I’ve always been able to identify areas for my own improvement, and this project was no exception. 

When collaborating — especially on larger scale projects (such as radio plays) I do what I think is right in the moment, and later see what I could’ve done better.

I expected to look back and instantly see my mistakes. But this time, I saw something different.

Hey Boomer was a unique project, as our final product was a unique way to share what we’d learned about the 1950s — especially the post-war era. Our story followed two siblings who got trapped inside of a radio show in the 1950s, and ended up transforming the town.

My role in the creation of the play was a new kind of role for me. I was technically the overall directly responsible individual (DRI) for the project. That meant I wasn’t directly writing or editing sound — my job was staying more zoomed out.

My role was to focus on the bigger picture, and build the foundation of our story with Izzy and Esther — the other two people on the production team.

The majority of our work was really just keeping everything organized, asking and answering questions, and giving others feedback. And honestly, I loved it.

I wanted to be the producer because I knew that it would be an amazing learning experience. Which is really my goal at the end of the day.

Producing would present me with interesting opportunities and challenges to identify and improve my shortcomings — while demonstrating and developing my stronger skills.

Especially in communication.

In some ways I’ve always been a good communicator, and in a lot of ways I have a lot to improve on.

Hey Boomer really helped me develop the subtler sides of communication, like making sure you are being as clear as possible — or maintaining your composure in stressful situations.

One of our biggest jobs as the production team was reviewing scripts and ensuring continuity. Which itself presented an opportunity to learn more about how others in the PLP 10 cohort thought.

This project didn’t just help me with communicating; it helped me get to know and understand my peers even more.

Our end product itself was an extraordinary method to output our knowledge about the 1950s — the post-war aspect specifically. As it allowed us to take our own understanding of the post-war effects and build an idea around it.

If there was one thing I could improve, it would be my own writing.

I feel like I didn’t appreciate writing as much as I typically do, I saw it as an obstacle; not as a method of expression or communication. Which led to an over-reliance on Artificial Intelligence and work that I was not satisfied with.

I’ve talked a lot about how much quality means to me and working on using my own voice. But truthfully, I didn’t live up to that in my writing this time. I leaned too much on AI — not out of laziness, but because I didn’t feel confident in what I was writing. 

It felt easier. Safer. But when I read it back, I realized it didn’t sound like me. And that stung a bit. I wasn’t proud of the final result, even though it technically worked. It reminded me that writing isn’t just a skill — it’s a way to own your ideas. I’ve grown a lot as a communicator during this project, and now I know that means trusting my own words too.

I loved this project — a lot more than I thought I did before writing this.

All the talking, reading, and collaborating really made me realize how strong we are as a cohort.

For that I say, thanks PLP 10.