Excellence in Eclectic Experience

I love a challenge. And to cease to change is to die. I'm thrilled to participate in this industry where growth and change are not just a promise, but a guarantee. So here's to upward.
Cheers to change. Cheers to Development.

Advanced skills in software engineering, extensive sales experience, 15+ years of customer service, a B.A. in Social Psychology with a specialization in attitudes and persuation research. Or: surprising, well-rounded, and personable due to a lifetime of unique experience.

The Diversified Portfolio

('The Sales Engineer') Here I've documented my last several years of travel, growth, and adventure. It's been a series of vastly different experiential chapters; each more rewarding than the last. I am so grateful for each opportunity, hard-earned lesson, and for the many lives lived. I've spent all this time refining my personal model of skill and strength. The arts and the sciences, the direct and subtle. A highly personalized and unique approach to software solutions in the modern world. Human beings are fascinating. And technology stops for no one. Pictured- lecturing on communication, personalization, and diversification

The Tech Company

('The Machine') I've spent most 2022 working as a Full-Stack Developer Apprentice; a deep-dive into the electric life of a booming tech company. Sparkbox, a web development consultancy, specializes in ‘household-name’ type clients. I got to witness projects in international retail and big tech evolve first-hand, sitting in on client meetings and adapting to the exciting life of the tech-company ecosystem. Pictured- talking useState, api data, and components during daily Standup.

The Teaching of Tech

('The Lake') In 2021, I moved into a small shed on Lake Erie in order to change careers. It's beautiful enough to make you marvel, but isolated and without distraction. After completing Actualize Coding Bootcamp, a 4-month Chicago-based software development program, I was hired as a teaching assistant for the following cohort. I was originally drawn to the program for its focus on education, and the next 3 months of TA work was likewise very fulfilling. Video- lecturing live to 17 students on the definition, differences, and practices of a Monolith vs a microservice-style deployment model.

Antarctica

('The Ice') In 2020 (through 2021), I headed to McMurdo Station, Antarctica for five months to live and work among its pandemic-adjusted-population of 340. Representing the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) at the southernmost tip of Ross Island, McMurdo Station serves as a vital support hub for South Pole Station and scientific research. Many have called McMurdo a "mining town on the moon" and it is truly a place like no other. Pictured- sunset on the ice in my Extreme Cold Weather "ECW" gear.

The Mountains

From 2019-2020, I moved to western Colorado and embraced a whole new way of life. After getting a job at Loveland Ski Area, I moved across the country to Georgetown, CO in the span of two weeks. I spent my days working in the ticket office, skiing, snowboarding, and slinging pizzas on the weekends. I met incredible people and fell in love with the mountain. Pictured- snowboarding at Loveland with friends (second from right).

Service & Sustainability

('The Farm') In 2019, I served in AmeriCorps on an urban farm in Columbus, Ohio. Franklinton Farms is a series of gardens and greenhouses on ten different plots of residential land in the heart of the city. We put a daily focus on underprivileged community access to healthy whole foods. I liked the farming, but I loved our family. I will be forever grateful for the many hard lessons learned and the literal labor of love. Pictured- our team with a large harvest of black raspberries.

Sales in the City

('The City') From 2017 to 2019, I became deeply involved in the business of people. In addition to my work as a Realtor, I spent my weekends attending real estate conferences and participating in investment groups. These ventures were unique, and not without pressure. Even so, I loved the grind and the challenge - crafting deals from nothing and putting my Psych degree to work negotiating like crazy. Pictured- the first house I ever sold.

Development Portfolio

*Click here for Writing Portfolio*

  • RRR App Live Demo

    Run Rabbit Run (RRR) App, my Bootcamp Capstone Project. Major life pursuits demand major pacing. Such as alternating chapters of respite/planning with adventure. This app is all about that planning, earnestly, with a dry humor that scoffs at the notion of taking life too seriously.

  • [RRR continued] Run Rabbit Run is a full-stack digital bucket list built with `Vue.js` and `Ruby on Rails`. Take your wildest dreams and break them down into small, actionable steps. Add, categorize, sort, and pursue anything you want to do before you "kick the bucket." Then, push your achievements to your "bucket," making it so full that you can't, and won't want to, kick it over. The bucket is full and so are you.

  • Apprenticeship Capstone

    The Team Availability App will be implemented for future use at Sparkbox upon completion. It'll be used to gauge how available different team members are in any given week. To be used primarily by project managers, this tool also includes details about each developer or designer. PMs can get info on skills, interests, and past projects in order to inform planning decisions. This app is still in progress, but the current deployment is availabile along with a in-browser editor on gitHub. This is a group project and is spearheaded by the three apprentices, utilizing agile web development through Jira every step of the way. Among the many tools used are `Next.js` and `SCSS`.

  • Sparkjoke

    A random joke generator API app built in vanilla Javascript by a team of three. As always, accessibility is a top focus along with agile development fuelled by daily Standups. I'm planning on deploying this shortly.

  • Gilded Rose

    Does it get any more classic classic than this? A hearty dive into Functional Programming.

  • Frontend | CSS

    Checkout my completed CSS adventure website, lovingly titled Rainforest Safari. This deployment is a complete documentation of teaching myself CSS from the ground up, completing a 20-part detailed program.

    Among my Codepen Projects is extensive iterations of an event card which focuses on accessible, mobile-first development, and an emphasis on semantic use of HTML. The card changes each time, but ultimately culmenates in use of SCSS, animations, svgs, Grid, and more. In my more recent Codepen exercises, I'm sure to use ITCSS for best practices.

Personal Interests

  • Stand-Up Comedy: My first-ever set was in December 2020 at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Now, I continue to write and perform in sunny San Diego.

  • Healthy Living: I.e. putting frozen blueberries in a giant bowl and eating them like the giant tantalizing Dippin' Dots they are.

  • Hobbies: I also love to write, climb, oil paint, and play video games now and again.

    • Get In Touch

    Let's talk about your next project.