January 3, 2024
2024 Student Blog
In Winter quarter 2024, 20 students embarked on a journey to Bangalore, India to discover new cultures, people, and experiences while learning about and developing solutions for challenges such as clean water, health, waste management, and education. This blog recounts their adventures, reflections, and learnings.
April 4, 2024
GCIL, an encounter to fuel the soul
So, picture this: I’m minding my own business, pondering life’s mysteries like “What should I really be doing?” and “Where do I go from here?” You know, typical early thirties crisis stuff. Then, out of the blue, Ashu drops this bombshell suggestion: “Why don’t you join GCIL?” Now, I’ll be honest, I didn’t take it…
March 10, 2024
Facing Grand Challenges
The Grand Challenges Impact Lab is named as such for many reasons. The students tackle tough problems that don’t have easy, simple, or straightforward answers, such as issues of water scarcity, waste management, and health. These grand challenges are complex, and the solutions require a deep understanding of the root causes, the systems and stakeholders,…
March 8, 2024
Some things stay the same
I took a break from staring at a screen and picking my brain about whether that one word on the slide could be a little bigger. Reality begins to set in. I haven’t left campus in 48 hours. I gotta go. Walking out of the gates of UTC, I toss in my earbuds and take…
The End
When trying to reflect, my mind goes to cliches to find a simple way to summarize the last 10 weeks. But this is impossible. No one metaphor or theme can accurately characterize our time in India. We all had different experiences and learned different things either through our work or about ourselves. Throughout the 10…
March 7, 2024
Something in the way
Growing up, I found my dad to be a real pain in the ass. Everything had a way it was supposed to be done. That’s not how you wash the car or fold your dress pants. Your files aren’t organized; your camera shake is showing up in the video; you’re articulating poorly in your presentation….
Things I will miss
With the program coming to an end, I’ve been reflecting on a list of things I will miss when I leave India. The 10 weeks here have been quite the journey, and it would be too long of a blog to include everything, so I’ve compiled a shorter list to save myself from excessive writing….
March 6, 2024
Words of Appreciation
What a time to witness greatness as each piece of our puzzle comes together. Our focuses, designs, and creations are budding into form like spring sprawling back home in Seattle. There have been days when I have witnessed thunder and rain, calm, windy nights, and even the dew shining from the early sun, which I…
Homebound: A Journey of Growth, Challenges, and Heartfelt Connections
As I sit here, reflecting on the whirlwind of emotions and experiences from my time in India, I can’t help but feel a sense of gratitude and accomplishment. The exhaustion is overwhelming, looking at my fellow peers’ dark circles and slumped faces. I know that we are all running on limited sleep, but this triumph…
March 5, 2024
We built a chair!
“Oh my god, I can’t believe it actually works” is my first thought when I saw Sanni’s (Rise Team member) kid sit in our prototype corner chair. We have been working on this prototype for almost 8 days straight, getting to Rise as soon as blogs are done and emerging from the workshop cellar just…
Grief and Gratefulness
It may sound cheesy, but I’m extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to spend an entire academic quarter in India. I’m grateful for all the beautiful things I’ve witnessed. I’ve seen beautiful people dressed in vibrant Indian clothing. I’ve seen houses painted in vibrant colors that remind me of the inside of my parents’…