Inspiration:
We were inspired by the challenges first-generation low-income (FGLI) students experience in pursuing higher education. Our goal was to build a platform that would offer them the necessary financial planning tools and resources to help them succeed.
What it does:
Finance Forward has a variety of features that have been gamified to keep students interested:
- Budget Tracker
- Scholarship List
- Resource Hub
How we built it:
We built the project using ReactJS for the front end due to the easy state management. We built the backend with Mongodb and also express.js due to the variety of tutorials for them out there. We used git and github for version control and collaboration. We also used various npm libraries like tip tap - which allowed us to create a custom rich text editor and reader to display our articles and dynamically create them.
Challenges we ran into:
One of the most difficult problems was ensuring all functions were user-friendly and connected seamlessly. We also had difficulty collecting correct scholarship data and efficiently applying gamified aspects. And selecting what features to add to the app and how to carry out specific tasks. We had alot of difficulty coding the project due to us all being beginners. We came into the project to one person with basic react knowledge and learned a lot about using it. We also had no idea how to build a backend and we had to watch various tutorials to incorporate it in our project. The hardest part of the coding is debugging since our code would have various bugs that would take hours to debug, some of which we had to implement unconventional solutions for.
Accomplishments that we're proud of:
We are happy to have developed a comprehensive and engaging platform that meets the financial planning and college application needs of FGLI students. Our team worked well together and overcame technical obstacles to produce a viable product.
What we learned:
Throughout this project, we learned about the importance of financial literacy for FGLI students and the value of accessible resources. We also gained experience in front-end and back-end development, teamwork, and project management.
What's next:
In the future, we plan to expand the platform's features, such as adding a scholarship application tracker, incorporating more gamified elements, and partnering with organizations to provide additional resources and support for FGLI students. In the future we also plan to make the website more responsive for mobile especially the home page because right now it's using absolute positioning and might not work on smaller or way bigger screens.
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