Inspiration
Our inspiration comes primarily from the personal experiences of ourselves and those around us. What’s consistently made a difference isn't just access to information — it's real success stories, clear and relatable advice, and steps that feel manageable rather than overwhelming. We wanted to create a centralized web app that addresses all the emotional and technical aspects of career empowerment: from tailored resources based on specific challenges, to a timeline for appreciating personal wins, and a supportive forum where users can both seek and share motivation.
What it does
HerWay is a self-empowerment platform designed to help women feel more confident and supported when applying for jobs and consistently taking initiative in their career progression. Some standout features include:
-A personalized homepage with an individualized timeline of achievements, rotational affirmations, and a mental health support chatbot -A resource navigator that curates useful resources based on user-selected professional areas of weaknesses -A forum-style wall for users to share motivational advice and real success stories, along with features to connect with others outside of the web app. -API-powered goal breakdowns that turn user-inputted goals into step-by-step action plans
How we built it
We used HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the frontend, and built the backend using Python and Flask. We stored and loaded user data using JSON files, and implemented API functionality using the OpenAI API to generate personalized step-by-step goal breakdowns and provide a mental health support chatbot.
Challenges we ran into
One of our biggest challenges was integrating the OpenAI API into our Flask backend due to our first-time exposure to the tool. We also struggled initially with data persistence across pages; starting with JavaScript's localStorage, then transitioning to Flask sessions and JSON-based storage to handle user input more reliably. Designing the app to be both functional and emotionally impactful in regards to our overall goal took several rounds of initial ideation as well.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We’re proud not only of successfully developing a full-stack application, but of building one that reflects a meaningful goal: helping women feel prepared and powerful while applying for jobs and taking further steps in their career. We were able to bring together genuine inspiration, functionality, and target user considerations in one cohesive platform. Overcoming technical obstacles with Flask, sessions, and third-party APIs in a limited time also helped us learn to be more adaptable in problem-solving.
What we learned
We gained a deeper understanding of Flask routing and how to use JSON files efficiently to store and retrieve data when a full database isn't needed. We also learned how to implement and test out an external API workflow end-to-end. Finally, we learned how important small user interaction details are when your product is built to empower real people.
What's next for HerWay
Some ideal iterations that we would want to implement includes building out a user account system with database integration so individuals can store and view long-term growth. Additionally, we would like to expand HerWords into a fuller community hub with categorical Q&A, upvoting, and advice filtering. Finally, we would like to highlight featured stories of real users who’ve reached their milestones in order to reinforce our app's message.
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