Celebrating Four Triumphant Years of DeGore

Another year, another chance to step back and reflect on just how far we've come.

Looking Back

This past year has been quite the rollercoaster. Full of ups and downs, from some of the biggest challenges of my life to a fresh new start, it feels like the year 2024 flew by - without an ounce of hesitation.

For a change, let's shift the gears and get a little more personal. It's time I opened up and shared with you a little about a life-altering experience I endured for 14 months, between June 2023 all the way until September of 2024.

The Military Experience

In all honesty, I feel as though I ought to formally introduce myself. I'm Savvas, and most of you probably know me as Savvy online. I've been born and raised in sunny Cyprus - a lovely island within the Mediterranean sea, known as Κύπρος in Greek.

Cyprus has been a great country to grow up in - from the picturesque beaches to the wonderful wildlife and motivated population, I have to give credit where it's due to both my parents and the country itself for helping to shape my personality and identity. Needless to say, I am proud to be a Cypriot.

A (mandatory) right of passage for all Cypriot males around the age of 18 is to serve in the country's military, as soon as they graduate from highschool (also known as secondary school in some countries). Without getting into details and politics, we are conscripted for 14 months to help ensure our country's safety from enemy threats. My time to serve in the Greek Cypriot National Guard came in June of 2023, when I officially began my military service.

Seeking an extra challenge, I enrolled in specialised training within a unit known for its demanding standards and am proud to have served in a branch that aligned closely with special forces training. This whole experience was incredibly maturing, challenged all of us to push our limits and helped us discover many new possibilities. The most important lesson from this whole experience that I can pass on to you, the reader, is:

No matter the challenges you may be facing, you must always keep your head up. There is only one path to success, and it is forward. As difficult as something may seem, you simply cannot afford to lose the battle - fight on, and never, ever give up.

I am eternally grateful to everyone in my unit who has been there for me throughout - from the very people who trained me to become who I am today to my very comrades that have fought by my side and endured every single trial we underwent. The army has made me much more confident in my ability to conquer today, tomorrow and every challenge that is thrown at me for the rest of my life. There is no such thing as a battle too hard to beat, and I know with confidence that I am capable of achieving anything. If I made it through the army, I can do it now.

In September of 2024 I was honourably discharged from the military, having completed my 14 months of service with the rank of Lance Corporal - the highest rank that a soldier can hold without being a non-commissioned officer.

So, What Now?

I'm at Newcastle University studying Computer Science! It's such a refreshing experience living in the UK, making new friend groups and learning so much from this amazing university. Now this is living life to its fullest, I can say that much with confidence!

Everything's been going well, and I'm slowly getting back into development of all my projects prior to starting my military service. Although I had some time to handle maintenance and support for DeGore, development did unfortunately suffer a slow-down last year. However, I am back better than ever, ready to get right back on track and push ahead with loads of new features!

I've also got a couple new projects that I'll be launching in parallel - stay tuned for those as well.

Four Years...

It's been four years..! Can you believe it? It feels like it was just yesterday that DeGore got verified by Discord and we were finally able to cross the 100 community limit. DeGore's now protecting well over a million users on thousands of communities worldwide, and watching the positive impact that this project - which I once started as a fun experiment - has had on so many people around the world has truly been inspiring.

I'm committed to helping make the world a safer and better place - you have my word. Thank you so much for the support during these past four years, and I look forward to seeing you in next year's edition of DeGore's anniversarry blog post :)

Keep your head up,
-Savvy