Her Story (Capstone Project)
As a 17 year old girl in her senior year , I had to come up with an idea for my capstone project at school. I wanted to do something creative and also something that could possibly turn into a real business one day. I have always loved drawing and designing my own clothes, especially t-shirts. I pick a shirt and draw out my design in white chalk then paint on it with bleach to create a permanent picture. One day, I had the idea to make a website where I could sell my homemade t-shirts on. I thought it would be a fun way to show my art to other people and maybe even make some money.
At first, I wasn’t sure how to start building a website. I had never made one before, and it seemed really complicated. That’s when my dad, David, stepped in to help me. He became my mentor throughout the whole process. He didn’t just give me the answers, but he guided me and showed me how to figure things out on my own. He taught me how websites work and explained things in a way I could understand, with his background in website creation it wasn't very difficult for him.
I started by sketching out my t-shirt designs in my notebook. I wanted them to be unique and represent things that teenagers care about, like friendship, music, and self-confidence. After I finalized my designs, I learned how to upload pictures of them to my website. My dad helped me set up the layout, choose colors, and make sure the site looked professional. We spent many evenings at the kitchen table working side by side on my laptop to create the perfect browsing experience for anyone that could come across it.
There were definitely challenges along the way. Sometimes the website wouldn’t load correctly, or the pictures wouldn’t show up the way I wanted. I would get frustrated and feel like giving up. But my dad always reminded me that mistakes are part of learning. He encouraged me to be patient and keep trying. Because of his support, I became more confident in my abilities and didn’t quit which is how my website came to be.
By the end of the project, I had a fully working website where people could look at my homemade t-shirts and place orders on my etsi shop that is linked to the whole thing. I feel so proud of what I have accomplished. This capstone project taught me more than just how to build a website. It showed me that with creativity, hard work, and the support of someone who believes in you, you can turn a simple idea into something real.