Outreachy Week 1

Hi everyone! I’m Sonal, a Computer Science student based in Mumbai, India. I aspire to become a software engineer who contributes to impactful projects. This summer, I’m super excited to be an Outreachy intern a journey that has already taught me so much and opened doors into the open source world.

Why Outreachy?

I’ve always wanted to contribute to open source, but honestly, getting started felt overwhelming. There's so much out there — huge codebases, countless tools, and a lot of unspoken knowledge that can be intimidating to newcomers. Outreachy gave me a clear, supportive path to break into this world. What really kept me going during all the application stages was the welcoming nature of the community and the encouragement from mentors. They made me feel like I belonged here and that I could learn, grow, and make a real impact.

Contribution Period: What I Learned

The contribution period was a whirlwind of learning and growth. I learned how to:

• Navigate and understand large Android codebases

• Raise pull requests (PRs) and iterate on feedback

• Write meaningful tests and improve existing code

• Collaborate with mentors and other contributors

Every PR review helped me improve — from fixing small things like naming conventions to learning how to write better, more maintainable code. The moment I saw my first PR get merged was unforgettable. The sense of achievement and joy was like no other.

My Proudest Contributions

I’m incredibly proud of my entire contribution journey. In just one month, I gained so much confidence in working with Android codebases and testing various components across the project. Each task I completed made me more curious, more capable, and more excited about what's next.

Looking Ahead

During this internship, I hope to deepen my technical skills and make more impactful contributions. But beyond that, I want to continue growing as an open source contributor. Outreachy has been a safe and welcoming space for me to take my first steps, and I’m so grateful for that. I’m looking forward to what lies ahead in the next few months — building, learning, and collaborating with an amazing community.

Thanks for reading, and I can’t wait to share more of my journey with you all!