Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1181966
NOVEMBER 2019 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 67 Dylan Nguyen: Exactly, or make the kite from some sort of an energy-conduct- ing material. Matties: What advice would you give a young person who wants to work on a STEM project? Dylan Nguyen: Don't be afraid of failure. Reach out and talk to experts. By working with other people, you can achieve a lot more than doing it solo. I could have borrowed a kite to test my system, but I chose to build it instead w ith the help of Rod Thrall, a master show kite builder. I sewed it at his workshop, tin- kered with parts and materials, and learned a lot along the way. The making of this proj- ect expanded my knowledge of what my kite friends do; then, I can apply it to enrich my academic life and bring kite awareness to the public. Matties: What do you think was the best advice you received for this project? Dylan Nguyen: When I talked to Mark Reed from Prism Kites, he said, "Remember that your project is in its early stages. It isn't going to work on the first try, and problems are going to come up and need to be tweaked, but keep- ing at it will make it better." Good enough isn't enough; there are always going to be ways to improve my project. Matties: You're talking about making this into product and business, which takes leadership. What do you think makes a good leader? Dylan Nguyen: A good leader isn't just someone who bosses people around and tries to take con- trol of everything. I accepted the fact that I'm new to all of this. I'm inexperienced, so being a leader is like being like a follower in that you have to rely on other people; it's not a one-man band. A leader has to know how to take insight from other people and ask for help because you can't do it on your own. Matties: One of the things about being a leader is that means people believe in you, right? Because if they don't believe in you, they're not going to follow you. A leader means that people believe in your vision. You have to attract people to what you're doing as well as inspire them. How are you going to inspire people? Dylan Nguyen: First, I have to believe in myself and that I can do it. Even if I fail, I can always try again. It's important to convey my passion to other people and not to give up. If people see me falter and not recover, they might lose faith in me. Matties: That's when people will recognize that you're human; we all make mistakes. Dylan Nguyen: But being able to get up from that with strength, dignity, and grace is when people really see who you are. Matties: Who do you most admire? Dylan Nguyen: My mom. She's the best mom I could ask for and has supported me along the way; I look up to her. My mom is strong, inde- pendent, and always happy; people gravitate toward her.