Hello! My name is Derek Barbosa. I am currently a senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst pursuing a degree in Computer Science. I am very interested in full-stack development and databases. However, I also love learning new things and exploring new areas within computer science.
Projects
I'm using render to host this site for free so it may take a few seconds to load on the first visit because of cold start
This is a full-stack web application that I designed. This app was designed to provide students with a way to discover trails near the university. The app allows users to create an account and log in. Upon login, users will see a dashboard of nearby trails with directions and additional information about each trail. User can click on trails to view reviews and ratings, or leave a review and rating of their own.
A distributed event ticketing platform that allows users to browse events, reserve seats, purchase tickets, and request refunds. The system was designed with a microservices architecture and includes Redis-backed caching, asynchronous message queues with dead-letter queues (DLQs), idempotent purchase handling, and horizontally scaled services behind a Caddy reverse proxy load balancer. System performance and scalability were tested under concurrent load using k6.
A semester goal planning and tracking platform designed for UMass students. The application supports both Google OAuth authentication and traditional account registration. Users can create profiles, upload profile pictures, organize goals into prioritized categories, and manage semester tasks. The platform also includes a social system where users can add friends and control task and goal visibility through customizable privacy settings. At the end of the semester, the app generates a personalized “Semester Wrapped” summary displaying user productivity and progress statistics.
About Me
I enjoy staying physically active and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I began my fitness journey in 2018 and have since made consistent exercise and healthy eating an important part of my daily routine. I especially enjoy walking, whether it's around campus or out on a hike, it's one of my favorite ways to stay active and clear my mind.