What was it like traveling to Palau?
Traveling to Palau was a lot different than traveling anywhere else.. Things were ran differently and everyone seemed a lot more laid back. It was a long flight, but it was a fun flight. Everyone bonded and became closer even within that 26 hours or so of traveling. Palau was an experience unlike anything I've ever been exposed to before. It was a lot of hard work, but at the same time it was extremely fun and it all was definitely worth it. It was nice having a purpose to be in such a beautiful place and surrounded by so many great people.
What was the biggest challenge you or your team faced and how was it handled?
The biggest challenge that the marketing side faced was keeping things charged. For the first few days at least two Go Pros were not charged each day when we thought they were charged. This would frustrate not just the marketing side, but also the engineering side because they didn't have extra cameras for the robot. Eventually we realized we needed to do something about this, so we made sure we had every battery numbered and we kept track of which ones were charging and which ones were not.
What was the most memorable part of the trip?
The most memorable part of the trip would be diving on the shipwreck and on the Jake. The trip really became real when we went on that first dive. Also, when we were in Palau for the anniversary, It was awesome to hear the stories and know that I was sitting in the exact place in the water where World War Two went battles went on. For tour days the Peleliu tour would be the most memorable. I learned so many interesting facts that day about the history of World War Two and about Palau.
Do you feel the trip was a success, why?
I do feel like this trip was a HUGE success. The amount of teamwork we had was great and how hard we all worked. Even though we did not find the B-24 bomber the Bent Prop team did find targets. Also, we canceled out targets where not to look next time. This gave us even more practice to go back next year and come closer to finding our targets. This trip was also successful because we are all showing families we care about their missing family members and we want to bring them home.This trip taught us all valuable life lessons and prepared us for our future.
What is the one thing you will remember the most from the trip?
I will remember the most going to the Palau school and teaching the teachers and students how to build robots and then taking the students to dive the robots. I loved that we brought new things to their school and all of the teachers and students were eager to learn. I will also remember the Bent Prop dinner. I was honored that night when I received my Bent Prop coin and bandanna. It means a lot to be apart of a team that is passionate about what they do and who accomplish so much.
If you could do it again would you? Why?
I would definitely go to Palau and search with my team again. It was the best thing I have ever done in my life. The trip itself was great, but the purpose why we went is the big reason. Bringing home someones family member is the goal and to accomplish that goal would make me feel great knowing we gave closure to a family. Any chance I get I would do anything to make that happen. Going to Palau has taught me more people skills too. It has taught me great teamwork skills and helped me open up more to people. The search is never over, so I would go back to Palau to continue the search for the B-24 bomber and then when we find that, continue on to the next target.
What did you learn about yourself on this trip?
I learned that I can work under pressure. Being on the boat with 10+ people definitely could get stressful at times, but I realized I always stayed calm when there was a situation and I didn't freak out. Back at the hotel we always had work to do too. On the second to last day Chloe and I were running around trying to get postcards addressed and sent out. We both worked together as a team and spent the day getting it done. We both were worried about not getting them done, but we stayed calm and eventually they were finished. I also learned I am a better problem solver than I was before. I now can think of ideas and ways to solve a problem on my own rather than going to someone else. I learned I am an open-minded person I just needed to embrace it and think outside the box more.
How do you feel this experience will help you in the future?
This experience put me in real life situations that I will have to face in my future. It taught me how to communicate with a team and work in the “real world”. Our class does not run like any other class. It is ran like a business and we are always working on projects, but we don’t get grades or marked down for anything. We have to talk to many businesses and adults throughout the year. Being in this class has taught me how to be professional and how to work in a workplace.
What should we do differently the next time?
I think we should spend more time with Bent Prop and have them be on the boat with us more. Their advice at the end of the day was always helpful and it would have been useful every day. Having a Bent Prop person on the boat every day would have been helpful and we would have gotten to know them better.
Emma Morris, Junior
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