Day 6: Last Day of Camp

Welcome to the last day of camp! We woke up this morning and enjoyed breakfast before heading to BCA for a day of activities! After a short introductory session, Jade gave a presentation on engineering ethics and we split into groups one last time. Mackenzie and I presented a circuit activity, Kathleen, Kaamaakshi and Alice ran a bridges/roller coaster activity, Anagha and Sasha H. ran a batteries activity, and Sasha L. and Sam ran a trebuchet activity. The students were so engaged and enthusiastic about the programs, which was so genuinely inspiring to see. During lunch, we sat with the girls and had snacks provided by the school. We played hand games, chatted about our favorite movies, and took so many pictures with the students! After lunch we had one last activity session with the students before saying goodbye. The two days we spent with the 8th graders was filled with so many laughs and moments of ingenuity from the kids, and we will definitely miss them.

Mackenzie with students and their light-up wand!

After the camp concluded, we went to our guest house for lunch and relaxed before returning to school for a presentation by Principal K.R Kshirsagar about BCA and its successes. BCA is one of the best schools in Maharashtra, and the students are accomplished in academics as well as sports. During our time there, several students won boxing medals at the state level! After the presentation, we had a factory tour of Walchandnagar Industries, which is an important institution in Walchandnagar, as approximately 60% of the students have a parent working there. During the tour, we saw employees at work building parts to be used by Indian defense organizations, space research programs, sugar plants, and more. It was interesting to see the backbone of the community during the tour, and our mechanical/aerospace majors had a great time!

Kathleen with students during lunch!

After the tour, we returned to the guest house and started dance practice. Our session lasted a couple hours as we tried to perfect the dance that we are performing at BCA tomorrow. Afterwards, we enjoyed dinner and finished the night by making preparations for tomorrow. Since today was the last day of our camp, tomorrow we will be traveling to Cochin to begin the next phase of our trip. While we are sad to leave Walchandnagar, we are also excited for the week ahead, so stay tuned!

Sincerely,

Sanjana (and the rest of SWIndia!)