Kaya Thomas Portfolio
Creator of We Read Too (150,000+ downloads, multiple Apple App Store features) — a Dartmouth CS graduate turned iOS engineer whose portfolio shows how a personally-motivated app becomes a career launchpad.
What makes it work
A breakdown of the choices that make this portfolio stand out.
A personal, specific unmet need as the origin of the flagship project
We Read Too exists because, as a teenager, she couldn't find enough YA books featuring Black girls — a specific, personally-felt gap, not a generic idea invented for a portfolio.
External validation stacked, not self-asserted
Multiple App Store features and press/award recognition layer independent third-party validation onto the same project.
Deliberately sunsetting a well-known project
Choosing to sunset We Read Too in 2023 rather than let it decay is stated directly — more professionally credible than a stale, possibly broken app store listing.
What Mobile Developers can take from this
Specific, actionable tips to apply to your own portfolio — no generic advice.
Build the app that solves a gap you've personally experienced and couldn't find solved elsewhere.
Collect and list third-party recognitions (press, awards, app store features) explicitly and specifically.
If you sunset a project, say so directly on your portfolio rather than leaving a stale listing.
One well-documented, personally meaningful app with real numbers can carry an entire career narrative.
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