Beam Me Up

Over 60% of young people report feeling lonely, most of whom also report feeling embarrassed to reach out.

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Inspiration

As international students, we know firsthand how challenging it can be to navigate mental health while being far from home. Time zone differences, packed schedules, and physical distance can make reaching out feel overwhelming. But we also recognize that these struggles are not just ours—mental health challenges affect everyone, no matter their background.

That’s why we’re creating a space where everyone feels heard, understood, and supported. No one should have to face their challenges alone, and with this platform, they won’t have to.

What it does

Our app provides a safe and supportive space for users to track and share their emotions while staying connected with friends.

  • Daily Mood Logging: Users can log their emotions each day, with the option to attach a photo to capture the moment.
  • Stay Connected: Friends can see each other’s mood updates and photos, fostering a sense of support and understanding.
  • Friendly Check-ins: Users can gently prompt friends to update their mood, encouraging openness and connection.
  • AI-Powered Conversations: A built-in AI chatbot (Gemini) offers a space to talk about feelings, receive advice, and find support anytime.
  • Mood Reflection: Users can look back on their emotional journey and revisit past mood entries and photos.

How we built it

We started by brainstorming and refining our ideas, deciding which features to implement now and which to save for future development. Once we had a clear vision, we divided tasks based on our strengths and interests.

Collaboration was key—we communicated regularly, sharing updates and feedback while pushing and pulling code from our repository. Through teamwork and continuous iteration, we brought our vision to life, ensuring a seamless and meaningful user experience.

Challenges we ran into

  • Learning a New Tech Stack: Not everyone on the team was familiar with the MERN stack, making development more challenging as we had to learn on the go.
  • First Hackathon Experience: As first-time hackathon participants, we struggled to determine which technologies best suited our project.
  • High Learning Curve: Adapting to new tools and frameworks in a short time required extra effort and collaboration.
  • Project Scope & Time Management: We had many ideas but limited time, making it difficult to prioritize features and keep the project organized.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Mastering a New Tech Stack: Despite initial struggles, we successfully built our project using the MERN stack, learning and applying new skills along the way.
  • Navigating Our First Hackathon: We stepped out of our comfort zones, explored different technologies, and figured out the best tools for our project.
  • Overcoming a High Learning Curve: Through collaboration and persistence, we quickly adapted to new frameworks and development processes.
  • Effective Project Management: We learned to prioritize features, streamline our ideas, and stay focused within the time constraints.
  • Improving GitHub & Terminal Skills: We became more comfortable with version control, pushing and pulling code, and resolving merge conflicts efficiently.

What we learned

  • New Technologies & Implementation: Some of us explored new tech by watching tutorials and seeking guidance from mentors, while others learned to integrate tools like Gemini and MongoDB.
  • Improved GitHub & Terminal Skills: We became more confident with version control, handling commits, branches, and resolving merge conflicts efficiently.
  • Strategic Decision-Making: We learned to balance ambition with practicality, prioritizing features based on time constraints and project goals.
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