Fractal Geometry

PA State Computer Fair: The competition that started me down my development path

April 2010

In 8th grade, I found my love for web design. At the time, we had to create a simple HTML page in Dreamweaver as part of a class project about an endangered species. I had a blast making it. Then, I was simply using the “Design” view and letting the software handle the messy code. Still, seeing how HTML allowed me to control so much more of a page than a standard blog was a lightbulb moment. My teacher noticed my interest and encouraged me to submit a website for the Pennsylvania State Computer Fair (PA State Computer Fair).

That year, every 8th-grade student had to do a large project about something that happened in the 21st century. I chose Fractal Geometry, a subject that appealed to my interest in both math and visual patterns.

Using the basic header, footer, two sidebars, and central content template that Dreamweaver provided as a default, I created a simple webpage. It was easy to port the content from my school project over to the web format. I remember being obsessed with the details, spending hours tweaking colors and spacing to make the page just right.

I added all the typical “bells and whistles” of the late 2000s. Things like custom cursor animations and transition effects when moving between pages. At the time, this felt like the peak of user engagement.

The website eventually won second place at the state competition in Harrisburg. This experience was instrumental in setting me on my current path; it was the first time I realized that I could build something from scratch and have it recognized by a wider audience. It turned a school assignment into a serious interest that would follow me through high school and beyond.