By: Lola S.
I realized my true potential and passion because of my experiences with Coded by.
From a young age, I have always been curious to try different things even if I might not be familiar with them. Looking back, one of those curious choices led me to Coded by. In 2022 I took a chance and applied for Cb’s Tech and Innovation Internship and now, a few years and several Cb: programs later, I have made long-lasting connections that I feel very privileged to have.
.jpeg)
Intro to Tech: UI/UX Design
My first venture with Coded by: was my junior year of high school. I was searching for something to do over the summer so I could keep myself busy and have something cool to put on my resume. That is when my friend told me about the Cb: Tech and Innovation Internship program, offered to high school and college students in the Philadelphia area. On the flyer, they listed possible positions being a UI/UX designer and a developer. I assumed that coding was not my element, and even though I had no idea what the UI/UX position entailed, I knew that I wanted to design. I applied for the UI/UX position because I loved making art so working whilst doing art was a dream come true and with some interviews, I got in. Those following eight weeks in the hot summer led me to discover such a different view of what I knew.
The team we were assigned consisted of two developers and three designers who had the goal of creating a project that we could be proud of. We were also tasked to work with designated mentors to guide us because we were so new to this field. I found out that UI/UX actually meant user interface and experience, and that I was supposed to design the layout of the product we were making. My team decided to work on a Chrome extension that would help students keep track of their time and tasks whilst taking care of a digital pet. For the project, my side of the work had to do with design and more specifically the look and functionality of the extension with the team. I learned how to use many different platforms, like Figma, Canva, and Miro, to achieve what our product looked like. Without prior experience to help me, I referred back to my manager Jasmine for endless questions and my cooperative team to keep me on track. In the end, it paid off and we made a Chrome extension called Prodo.
Throughout the internship, we had many resources available at our fingertips to access. For example, we had our mentors as well as networking opportunities to connect with industry professionals. The networking opportunities allowed us to talk about our project to get important feedback needed for our success. After we had finished with our prototype, we presented it to our mentors and the company and that concluded our project, but not my curiosity.
Expanding to Entrepreneurship
After this internship, I was left wondering, what more could I do? Design was cool but what else could I try? In school, I took a computer science class because I wanted to continue the tech path that Cb: had exposed me to, fueling my passion. I learned some basic Javascript and decided to try out for the Innovation League that fall. In a team of four, we came up with a product that would help our client with her trouble taking public transit. Our concept was an app called Commune to keep track of transit dangers and alert users of what was happening as they were waiting for their delayed train, bus, or trolley. Again, we had resources available but also the freedom to approach the project however we wanted. Our team did face a few challenges like communicating and working together, which taught me how to lead a team and to motivate my teammates to push through. With some help from our mentors, we had a presentation and a prototype that won us second place.
.jpeg)
Learning Leadership with Product Management
Innovation League allowed me to learn more about how to lead a team properly to make a successful prototype. I decided to continue with the Cb: path yet again and applied for the new position of Tech and Innovation internship which was Product Manager. The whole process started up again but in a different format. Things were more structured and there were four different teams with one developer, one designer, and one project manager. We were all working on projects that we had much interest in. My team decided to do a website that helped farmers sell their surplus produce and get their food out to the people who needed it before it spoiled. Again we talked to industry professionals like Coca-Cola distribution center, Comcast Team-Up, and TD Bank employees to gain information from people who have experience to give constructive feedback for our project. Those 8 weeks again exposed me to the field of technology and assisted me in choosing a potential major to continue my studies in secondary school.
Up Next: Development
Originally I had planned to pursue a business major, but after doing three different programs with Cb, I decided to continue the path of tech. Software engineering and coding was the next stop. I realized that was the side of tech I hadn’t yet delved into, but with my experience with Cb: and math through school, I was confident to step into that world. I am now a freshman at Drexel University as a Software Engineering major with my lessons from Cb: as my backbone. This huge change came because of how much of a positive encounter I had with tech due to Coded by. I would have never discovered this side of myself if I never dared to apply to be a part of the summer internship program as a designer. So I thank the Cb: family and the friends I have made throughout this journey for letting me discover my true passion.
