This year, my most exciting opportunity began in late May when I accepted a co-op position at Draper Laboratory in Cambridge. After a long, hard search for my first co-op and a successful semester of classes including one notoriously difficult class called “Algorithms and Data Structures,” I was beyond excited to get started at Draper. At this point, all I knew about Draper was that it’s a defense and space manufacturing non-profit. On my first day I walked around the office wide-eyed, amazed by the spiel of inventions, the giant moon hanging in the lobby, and more than anything the fact that I was actually employed by this place! My team at Draper tasked me with all sorts of things including modeling, code refactoring and testing, participating in team meetings, and even hosting my own meetings. Draper and I greeted each other with the answer “yes” in every way we could: I took on any challenge they threw at me and they assisted me through any project I wanted to take on. The skills I gained and the people I met during co-op exceeded my expectations. Compared to how I felt before starting at Draper, I’m reassured by the idea that my resume isn’t everything. What’s important is the way that I take on challenges, pick up new skills, and ask for help when needed. Although I’m sad my time at Draper has come to an end, I’m excited to start classes again. Thank you so much to MVYouth for all of your support the past three years. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to pursue my education in school and in the workplace throughout my time at Northeastern.