Essays

More Than Just Code: Lessons I Learned in Software Engineering

19 Dec 2025

Reflection on Software Engineering Introduction When I first started ICS 314, I assumed the class was mostly about learning React and making a website. But as the semester went on, I realized it was really about understanding how software engineering...

Software Engineering Reflection ICS 314

How AI Became Part of My Workflow in ICS 314

15 Dec 2025

Introduction AI has become a normal part of learning technical subjects, and ICS 314 was no exception. Even though we weren’t required to use AI tools, I regularly used ChatGPT throughout the semester because it fit naturally into how I...

Artificial Intelligence Learning Tools ICS 314

Why Estimating My Work Was Harder Than I Expected

14 Dec 2025

Introduction Before working on the Run-and-Route Hub project, I didn’t think much about effort estimation. I usually just worked on tasks until they were done. But throughout the milestones, I learned that estimating and tracking effort is actually an important...

Software Engineering Effort Estimation ICS 314

Seeing Design Patterns in Action in Our Project

03 Dec 2025

Introduction When our group started building the Run-and-Route Hub app, I wasn’t thinking about design patterns at all. I just wanted the website to work and for all the features to come together. But after finishing the project, I realized...

Software Engineering Design Patterns ICS 314

Understanding Design Patterns in Our Final Project

03 Dec 2025

Introduction When our group started building the Run-and-Route-Hub app, I wasn’t thinking about design patterns at all. I just wanted the website to work and for all the features to come together. But after finishing the project, I realized that...

Design Patterns Software Engineering Next.js

Trail Buddy: A UH Hiking Safety & Partner App

04 Nov 2025

Overview The Problem Hiking is part of everyday life for UH Mānoa students — whether it’s Manoa Falls, Koko Head, Makapuʻu Lighthouse, or west-side ridge hikes. However, students (especially newcomers) often face these issues: They don’t know which hikes match...

Software Engineering Nextjs Outdoor Fitness

Final Project Idea: UH Run & Route Hub

04 Nov 2025

Overview The Problem Many UH Mānoa students want to run for fitness, stress relief, and health, but face issues such as: Not knowing safe running routes around Mānoa and Honolulu Difficulty finding running partners with similar pace & schedule Hot/humid...

Software Engineering Nextjs Fitness

Building Smarter with Bootstrap 5

08 Oct 2025

Introduction Bootstrap 5 was a big step up from writing CSS in terms of efficiency. I could rely on pre-written classes, which saved hours of time dealing with responsiveness, alignment, and spacing. I could quickly build layouts, copy and paste...

Bootstrap UI Frameworks Web Development

Reflecting on My Experience with TypeScript

03 Sep 2025

Introduction TypeScript is the first programming language I’ve used that requires a high amount of detail. The programming languages I’ve used in the past, such as Python and C, felt much more basic. Although it requires a lot more coding...

TypeScript Software Engineering WODs

Learning from Coding Standards

24 Sep 2025

Introduction When I first used ESLint in VSCode, I received a flood of error messages. It was frustrating, especially because I wasn’t always sure how to fix them. At first, it reminded me of TypeScript, but even more strict. Most...

ESLint Coding Standards Software Engineering

Asking Smart Questions: Why Clarity Matters in Software Engineering

10 Sep 2025

Introduction In software engineering, being able to ask technical questions is one of the most important skills you can have. Eric Raymond’s essay “How to Ask Questions the Smart Way” explains how asking questions clearly and specifically will make the...

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