Trimester 1

Trimester 1

Tools, Fundamentals & Game Development

Trimester in Review

This trimester went far beyond learning syntax or writing JavaScript. The biggest lesson was developing a coder's mindset—breaking problems into manageable steps, failing fast to learn quickly, and tracking down elusive syntax errors in large files. CSSE 1 taught me a set of habits and tools that I'll carry forward long after the class is over.

Key Takeaways

  • Worked comfortably with an operating system and developer toolchain.
  • Balanced multiple roles: teacher, collaborator, and learner.
  • Embraced patience and incremental progress instead of rushing to finish.
  • Planned projects more realistically—and learned from the times I didn't.

Below are some highlights from the journey.

My First Project: All About Me

One of my very first projects this trimester was the All About Me page—a personal introduction built right in this portfolio repo. It was my first real hands-on experience with HTML, CSS, and deploying a live webpage through GitHub Pages. Building it taught me the basics of structuring a page, styling content, and pushing changes to see them go live. It was also my first time working with a team in CSS—coordinating styles, learning how to keep things consistent across everyone's contributions, and figuring out how to merge our work together without breaking the layout.

Check Out My All About Me Page →

Serving a Team

I wore many hats this trimester: student and teacher. While I've had similar roles before, CSSE was the most sustained and in‑depth experience yet.

  • Presented technical material to beginners and distilled complex ideas.
  • Built interactive homework assignments to gauge understanding.
  • Supported classmates who were hesitant to ask questions.
  • Communicated effectively with instructors about their goals and how I could help achieve them.

Some team dynamics lessons:

  • I led our group as the teacher until the game project, where I shifted to coding.
  • Guided teammates through challenges despite varying skill levels and motivations.
  • Coordinated across subgroups (e.g. spriting vs. programming) to keep everyone moving forward.

Above all, my proudest achievement was fostering connections in my team and collaborating on fun hacks and a working game.

Team Highlights

Team screenshot 1 Team screenshot 2 Team screenshot 3

Blackjack Game

One of the standout projects this trimester was building a fully playable Blackjack game in JavaScript. This project brought together everything I'd been learning—DOM manipulation, game logic, event handling, and UI design—into one cohesive, interactive experience. It was a challenge to get the card dealing, score tracking, and win/loss conditions all working smoothly, but seeing it come together as a real game that people could actually play made it all worth it.

Play the Blackjack Game →

Learning to Code

Coding itself was a roller‑coaster that paid off in surprising ways.

Tooling and Setup

Setting up the environment was the hardest part—there was always something new to master.

  • Created and managed GitHub repositories, using VS Code fluently.

JavaScript Lessons and Teaching

The unit on JavaScript stretched me, especially when co‑designing lessons.

  • Made a boolean lesson.
  • Gained familiarity with JSON, math expressions, strings, and more.
  • Built a stronger foundation that made the game‑development unit easier.

Class Game Project

During the game, I mostly answered questions at the tables and led the spriting team.

  • Designed the main character and made backgrounds.
  • Code boss level.
  • Adapted as the original vision shifted, trimming features and compromising to reach a finished product.

Homework & Lessons

Throughout the trimester, I completed a series of JavaScript homework assignments that covered everything from data types and loops to classes and conditionals. Each lesson built on the last, reinforcing core concepts and pushing me to apply what I learned in new ways.

View All Homeworks →

This trimester has been a rich blend of technical growth, teamwork, and self‑reflection. I've built skills, confidence, and relationships that extend far beyond the classroom.