Malaka Gonawala

About Me

I started programming during COVID because I wanted to understand how things really work behind the scenes. The first time a project actually worked, I knew this was something I wanted to pursue seriously.

My journey actually began with a small passion project called Pretty Sri Lanka. It wasn’t polished, but it was the first time I saw how design, culture, and storytelling could come together on a screen. That early experiment shaped the way I approach my work today—with curiosity, intention, and a desire to build experiences that feel personal.

I focus on front-end development, creating clean, functional interfaces, and I take pride in building projects from start to finish. One of my favorite achievements was creating a Cybersecurity Challenge Platform for our school project For The Root with my friend Hugo Batoon, inspired by OverTheWire. It pushed us to think creatively, solve complex problems, and collaborate effectively, and seeing it all come together was incredibly rewarding.

When I hit a roadblock, I don’t give up—I research, debug, and refine until everything works as it should. Outside of coding, I keep learning through tutorials, documentation, and even logical gaming, always sharpening my problem‑solving skills.

In the next few years, my goal is to grow into a full-stack developer, building complete applications while continuously improving my skills and pushing my limits.