Create 25-08-06-Reflection.md

Author: jakbrownbytes

_posts/25-08-06-Reflection.md

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+layout: post  
+title: My Summer Reflection!
+---    
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+<img src="/images/cherry_blossom.jpg" alt="Flowers" style="width:25%;">   
+
+As I reflect on my time in the Contributor Catalyst program, I find myself realizing that I have much more knowledge and potential in the tech field than I expected. I have grown confidence in inputting
+my efforts where I see fit and I have improved my technical skills from the dedication to contributing and documentation through the open source community. Before entering the program, I wanted to rebrand
+myself by learning the core meaning of resilience, determination, and what it means to have astonishing work ethics and I believe that I have been able to fully embody these traits and will continue to 
+carry them through other aspects of my career.  
+
+I want to thank my team members Kaylee, Kailea, Denzel, and Devon for putting in their fullest efforts and aiding me in my journey through the program. In the Openssf Scorecard project we have worked on 
+multiple issues ranging from code changes to documentation fixes. There is a lot of detail and understanding required to solve these issues, which is why self-study is important. For example the most 
+challenging but rewarding issue I worked on was [issue #4315](https://github.com/ossf/scorecard/issues/4315). This issue asked for a feature/enhancement to the CII_Best_Practices URL. This update was made to support users in secure 
+environments who can’t use the public CII Best Practices Badge App. To help, we added support for the CII_BEST_PRACTICES_URL environment variable, allowing users to set a custom URL. We updated 
+cii_client.go and cii_http_client.go to use this variable, falling back to the public URL if it's not set. We tested the change using the public site to confirm it works, making the tool more flexible 
+for both public and private use. Even though the pull request is still under review and hasn't been merged yet, it was still very rewarding that I was able to understand and configure a solution to 
+the developers concern.
+
+Here is a quick table and summary of all the issues I've worked on this summer--  
+
+<img src="/images/Scorecard_Spreadsheet.png" alt="Spreadsheet" style="width:100%;">  
+
+When it comes to open source, I don’t just think of contributing to code anymore.Being a participant of the Catalyst program has allowed me to gain meaningful insight into the world of open source. 
+The most valuable piece of information I have learned from this experience is the multiple ways contributing can happen. There are code changes or implementations, documentation fixes, feature updates,
+and so much more.Working with Scorecard has helped me develop meaningful skills and grow confident in my ability to take on other open source projects. However, the challenge I fear I may face is how 
+different projects use different languages, which I would need more experience with. This experience has opened doors to opportunities I hadn’t considered before and sparked my interest in exploring 
+other aspects of open source beyond just contributing.  
+
+I’m 100% sure if I’m going to stay engaged in contributing to open source; however, I want to stay involved in some aspect of open source doing something I think would be more meaningful to me. 
+Contributing, to me, is something that definitely takes time, skill, and patience. While I believe I have all these traits, I’ve realized that the process of contributing isn’t something I truly enjoy.
+I want to be more involved with hands-on security work, and there are many other open source areas I can explore like open security or threat intelligence platforms. I don’t believe my open source 
+journey ends here. I want to gain more insight into what it holds and I think the best way for me to achieve this is through attending conferences and having good mentors I can rely on for advice. 
+I’m grateful to the Contributors Catalyst program for the valuable knowledge and opportunities it offered to all of us participants. I’d also like to sincerely thank Emily, Silas, and Samir for their 
+excellent guidance, support, and mentorship throughout the program. ❤️
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