Week 1

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To Code or Not to Code, That is my biggest procrastination!

Ahhh coding, where to start? I can definitely say I am excited about the opportunity that Empowered has presented and allowed me to be apart of, but I can be honest and say I was not expecting some of the things that I have encountered this week. Coding has honestly taught me a lot of things about myself and more importantly about the skills that I do not and do posses as a student and learner of a new skill.

One, I am not very patient; at some point I become frustrated with the long explanations for a simple two word .html tag. Two, Copy, Paste, and Undo are my new best friends. Three, if you let Nick get the best of you he’ll take you down and not offer a hand for you to get up! Thank God for technology and Treehouse for gracing us with a ‘rewind for 10 seconds’ button because sometimes the speed Nick talks at is outrageous!

I have learned that I must not be defeated by my own mistakes and I must keep trying until I get it right because eventually everything will work itself out. Being able to access help at any time when I find myself struggling is a vital key to my self-motivation to keep trying until I figure it out or someone helps me figure it out.  Joshua Jacob once said, “Help is always closer than you think!” Empowered has given me a support system and the confidence to start something new.

 

Week 2

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I have to give week two its props and say that I’m glad it went easy on me. Week two was less work intensive but I know that’ll change in the following weeks with all the exciting projects we have coming up. This morning a fellow empowerment (see what I did there?) shared her story and honestly, it’s something that is going to stick with me. Her strength and ability to keep pushing forward no matter what obstacles are placed in her way has inspired me. You never truly know what someone is going through until they open up. Which is why I’m glad that I had the opportunity to open up a new segment to the group today. Be Empowered Bonding was a hit! I’m so glad that we get the chance to just hang out and talk without it being lunch time or the little moments we have before speakers/presenters. The ability to please everyone and grow closer together outside of coding is something that I believe is vital to the success of this program. I’m excited for the opportunities that have been presented to us thus far and I can’t wait to see the outcomes. I’m so thankful for these bonds that I’m forming and despite the challenges we face along the way it is all going to work out! Louisa Mary Alcott once said, “I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.

Week 3

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So this week has brought some highlights and some low ones. First, our meeting with Doe Anderson was not as exciting as I thought but it was insightful and I am glad I had the experience. I scored MAJOR brownie points with the CEO!!! (Initiate happy dance). I’m excited for the different projects that have been gave to me and I can’t wait to see the outcomes. I’m also very grateful for the people I have met and the opportunities they have presented me. Above all, this program has implemented so  many changes within me and my character. It was so great to be able to grow with new people and find things I never thought I’d ever do or try.

Week 4

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This week I was out of the office for a little vacay time. It was great to escape work and spend time with friends and explore Myrtle Beach. I can’t say that it was all play and no work,though. It was weird to be out of the office and somewhere where I had close to zero service for a week. Thank God for mobile data! I was able to do a bit of treehouse and communicate with my partners on our collab projects for the next two weeks. I can’t lie, I was definitely ready to be home again by the end of the week. I’m more of a homebody and love to be with my mom and friends back home.  There’s no off time when you’ve got a project that has a close deadline! My fingers are crossed, hoping that we pull through and everything will be a-okay!

Week 5

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This week had put us all through the ringer! Let’s just say for our deadline to be next Wednesday, things are definitely not on the bright side. Although, they have been getting better as we progress and fix our issues one by one. The hardest part of this process is remaining motivated and optimistic about the outcome of our projects and that we will beat the time crunch. I’m excited to meet with our woman entrepreneur on Monday and get started on her website. It’s sort of difficult considering it has to be done in less than two weeks but I think Akwelle and I can beat the challenge! Empowered has been such a great experience and I’m glad I got this opportunity, I’m so psyched to see what it grows into and hopefully we’ll get to come back and visit next year! Even if not, I will always remember the lessons and friends that I have made while here. This experience has been unforgettable.

Week 6

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So I was definitely nervous for our meeting at Doe Anderson, especially saying “uhm” while presenting. Thank God I only said it twice and I didn’t totally bomb my presentation or embarrass myself.  I’m glad I had this experience and that our website turned out so well. Destinee was a great partner and I loved that our ideas formulated together to make such a great product. If I could change one thing about our presentation it would maybe be moving around some and making more audience engagement. I’m happy that I got the chance to experience the ins and outs of a corporate business meeting and then marketing aspects that go along with rebranding a foundation. I hope to further advance our web design and hopefully work on more projects for Sam and other people of the business world. I’m just really ecstatic that we were able to impress them and change their initial thoughts about us and the work we could do. Today I felt truly empowered.