Hi, my name is Praise. I began coding in 2022, starting out as a Backend Developer, and I’m now exploring full-stack development and AI. Last year, I also ventured into technical writing, fueled by my love for teaching and guiding others on their learning paths. For me, every bit of knowledge I gain is something I want to share, because I believe in helping others grow.

I’ve always been curious about contributing to open-source. My first contribution was last year after digesting a lot of materials online, which led me to tackle a good first issue. That experience helped me get familiar with collaborative Git commands that I wouldn’t normally use. However, during last year’s Hacktoberfest, I felt overwhelmed after browsing several codebases and decided not to proceed.

Fast forward to this year, I came across a video by "Beyond the Classroom," titled "Open-source stories" where students who contributed to open-source were interviewed. I watched the video and felt inspired to try again. I opened GitHub and began searching for projects. This time, I wanted to start with documentation or writing contributions instead of code, but once again, I felt overwhelmed.

As a member of the She Code Africa (SCA) community, I found out that they had partnered with Made in Nigeria for Hertoberfest, an open-source initiative. I didn’t hesitate to apply, and I was accepted. However, when I tried joining a team, I struggled as most were already full by the time I expressed interest. I felt discouraged and decided to give up.

Then, an unexpected opportunity came. A participant from the "Beyond the Classroom" video posted about an open-source project on her LinkedIn. It was an Hertoberfest project titled LearnLink. I immediately messaged her and expressed my interest in contributing. Interestingly, I had a similar idea for a project like LearnLink last year, but I wasn’t confident enough to build it on my own.

The project resonated with me because people often reach out for guidance and resources, and since I’m focused on web development, I frequently have to connect them with people from other fields. Contributing to LearnLink felt like a natural fit. I focused on the backend and AI tracks, with 98% of my contributions being in the backend.

Beyond Hacktoberfest, I would love to expand the LearnLink project by adding additional tracks and resources to help guide learners in their journeys.

One of the biggest lessons I learned from this experience is the importance of seizing opportunities. It has also given me the confidence to take on larger challenges and contribute to bigger projects, as well as improve the software I regularly use. I have a goal of participating in the Google Season of Docs (GSOD) someday, and with this first step, I’m confident I will achieve that.