Written by Jennifer, Year 10
“Welcome to the 2024 TeenTech Awards!”
What an unforgettable journey it was to arrive here at the Kevin Lecture Theatre in the Savoy Place, listening to Maggie Phillins OBE congratulate us on our projects. The two-hour journey for Mrs Speight (who kindly accompanied me) and I was 100% worth it! My project, Spike Coaster, tackles spiking: it alerts the drinker when there is a high risk that their drink is spiked by illuminating red.
It was inspiring to see such a diverse range of projects, from teenage playgrounds to fidget rings, all created by students. The atmosphere was lively and everyone was really supportive of each other’s works. We didn’t see each other as competitors but rather as friends and ‘potential business partners’ as Maggie Phillins put it.
Sharing my project with the judges was not only useful but fun and insightful. All 4 judges were curious and encouraging; the relaxed setting definitely helped ease the pressure! After the judging was finished, we listened to notable speakers give 1 minute wonder talks. All the guests gave fascinating speeches: broadcaster and teacher Bobby Seagull emphasised to us how maths is involved in all aspects of life, including football, and HSBC’s technology executive Adizah Tejani used the founder of Wikipedia (Jimmy Wales) as an example of our future contributions to the world.
But my favourite speaker was actor Stephen McGann- who played Dr Turner in the BBC Call the Midwife series- and he gave an inspirational and empowering speech about the beauty of science. The words ‘science is not only ingenious and wonderful, it is beautiful’ will forever be remembered. That and the entire journey will be embedded in my mind. For me, winning in the Safety & Security category was only the icing on the cake and one small step into the future.
