My GSSoC’24 Journey as a Contributor

Photo credit:- GirlScript Summer of Code

GirlScript Summer of Code (GSSoC) is an initiative by the GirlScript Foundation that was started in 2018.

I learned about GSSoC through my seniors and LinkedIn. When I inquired further, they mentioned that it would be a perfect opportunity to learn how to handle codebases, create issues, make pull requests (PRs), and become familiar with the open-source community.

Image credit:- GirlScript Summer of Code

Prior to the Start

I received an email notifying me of my selection as a Contributor on May 2nd, marking the official start of my GSSoC’24 journey.

I soon joined the Discord community and began going through the basic GitHub commands and tech resources provided there. Later on, they introduced a points system and badges that would be awarded throughout the season.

GSSoC’24 Schedule

My Contributions throughout the season

On May 10th, the program kicked off. I selected some beginner-friendly projects they had marked and explored their websites and codebases. I observed how issues were assigned and pull requests were made, and soon after, I started contributing. After a few days, the leaderboard became active, displaying contributors’ scores, PRs, and rankings. By then, I had learned a good amount of JavaScript, so I began tackling more advanced issues, such as click functionalities, creating new pages, and advanced CSS styling.

After about 1.5 months, I became familiar with React and Tailwind CSS. I selected a few projects, such as **Counsellor Web, [Devlabs](https://github.com/HimanshuNarware/Devlabs) and [Travel Website](https://github.com/apu52/Travel_Website), that suited my skills and focused on contributing to them for the remainder of the program. During this period, giveaways for .xyz domains and Postman Student Certification (sponsored by .XYZ and Postman**) provided additional motivation and encouragement for all participants.

Support and Engagement from the Community

I was fortunate that the project admins and mentors for the projects I contributed to were exceptional and supportive. They assisted us whenever we were stuck, with some even addressing questions in Discord voice chats. The Discord community was also fantastic, helping each other with doubts, resolving issues, and engaging in both playful and meaningful off-topic discussions. Additionally, GitHub Discussions were open for everyone to post queries, doubts, and other topics.

And then there’s our program manager, **Sanjay Viswanathan**, who responded to all our minor queries, no matter how small they were. He made a concerted effort to address every query from each contributor, always being available to help in any way he could. He also organized YouTube live sessions to review our GitHub profiles and resumes.

Reflections and Takeaways

The season officially ended on August 10th, 2024, after lasting for 3 months. There were more than 190 projects.

I was ranked 14th out of 2,400+ contributors.

I am truly fortunate to have started my open-source journey with GSSoC’24. I learned a great deal and was genuinely delighted by the experience.

You can connect with me on:

**Github [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayush-deb/)**