It’s winter break time for us IIT kids! Having break start a week earlier than most schools definitely has its perks, the main one being staying indoors while the Chicago weather plummets to -5°F. But while we may be freezing, our team is just warming up! It’s cool to see how our plans are actually coming to a point where we’re turning in our final proposals. Just a few weeks ago we were having a Google Hangout fantasizing about being chosen as a participant!

Our team dynamic is interesting, in the best kind of way: ¾ of us aren’t even from the United States. Bogdan is from Lithuania, George and Marcelle are from Syria, and even I (Rani) come from an Indian background even though I’m born and raised in the US. What makes this interesting is that we all share the same goal even though we all have different majors, different first languages, and different countries which we call home… which is awesome because we get to test out new recipes all.the.time. (According to Marcelle, Sabra hummus is pretty close to tasting authentic. Stock up people!)

Tackling the national debt may seem to be an unconventional issue that the four of us have decided to approach, but we understand that it’s our future. Not only our future, but also the students who attend our university long after we’ve graduated! Our friends, family,and fellow UpToUs’ers, literally everyone around us, is going to feel the effects of a government with a large deficit. To us, it’s more than just winning a competition; it’s about educating the people we’re building a future with. We are so PUMPED to get this started and are excited to see what our team is capable of doing. Good luck everyone, and stay warm.