Blog: Radio silence

The first few weeks of the academic year at CreaTe have been busy, but the hackathon project brought us exactly where we want to be.

Radio silence

It took me a while to get back with an update. Let’s just say the first quarter of the academic year kept us all busy. It wasn’t a surprise, but being in the middle of it, it felt even more hectic. It may have seemed quieter, but nothing could be further from the truth.

We started the year with 46 students in Amsterdam and 96 in Twente. A great number, especially for the first year in Amsterdam. They got a beautiful room in the NU building, which was something to envy. And then the weeks flew by, busy keeping our communities together and solving issues. There were open days in both Twente and Amsterdam. Prospective students did their research, attending multiple open days at both locations, which is great. The atmosphere of the university and the vibe of the city or region will make a huge difference in how students experience their time at university.

The hackathon as a Litmus test

Last week we had a sort of midterm test: the hackathon for the first module, where all the students gathered in Twente to work together on their projects. It was a fantastic few days: full focus in preparation and an amazing demo day. Why so fantastic? Because in these projects, we saw everything that makes CreaTe what it is, all in a nutshell. A story, technology, LEDs, wires, duct tape, laser-cut casings, students passionately presenting and some who perhaps overestimated themselves and turned out to be a bit too ambitious. It was all there! We reminded the students to be proud of themselves, even if the result wasn’t as perfect as they had hoped. Just 10 weeks ago, they had no idea what they could accomplish, and from now on, it will only get better.

What did the test teach us? That the foundation is there, no matter the location. The joy is there, no matter the location. And that it’s CreaTe, no matter the location. And that’s what really matters.