The Yes That Took Me to Iceland: How One Idea Led to a Global Stage
June 15, 2026
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by Florence Guimont
Standing at the Gullfoss waterfall, hearing the crashing water echo through the canyon and feeling the mist settle onto my jacket, I couldn’t help thinking: I can’t believe we’re actually here. A rainbow stretched over the glacial water, and I paused to take it all in — the sense of achievement, of actually standing somewhere that once seemed impossibly far away, was overwhelming. A few months earlier, I was just a USM student-athlete wondering if taking a chance on something like this was worth squeezing into my already packed schedule. Turns out, it was.
It started with a poster — USM’s “What About This?” Innovation Challenge, featuring a scenic Icelandic landscape that immediately caught my eye. The challenge: develop a solution to a real-world problem over one weekend, with a trip to Iceland Innovation Week on the line. Still, I wasn’t sure at first. I was already balancing a heavy training schedule and a full course load. But the Iceland piece caught me. Not just the mountains and the glaciers, but the possibility of going somewhere because my team and I had earned it. It was a chance to return to Iceland with a new perspective. Even without knowing what I was stepping into, it already felt worth it.
The moment we received the problem statement, everything shifted into motion. The next 72 hours were filled with brainstorming, debating, redirecting, and trying to turn a rough idea into something real. At first, our ideas were broad and unorganized — we were just throwing our thoughts around and trying to land on a problem worth solving.
As the weekend went on, the pieces started falling into place. The problem we identified started to feel both real and urgent: millions of people globally lack access to prosthetics, while the ocean is filled with discarded plastic. That’s when it hit us: what if one solution could address both problems? The idea evolved quickly and resulted in OceanCycle Prosthetics: a concept built around reclaiming ocean plastic from fishing waste and repurposing it into affordable prosthetic components.
What I learned about myself that weekend is that progress doesn’t come from perfect alignment — it comes from learning how to work through uncertainty, different perspectives, and imperfect moments, and continue moving forward.
The day of the pitch, I found myself filled with nerves and adrenaline. After 72 hours of work, we had just a few minutes in front of the judges. We weren’t the most polished presenters in the room, and we didn’t look as “put together” as some of the other teams, but when the judges started asking questions, we knew our idea inside out and could explain exactly how it worked. While the judges deliberated, the wait felt endless. I was crossing my fingers, hoping to hear our team’s name. When they called it, I didn’t hesitate. I jumped up and cheered — we were going to Iceland.
The trip was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. We explored the country’s amazing landscapes, and were completely immersed in Icelandic culture. We moved between conference sessions, startup tours, and moments of just taking it all in — experiencing a country that seemed to run entirely on geothermal energy and ambition.
We visited Iceland’s Ocean Cluster, where they explained their mantra of “We use 100% of the fish” — showing us the products made from fish remnants. The CEO led the tour, and was so impressed with our idea that she gave us her business card in case we ever wanted to become a startup.
We toured Reykjavik University, where we got to meet and present to students who had won their own school’s innovation challenge. Later in the week, we attended Iceland Innovation Week, where investors gathered to pitch and hear new business ideas. Seeing the drive behind each presenter was inspiring — it made me realize this could be me someday. Hearing how differently teams approached their problems reinforced that there is never just one “right” path to a solution.
Beyond innovation week, we explored the Golden Circle of Iceland: Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir named Strokkur, a tomato greenhouse, the Kerid Crater, and the powerful Gullfoss waterfall, each place showing a different side of Iceland’s raw natural landscape. We also went to the Sky Lagoon, which is a spa powered by geothermal energy. During the week, we tried out various Icelandic specialties like reindeer, yogurt cake, beef cheeks, and more.
The conversations I had that week — with founders, researchers, and students from other countries — made one thing clear: everyone was solving real problems. I started to think differently about innovation — not as something out of reach, but as something that starts with curiosity and a willingness to act.
Opportunities like this rarely feel perfectly timed — but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth taking. Standing in front of Gullfoss, watching the water pour endlessly over the edge and the sunlight hit the landscape, made everything feel real — it was a reminder of how far a single decision can take you. Sometimes the risk is worth it. What you get back can’t be measured — it’s finding yourself in places that once only existed on posters, realizing you almost never took the chance.
Don’t overthink the yes. The moments that end up meaning the most usually start as the ones you almost talked yourself out of. So if not now, when?
