We Fail Fast Too: A Team Built on Ingenuity and Friendship

Meet We Fail Fast Too, the high school team from St. Thomas Academy who conquered the Winona Make48 challenge and are now headed to Nationals! We had the chance to catch up with the team to get the inside scoop on their winning project, their favorite memories, and what they've learned along the way.

We Fail Fast Too

The Team's Perspective

Advisor Mark Westlake returned to the Make48 competition with a new cohort of high school students: Colin Shea, Cory Bustamante Chicaiza, and Leo Cleary. With this being Mark's second time competing, he returned with a brand new, highly motivated group, confident that their innovative spirit would land them at the top.

The students unanimously highlighted the process and time constraint as their favorite aspects of the challenge. Colin noted he loved the "crunch for time," while Cory enjoyed "building the prototype within the time limit." Leo valued the opportunity to go "start to finish on an idea," covering the entire process from "coming up with a problem and solution and building it and pitching it." Mark echoed this sentiment, stating he loved "watching the students solve a problem with the invention design process."

Their winning idea for the Fastenal challenge was a standout for its simplicity and flexibility. According to Colin, the team "always made sure to keep our design as simple and understandable for all." Cory added that the product could be used "not only on the manufacturing floor but in other places such as workers’ spaces." Leo provided a deeper look at their innovation, noting that even against another RFID-based idea, their design stood apart by being "as easy as possible to install and instantly make any machine safer in seconds." He believes the judges recognized how well they pushed that point in their video and pitch.

When it came to their best memories, friendship and fun were key. Colin's best memory was "having fun with my friends," while Cory loved "working with my friends to build and shoot the ad." Leo's best memory was "working side by side with three great and talented innovators and having fun while doing it." 

He noted that the team "kept it light and did not get stressed out and kept having fun like when we made a propeller hat." For Mark, the best memory was watching the team's final presentation video, which was so good it made him "laugh out loud during the pitch."

Team with Jennifer Harnisch at the Fastenal Museum

Mentors, Education, and Unique Strengths

When asked who they look up to, the students cited influential figures in their education. Colin looks up to his advisor, Mark, for being "mind-blowingly intelligent yet incredibly humble." Cory admires his teacher, Señora Mancebo, for her hard work and dedication. Leo admires his freshman English teacher, now the Dean of Students, who "made me and everyone feel heard and valued" and taught him to "think critically and stay strong in my convictions."

The students are also proud of their achievements outside of Make48. Both Colin and Cory mentioned winning the Shell Eco Marathon. Leo is extremely proud of making his school’s varsity cross-country skiing team in his first year of trying the sport. He believes the experience of persisting and rapidly improving is important to him, showing the same dedication he brought to Make48.

Tom and Amy Gray with the winners of Winona Competition, We Fail Fast Too

When asked about a subject they think should be in school, all four members of the team had an answer focused on critical thinking and real-world skills. Mark believes that teaching students about "invention and intellectual property" is crucial. Cory and Colin both stressed the need for engineering/design courses, with Colin suggesting a teaching style that grades on "effort and problem solving rather than pure result." Leo proposed philosophy as an underrepresented subject, taught with an emphasis on "analysis and objective thinking" to help students "look at things more objectively and critically" and speak deeply on complex topics.

Finally, the team members shared their favorite things about themselves. Colin is proud of his "perseverance and determination." Cory values his "work ethic." Mark likes that he's "creative......and I can fix things!" Leo credits his success to his curiosity, which drives him to explore countless hobbies from leatherworking to playing the drums.

It's clear that this team's success is not just about their invention, but also about their dedication, diverse skill sets, and the supportive environment they create. We can't wait to see what We Fail Fast Too accomplishes at Nationals!

Good luck to We Fail Fast Too at Nationals!