Randy Pausch-The Last Lecture: Making Your Childhood Dreams Come True Prashant Malyala Randy Pausch was a computer science professor who did pioneering work in human-computer interaction and in virtual reality at Carnegie Mellon University. The last lecture, which covered a variety of topics, was an extravagant and passionate speech given by Dr. Pausch that truly reflects his courage and leadership. The discussion is summarized in the following paragraphs along with comparisons to Kouzes and Posner's leadership model and how I can take these strong guiding life principles and put them into practice in my life. The speech is about the importance of overcoming obstacles, making other people's dreams come true and truly enjoying every single moment of life. The speech follows a sequence of events starting with Dr. Pausch's childhood dreams that reflect his self-awareness as he talks about various life lessons learned and how one's life is shaped and shaped by various life experiences both good and bad . Dr. Pausch lists his childhood dreams and walks the audience through what he learned from each of those dreams in both achieving them and failing to achieve them while trying. Some of his dreams include experiencing zero gravity, publishing articles in the World Book Encyclopedia, and winning stuffed animals at theme parks, which he accomplishes in life and speaks to the sense of accomplishment and pride you feel in accomplishing something you always have desired like a child. For example, when his research group submitted a proposal for the "Vomit Comet" project to NASA, Dr. Pausch discovered that only students could experience the zero-gravity portion of the program. Nonetheless he relentlessly pursues the challenge to the process while ensuring innovation... middle of paper... the Entertainment Technology Center knowing that he himself had an important role to play in its success. Pausch states that every individual will show their good side if we wait patiently and that no individual is pure evil. I think this is something I can really apply in my life, as I am a person who forms an opinion about someone very quickly and finds it very difficult to change it in due time. The concept that brick walls in life are there to show dedication and make you stubborn is also something I will remember in life moving forward. This lecture given by Dr. Pausch truly shows courage, appreciation for life and the very simple concept of "work hard and have fun doing it" which results in great success. A very tear-jerking watch, but it conveys a strong life message and made me reflect on my life and see things in a positive light.