About Me
I’m Ta'Bless Lewis, a Black woman in STEM from the Dallas–Fort Worth area,
navigating computer engineering, web design, and game creation while
juggling real‑life hurdles. I’ve had an uneven academic path, but each
step has confirmed that I’m most at home in hands‑on tech and creative
problem‑solving.
My interest in computers started early – from being told in preschool
that I couldn’t “be a mermaid” as a job, to proving that I could still
build my own kind of magic through technology. At Ritenour High School
in Missouri, I took a cybersecurity class that let me work with Linux,
macOS, and Windows virtual machines. We tracked down security issues,
fixed permissions, removed malware, and used command‑line tools to secure
networks. That class is where I realized I love troubleshooting and
digging into why systems break.
Later, even when I missed out on more formal CS classes at other schools,
I kept gravitating toward creative tech – HTML and simple animations,
making custom content and mods for The Sims, Vocaloid and MikuMikuDance
projects, and 3D posing and graphic edits. I’m heavily influenced by
K‑pop, Japanese alternative fashion, and pastel goth / yume kawaii
aesthetics, and I see games as spaces for self‑expression as much as
escape.
My dream work is to combine all of that into fashion‑focused, social,
and safe experiences: a modern MMO‑style fashion sandbox, privacy‑aware
tools, and everyday services like rideshare that feel fair and
predictable instead of chaotic. This portfolio is where I connect those
ideas with the engineering lab projects and skills that sit behind them,
so you can see both the story and the technical side of who I am.
Core Business Aspirations
I’m focused on building practical, real‑world products for everyday people: a rideshare platform that makes commuting predictable and affordable, a privacy‑first verification device, and a fashion sandbox game that treats style as a form of play.
These three passion projects are my crown jewels: the ideas I want
to grow into long‑term ventures. The rideshare platform is the core
business, and the privacy device and fashion sandbox game grew out
of the same need to make everyday life fairer, safer, and more fun.
🚗 Subscription‑Based Rideshare for Everyday Commuters
A rideshare company concept built for people who rely on transport
every day but can’t afford unpredictable surge pricing. Instead of
random routes, the system works with existing public transport lines
– trains, buses and other infrastructure – and layers shared vehicle
routes on top.
Riders can subscribe to a fixed monthly or yearly plan based on
projected fuel costs, commute time, and time‑of‑day patterns in their
area. The goal is to give everyday commuters a predictable, affordable
option, while still allowing à la carte rides for trips that fall
outside the usual routes.
There are no surprise surges and no stranded airport rides that
suddenly jump from a fair price to something unreasonable. Rates are
transparent to both drivers and riders, and group rides can become
cheaper as more people share the vehicle.
🔐 NFC Contact Verification Device (Privacy Spin‑Off)
While designing the rideshare platform, I started exploring how
people could prove key details about themselves without handing
over all their data to every service. That led to a concept for
an NFC‑style device that checks identity against trusted records
rather than storing sensitive information directly.
The idea is that a physical card or chip could link to an existing,
secure account with a trusted provider. Verification happens by
referencing that account, not by copying data into every new app.
Owners can toggle whether the device is allowed to respond to taps,
similar to turning contactless payments on or off.
It’s meant to work alongside phones, PCs and future NFC readers
as they become more common, helping reduce the risk of data
leaks and account takeovers without becoming another place your
information is stored or sold.
👗 Fashion Sandbox & Dress‑Up Game
A fashion sandbox and dress‑up game concept that combines
avatar customization, capsule wardrobes and social runway
events. Instead of the usual grindy MMO loops, the focus is
on styling, expression and smart systems for outfits and
fashion‑driven events.
This project pulls from modern fashion, K‑pop and gaming culture
and gives me a place to experiment with UI, player feedback,
and custom content ideas. The deeper mechanics and visuals
live off this site, but this overview marks it as one of my
main creative business goals.
Outside of my business‑oriented work, I maintain a set of engineering
lab projects: small, focused builds in computer engineering and
digital logic that help me deepen my technical skills and give future
employers and collaborators a window into how I design systems.
🔧 Digital Logic Project
A vending‑style controller implemented in online circuit tools,
exploring finite state machines, inputs, balance tracking, and
output control as a core digital logic lab project.
Digital Logic
Finite State Machine
View section on Projects & Lab •
GitHub repo
📐 FPGA‑Style CPU/Calculator Simulation
A guided 4‑bit ALU build in CircuitVerse that walks through
arithmetic and logic operations as modular hardware blocks,
supporting FPGA‑style CPU and calculator understanding.
FPGA Concepts
4‑Bit ALU
View section on Projects & Lab •
GitHub repo
🎵 Fluxer Voice‑Chat Music Bot
A voice‑chat music bot for Fluxer, a free open‑source alternative
to Discord, integrating with music APIs to play, queue, and manage
tracks in voice channels.
Bot Development
Audio & APIs
View section on Projects & Lab •
GitHub repo
More detailed cards, screenshots, and simulation links appear
on the Projects & Lab page, but this overview shows the types of
problems I work on regularly.