Latimer Heights Reflection

Manan Gosalia

August 19, 2020

Latimer Heights Reflection

Over the summer of 2020, I participated in a summer internship program associated with Latimer Heights, which is a creative code/physical computing organization inspired by Lewis Latimer. During the internship, I learned a lot of new skills, based on programming and STEAM. These include reviewing JavaScript as well as learning how to code in Python. I also learned real-world skills, such as time management, communication, and problem-solving. From participating in this internship, I enjoyed the experience, as it helped me enhance and review my abilities for the tech and real world.

The first part of the internship was getting to know the programming language called Python. Before coming into the internship, I already had some experience in Python, which helped me a lot as I knew the basics of it. We had to use an online IDE called Repl.it, which was great for me too as I already had experience with it. The program required the interns to complete assignments and projects. For some assignments, we had already been given the code and just had to remix it, but for others, we had to fully make the entire program from scratch. This made me understand the code we were using but also gave a challenging and creative experience. The first project was called Movie Ticket. In this project, we were asked to let the user input their specific concessions. These included if they wanted to see an IMAX movie, wanted popcorn or wanted a drink. The program would then run in a loop if the user said “yes” to any following question. After picking their options, the program finally printed its total movie ticket price. From doing these projects, I enjoyed the experience of coding in Python, as I learned new commands, incorporated looping, and learned how to debug my program efficiently.

The next part of the internship was getting to know the programming language called JavaScript. Like Python, I already had experience with JavaScript, which also helped me a lot. For JavaScript, we had to use an online IDE called p5js. Before coming to the internship, I had never previously used p5js, but once I started using it, I soon realized that it was a library that made it easy to use JavaScript for creative coding. Just like the Python work, we were given assignments that we just had to remix or create from scratch. One of these projects included creating an entire website that contained all our work. To create this, some of the code was given to us, but we had to make the website ours. This also incorporated the use of HTML and CSS. I first made the background change different colors. I then incorporated the marquee tag to move certain words across the screen. Finally, I chose to make 3 different buttons that would lead to a Google Docs file that contained all my work, which were called Python, JavaScript, and Projects. For me, this project was enjoyable, as I got to unleash my creativity, which was what this internship was ultimately about. Another project we had to complete was called Fashion Innovation. In this, we had to use another online coding platform which was called Scratch. I had a lot of experience with Scratch, so I knew how and where to work. For this project, we had to create a character with different outfits. The user would then click on different parts of the character, which would make it say something. From working with JavaScript, I found it hard before, as I didn’t get some parts of the code, but from doing this internship, I found it much easier, as I had gained a lot of knowledge and experience.

During the internship, communication was a huge aspect. The whole experience was virtual, which was something new for all of us. Before starting, I thought that we would have trouble conversing our problems with one another. However, to my surprise, it was relatively alright, as we could email each other or ask for help through Zoom calls or in our Google Classroom. Although it was sometimes a bit hard learning online, it was also beneficial as we could be flexible with our time and could balance when we would work and rest.

Before coming to the internship, I already had a year’s worth of experience in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I also had 2 months of experience with Python. This made it easier for me to get a hang of different aspects of coding, as I had already gained an understanding of certain commands and syntaxes. This also made me improve in my coding abilities, as I revamped and refreshed my mind on the different languages.

Once I am finished working with this internship, I want to move on and work in the tech industry, as I am interested in that field and feel like technology is the future. Once I am done with high school, I would like to study tech-related courses in college, such as computer science, information technology, and UX design, but have not decided yet as to which one I will go for. Looking further, once I am done with college, I would like to get a job in the tech industry as well, and utilize the skills I have learned and obtained to further my comprehension and expectations.

There were a lot of skills that I learned from this internship that were instrumental for me to pursue my dream job in technology. One of these includes being able to problem-solve efficiently. Code is usually written to solve a problem, and a computer scientist needs to have the ability to identify certain problems, while also determining the most productive way to assimilate and resolve them. Another skill I obtained is the ability to stay organized. Programming can be a love-hate relationship, which means being organized can not only help to break up complex tasks into much more achievable components but can also increase productivity. This makes you save more time looking for code that does not work rather than spending a lot of time trying to find a certain syntax error where the code is unorganized.

Overall, I liked this internship and felt it was a great way for me to learn and show the skills I obtained from the past and present. I feel like this internship helped steer me on to the right track of learning and pursuing a career in technology, not only for the short-term but also for the long-term as well.