Jonathan M. Ziebarth 

Final Critical Reflection 

5/19/20

 

So this is my final critical reflection, and in some ways I am very glad that it is, and in another way I am sad. First, the fact that this is my last reflection means that I am almost done, however, it also means that I am coming to the end of my senior year.  So please enjoy my final reflection. 

 

This project really did not start in March, I started about two and a half years ago in my basement, as a completely different project. It originally started as an Idea that was meant to fundamentally change the way we use the internet. I wanted to create a decentralized internet that utilized blockchain to guarantee privacy on the internet for my users. 

 

Starting this year I actually did some of the work for that project for school credit, an LREI honors project for the last two trimesters. However, by the end of the second trimester, I had decided that my Idea would be less successful as a startup, and more successful as an upstart. So I put my original Idea on hold, and I started to think about another. That is when I landed on my senior project Idea, a carbon capture & hydrogen fuel startup. 

 

I started the work on my senior project at the end of the last trimester and most of that work consisted of research on the current technology and its true viability.

 

Now, Senior Project has essentially come and gone, and I have learned a lot, and essentially answered my essential question. However, the reason I use the word essentially is due to the fact that I know what I have to do to be successful, but I’m not sure what that would look like in practice. So I feel as if only one part of my question has been answered. But given the circumstances I would say that I was still very successful. 

 

Going into this project I knew what I wanted to do and accomplish, and I did almost everything, except actually create the company. But Still, I’m glad that I did it. 

 

My goal for this project was to just learn something new, and expand my knowledge of the topic and I would say that I was successful in doing so, regardless of the success of my actual idea. I have learned both hard and soft skills that are necessary for someone to be successful in a high growth startup.  

 

During the course of this project I faced many challenges, however, most revolved around finding publicly available information about my potential competitors. But that is not all,  finding structure during a time of great unease was extremely difficult. I had to find time to do my new home responsibilities and balance school work, especially when the Senior Class was not “technically”  allowed to follow the same school holiday schedule as the rest of the school. 

 

As I sit and reflect, I can not help but think about the fact that I was extremely surprised about how I was able to do my work, and my ability to balance my new life expectations. I believe that this experience has allowed me to become even more independent and self reliant.

 

This project has not only given me a lot of new skills, but set me on a path that will heavily impact the rest of my life.

 

As I look back on this experience, I am extremely proud of the work that I have put in and the final project that I have created.  

 

When it comes time for me to present regardless of whether the people I’m presenting to understand my message and product, I want them to walk away with the knowledge that someone cares, and that someone wants to, and will create a better world for the future.