Confessions of a Teenage Drama Geek
by Krisha Sherburne

When I had to break plans with a friend last year to work on Future City, she said, “You must live in Room 15.” During my seventh and eighth grade years at St. Thomas More Catholic School, that was true. Almost every day, from August to mid-February, the team would arrive at school at seven-thirty in the morning, and sometimes would stay until almost eight in the evening. Even though the early mornings, late nights, stress, and arguments did not seem worth it at some points, everything I have gone through during the competition has had countless positive effects on me and my teammates.

First of all, I have learned some important lessons about teamwork. For example, we had to learn each others’ strengths and weaknesses so that we could work the most efficiently. We also learned firsthand that there really is no “I” in team. Each part of the competition required the input of all the team members, not just one or two. Secondly, Future City was like a two-year lesson on organization. Piles of research had to be read and organized, materials for the model had to be sorted, an essay had to be outlined and written, and all of this had to be done before the Regional Competition in January. Without knowing it, we taught ourselves to keep materials organized and to keep track of the time in relation to what we had already done.

Most importantly, the competition has taught me so much about the problems that plague the world today, and how they can be solved with engineering. The main focus of Future City is to teach students about the role engineering plays in their lives, and the competition has succeeded in showing me how vital engineers are to our daily lives. The solutions to problems such as world hunger and disease cannot be reached by simply wishing and hoping. Solving a problem requires thinking and brainstorming new, creative ways of revising old methods that have spawned or encouraged problems. The competition has opened my eyes to choosing engineering as a career, and every professional I have met throughout the past two years have encouraged me to do so.

Finally, the competition has showed me that giving up is never an option. Although at some points, Mrs. Newman wanted to lock us in the closet, everybody stuck it out, with amazing results. Last year our efforts were rewarded with first place; this year we were rewarded with the satisfaction of knowing that even though we wanted to, we never took the easy way out.

I am very blessed to have had these two years of experience with two amazing and supportive groups of people. During the competition, our team literally became like family. If I had the chance to rewind and do everything again, I would definitely go through everything again in a heartbeat. The memories I have made and the lessons I have learned will benefit me for the rest of my life, no matter what career path I choose.

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About the Author: Krisha Sherburne is an 8th-grader at St. Thomas More School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and has participated in the National Engineers Week Future City Competition for the past two years. Krisha and her teammates at St. Thomas More took first place in the 2007 and 2008 Louisiana regional competition and were the 2007 Future City National Champions.