Anthony Sandoval, Dylan Carter, Rayden King, and I built a website for the Arkansas Civic Action Network, where high school students in Central Arkansas can document their volunteering projects. Completing this project has taught me that web development skills are an excellent tool for creating positive change in the world. Most information is spread digitally, so the ability to create webpages is a very important skill. There are truly endless possibilties as to how the internet can be used to enrich community environments, both on a small and global scale. I feel that the things I’ve learned in this class have given me a starting point, where I may continue to grow my skills, making positive changes in the world along the way.

Our coursework in Databases and Web Systems prepared my groupmates and I to be able to complete this project. The class covered the basics of implementing the front and back ends of a website, and we utilized these skills to complete our project. While I wouldn’t say that any of my values were changed, nor would I refute anything I learned in class, it was certainly cool to see all of the topics we learned about come together in order for us to implement a working website.

I feel that the approaches to creating social change employed by the Arkansas Civic Action Network are very effective at creating change in Central Arkansas. The main objective of the organization is to provide Arkansans with access to education regarding voting, governemnt, and various political issues. At its core, ArkCAN is aimed at making Arkansas a more socially and politically aware environment. Our specific contribution, the high school volunteering portal, is yet another example. The high school voluneering program is a benefit to Central Arkansas through the direct impacts of the volunteering programs that it fosters, and by means of enriching the perspectives of those who participate in the program, which in turn, makes Central Arkansas a more pro-social environment.

Overall, this experience has helped me understand the carry-over from the concepts we learn about in Computer Science classrooms to the impact that they can have in the real world. We see anti-social examples of this often, whether it be online scamming, databreaches, or misinformation. However, there are countless ways that one with a Computer Science degree may apply their knowledge to benefit their communities and make the world a better place. It’s important for us, as a community, to collectively fill the internet with benevolent websites and applications.