Paula sits at her station in the busy computer lab, fingers hovering over the keyboard as the screen displays a blinking cursor. Her father kneels beside her and asks, "Ready?" She nods once and looks at the covered object on her desk.
Families and teachers fill the lab, chairs scraping and voices rising. Paula pulls the cloth off her project — a small robot she built from recycled boxes and old circuit boards — and presses her palms flat against the cool table.
She presses the power button. The robot twitches, wheels spin backward, and a tangled cord snaps loose. Paula's jaw tightens as she works the cord free, fingers moving fast over the keyboard until the screen flashes green.
She flips the main switch. The robot whirs to life, lights flashing in rainbow patterns, and an animation of Paula's face appears on the screen with the words "THANK YOU, MRS. CARSON!" written in block letters. Her teacher gasps, then laughs, and her father claps his hands together.
Paula watches the crowd — her parents beaming, Mrs. Carson wiping her eyes, children crowding around the desk. The robot hums softly beside her, and she rests her hands flat on the warm table, a small smile spreading across her face.