My Honours
Journey
Reece Barker · Computer Science · Show & Tell 2026
Eight chapters. One honest story. Scroll to drive through them.
- 90% attendance — every Tuesday from 16:00
- Personal website as final deliverable
- Learning question: tech & carbon footprint
- SDG 7, 12, 13 — clean energy focus
- Show up actively, not just quietly
- IDG strength to build: deep listening
It took the whole year to figure out what "what holds you back" actually meant.
Surgery covered 3. The rest connects directly to the personal learning question.
What a good life looks like — someone with very little can be living better through connection, purpose, presence.
Went home trying to spot it in people. Still catch myself doing it.
Wrote that I want what my dad has. First time that went on paper. The goal isn't rich — just a proper life.
Hearing it from someone actually affected and passionate — not just a book. Oppression of women. A country seen through one narrow lens.
The gap between the Africa shown (famines, no water) and the reality.
Made something in Blender. Not good, but made it — which surprised him. Not a creative person by nature.
Can still tell you what every presenter said, months later. That's what presence actually looks like.
- AI energy consumption — what running large models actually costs
- Cloud storage environmental footprint
- Data centres — which companies take responsibility for power sourcing
- Format: Kahoot quiz + group discussion + videos + check-in/check-out
"Definitely during your lecture — up until that point you had been a man of very few words."
IDG: Thinking ★ · Growth: Collaborating
"If you think you could've done better, why haven't you — and why wait until next year?"
"You prefer to stay in the background a lot. I think if you had been there I believe you changed."
IDG: Thinking ★ · Growth: Acting
"I was quite impressed by your knowledge — sustainable technology was an interesting topic."
IDG: Thinking ★ · Growth: Acting
Mascha's letter exercise — wrote that the goal is what my dad has. Not rich, just a proper life. First time that went on paper.
Actually researched the environmental cost of software properly when preparing the lecture. All three peers confirmed without knowing the others said it.
Can still recall what every presenter said months later. Listening works even when everything else isn't.
Ran a full session — Kahoot, discussion, videos, check-in and out. Not comfortable. Did it. All three named it as the standout moment.
All three peers flagged this as the growth area. Not claiming growth that isn't there.
| Topic | Sep 2025 | Jun 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance | 90% | 76% — honest |
| Deliverable | Website planned | You're in it |
| Learning Q | Carbon & tech | Why pressure? |
| Participation | Active, not quiet | Back too often |
| SDGs | Named 3 | Ran a session on them |
Stress made it easier to disappear than deal with both. Performing only under pressure runs across more than just Honours. First year: Cum Laude. Clearly capable. But Honours didn't have hard deadlines the same way.
The coach said explicitly: it's okay to include things you didn't achieve. "That's not a moral failure." Putting the gap on screen in front of the people grading you is exactly what Honours is for.
I know I'm capable. The attendance, the late website, the quiet year — none of that is lack of ability. It's a pattern I recognise now.
Devin asked why I'd wait until next year to do better. I didn't.
The gap between what I promised and what happened says more about me than hitting 90% ever would.