From Struggles to Success

 WEEK 12 - With Every Challenge We Face, We Move Closer to Our Goal

This week, we didn’t have our regular in-person class due to the extended break following All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Instead of holding classes, Sir Carl posted the next topic on USTEP for us to study ahead of time. While the resources are available, most of us, myself included, have been taking this opportunity to rest and recover after the overwhelming midterms. The break has given us a much-needed chance to release the stress that’s built up over the past few weeks and prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for the finals.

On the project side, the week has largely been spent focusing on fixing issues in our app. It’s been a long and challenging process, as this is the first time we’re developing an app from scratch. With little to no prior experience in app development or Kotlin, every task feels like climbing a steep hill. The back end, in particular, has been a significant hurdle. Debugging, integrating features, and ensuring functionality have demanded a lot of time, patience, and effort from the entire team.

While it feels like progress is slow, we are indeed moving forward, bit by bit. Each error we fix and every feature we refine adds to the foundation we’re building. However, the experience has also highlighted just how steep the learning curve is for us. There’s a constant sense of trial and error, and at times, the frustration can be overwhelming. Yet, it’s also a deeply rewarding experience when things finally work as they should.

Despite the challenges, we’re trying to stay optimistic and focused. We understand that creating something as complex as an app, especially for the first time, isn’t easy. The process is teaching us resilience, problem-solving, and the importance of teamwork. While there’s still so much left to do, the progress we’ve made so far motivates us to keep pushing forward. This week may not have been the most productive in terms of output, but it’s been a time of learning, persistence, and small victories amidst the challenges.