Seismic Design Competition was one of the biggest opportunities of my life from an educational, social and cultural point of view. When I applied I knew it was going to be an interesting experience but I never imagined what impact it would have on me. One of the major things I learned is actually how little I know, not just about earthquake engineering but about engineering itself, hence the need to better myself. That “simple” balsa structure made me and my colleagues feel helpless more than once, when dealing with the challenges that it presented to us. From our many deadlines I found out that I can achieve a great deal of things in a limited amount of time, how to better manage my schedule, and that in order to win some you must lose some. Team work has taught me a very important lesson, mostly things that I need to change about myself, a lesson about friendship and acceptance despite different opinions and the occasional arguments. This competition was the starting point for getting a job at one of the biggest companies in the world, where this kind of work is appreciated and rewarded. I am very thankful for the chance I was given and for the amazing memories I created.