’ll always be happy for. Moving on to the next phase, please.
