STEM LA: Discover Your STEM Future in LA County

In areas like South Central and Watts, it's hard to find nearby STEM opportunities. What about having an all-in-one, easy-to-use, and bilingual website that offers nearby and personalized options?

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After endlessly scrolling online for free STEM opportunities, I was fed up. When you typed in a search bar, you're met with many results, most of them not even related to what you want to find. When you would find a website that seems related to what you are searching for, you're led to a long and confusing process of looking for what STEM opportunity the description mentioned. The only chances I was able to find a proper STEM opportunity was through word of mouth, which is quite limited, especially in low-income areas like Watts and South Central. I found my peers faced with the same issues as me. This led to the inspiration for STEM LA: Discover Your STEM Future in LA County. A simple, yet efficient guide for finding your perfect STEM opportunity. From programs, clubs, internships, events, and even workshops, we have it all. All you have to do is enter your ZIP code and you'll find various results. If you want to further personalize your options, simply filter through what type of opportunity you're interested in, the distance you're willing to travel, and a short quiz to find your STEM pathway (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Additionally, if you do not speak English, with the simple press of a button, the entire website will switch to Spanish, making it friendly for Spanish-speaking immigrant parents looking for a STEM opportunity for their child. This website was designed with the help of Lovable, an AI assistant that helps beginner coders develop the website or app of their choice. Through various prompting techniques and editing snippets of code, this website was created. This was a lengthy process, especially since the AI won't do all the work for you. I experienced multiple small errors when testing the website and I would have to find the file where the bug was and make edits. An example was the filter not working and listing no options for the ZIP codes. With the help of AI, I was able to find that a file in the program had code significantly limiting the options available to the user, so I had to manually add more opportunity options. Despite this, I was able to get it done which is what I am most proud of doing. I am also proud that it is fully functioning and will be able to help students in South LA who may struggle with technology or not speak English. Through this experience, I learned how to properly manage my time so that I can submit this project before the deadline. Currently, STEM LA: Discover Your STEM Future in LA County is what I would call a minimal lovable product which is a simple and straight to the point project with it's main features set. In the future, this website can include more languages to translate to, expand to other areas other than LA County, and provide rewards for STEM students who participate in opportunities listed in the website.

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