Carlota Bonnet

  In my undergraduate curriculum, I have worked with a team in numerous occasions. My proudest, but also hardest, teamwork was at the Boeing Innovation Challenge, in January 2019.

 

  In Fall 2018, I submitted my application to the Boeing Innovation Challenge with a fellow Georgia Tech student. The Challenge consisted of proposing an innovative idea in the aeronautic field, in one of the following categories: disruptive mobility, passenger experience, or operational efficiency. We were honored to be invited for the second and final round of the Challenge, held in Boeing’s facilities in Seattle. There, we were assigned to a new team, and had to develop a new idea in the span of three days. On the last day, we had to present a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to a panel of judges composed of Boeing engineers.

 

  This second task was extremely challenging, as I didn’t know my team members before the challenge started. Four of them were from George Washington University, and one was from Cornell University. Since our timeframe was extremely limited, we had to learn to worked together quickly and efficiently. At first, no one was willing to give up on their perspective of our starting idea. Soon, however, we realized that without compromises and honest discussions, it would be impossible to finish the task. 

 

  We assigned tasks to work in pairs and checked in every hour to determine what still needed to be done and who might need help. On the last day, we finished the MVP and presented it to the judges. We won the competition. I am very proud of our final product; I cannot discuss it here as it is Boeing’s property.

 

  This experience was a formative one since, in addition to effective teamwork, it taught me public speaking, networking and effectiveness skills.