Name of the Project: Paupa
Cohort Start Date: 11/8/21
Program: Full-Time Online
Solo or Group Project: Solo
MERN Built the Stack Project:
Pre-Dojo:
Broadcast video editor for 10 Years
He was exhausted by making other people’s ideas come alive and lacked the energy to do his own thing.
A desire to learn and a hunger for knowledge, despite having no computer science experience.

After Dojo:
Would love to work with a full-stack developer with a React front end/Java backend.
Paupa will continue to be a resource for people who are grieving and need help with their finances.
He dreams of leading large-scale projects for big brands and being able fund and create all the things that he wants with his new skillset.

Paupa’s sign-in page features beautiful and stunning CSS. The Paupa home page, where users can navigate the tool. Paupa’s currency converter is an example. Photo of Kevni and his father, who inspired Paupa’s creation. —
Why did you start this project?
The reason I joined the program was that I was suffering from depression. My dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain tumors two years ago and died a month later. He was the most important part of my life, and my main source of support. Without him, I would have been lost. Looking back on my life since his death, I see that he is guiding me and dropping signs. I would still be working at my dead-end job and struggling to pay the bills. I wouldn’t have met all the Coding Dojo friends if he hadn’t died when he did. Paupa was created to say “thank you” to my dad and the program for everything they taught me. My dad was always in my company and the most expensive man on the planet, so I used all of the knowledge that the program and my amazing teacher Heidi gave me and created a task/expense tracking system so that he could always see what I’m doing, and how much it cost.
What is your intended audience for this project
Paupa was initially intended to be a task/expense tracking tool for anyone who had lost a loved one. It would help them through the funeral process. This aspect was added later, but I wanted to focus on the functionality first. It’s meant for anyone who needs help with remembering things, business owners, and freelancers who need to track their expenses, especially if they deal in multiple currencies.
What are you proudest of about this project’s completion?
It is amazing to be able to look at it and see my father in it and know he would be proud. This is the first thing in years I didn’t immediately hate. Even my Imposter Syndrome cannot tell me that I’m not a cool full stack developer after this.
What were the challenges and obstacles you faced while developing this project. What were your solutions?
This chart will haunt me for many years. It couldn’t map my data correctly for years! It was also the turning point that made me most proud of this program. That morning, I had created my first algorithm. Later that afternoon, I created one that was 5x more advanced than the one I had before. It worked! This was the moment I fell in love with coding and began to have fun. I can even code in my dreams now!
Are you planning to continue working on this particular project?
Absolutely. I plan to expand on this resource and help others who are grieving the loss of a loved. Since watching my mom go through a very difficult time after my dad’s passing trying to put everything together for her family, this has been a goal of mine. I would like to fix the CSS so that it can be responsive and make it available in App Store for purchase.
Why did you decide to attend coding bootcamps?
I honestly couldn’t have asked for anything else. I was a video editor for NBC, TMZ and CNN for 10 years. After a while, I was so exhausted from seeing other people’s ideas come alive that I couldn’t find the energy to do anything myself. I was in the lowest point of my life and I happened to meet an old college friend. He told me that Coding Dojo had just graduated and that he is now traveling the globe and setting his own hours while making well over six figures. My friends know that I don’t like taking risks. I knew that my life needed a drastic change. I also saw the amazing reviews from past students. I saved my money and signed up for the program, even though I didn’t have any computer science experience. I would say that the risk is worth it!
What was the secret to Coding Dojo’s success?
One woman at orientation said that military bootcamp was the hardest thing she’d ever done in her life. She was sincere and would have made anyone who wasn’t 100% committed to this program run. That was when I realized Coding Dojo was serious in making sure that we all learn from the program. At the time, I didn’t realize how important Coding Dojo was to making sure we all learn from the program.

Oswald