Who Am I?

I was born in 1993 in Des Moines, Iowa. As a personal credo, there are three things that I value in particular; Knowledge, Creativity, and Compassion. I have come to value these things over the course of my life based off of my lived experiences. From my experience as a student I value cultivating new skills and learning from the world around me. As an amateur music composer I value self expression, thinking outside of the box, and working to master my craft. With my experience as a healthcare worker, I know that "caring" is a verb, and I care not just about the quality of my work, but the consequences that it will have on my fellow man.

Education

I grew up near the east side of Des Moines, and am an alumni of East High School. During this time I also attended Central Campus in downtown Des Moines, which is an educational program designed to give high school students an opportunity to learn trade skills and earn college level credit. In 2012 I began attending Grand View University, a liberal arts university where I double-majored in both Music and Biology. I originally intended to just pursue the biology degree, but after receiving a scholarship for piano performance, I decided to take some time to study music instead of just engaging with it as a hobby. To my surprise, studying music changed my perspective on math, history, and the concept that my work could be more than just a means to and end to reach empty profit, but rather an art to be perfected. After spending a few years working full-time in healthcare, I decided to return to school, this time to pursue an education in computer science. While at DMACC I became involved in various clubs like the creative writing club, philosophy club, and for physical fitness I also joined the fencing club, which is something I currently still practice. At DMACC I also took an opportunity to join a mentorship program called TechWise, which is an educational program that takes prospective students from around the world and provides them with tutorship from industry professionals and assigns students with hands-on group projects. This program has given me additional hands-on practice with programming that I wouldn't have with my classes alone. It has also given me experience collaborating with others remotely and given me access to a network of aspiring tech engineers and practiced professionals.

My Past Work Experience

I began my working career when I was in high school as a food service cashier at Adventureland Parks, a local theme park that is one of Iowa's premier tourist destinations. When I was a senior in high-school, I was part of a nursing program provided by Central Campus which offered college credit and a Certified Nurse's Aide license upon completion. I began working as a CNA at Valley View Village nursing home to pay for my college, and I continued to work there for several years after I graduated. I believe that my work as a caregiver was important, but it ultimately wasn't a creative field, and it didn't reward my desire to learn new skills. In 2023 I decided to go back to school to pursue a job in software engineering.

Why Computer Programming?

People have often said that information technology is the industry of the future. I maintain that it is the industry of the present. Since its inception, the modern computer has quickly revolutionized science, entertainment, and economics. With recent advances in fields such as automation, it is clear that information technology will continue to shape the contemporary world in the coming years. On a more personal note, I believe that information technology will allow me to pursue a career that rewards my desire for creative and intellectually stimulating work.

Professional Skills

Through my experience through DMACC and TechWise, I have some experience in the following areas:

Programming Languages

Python, Java, C++

Web Development

HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Vite, Node.js, React.js, Express.js

Relational Databases

SQL, MongoDB

Testing

Jest, Cypress, JUnit

Version Control

GitHub, Gitlab

Miscellaneous Software Tools

VS Code, Docker

Miscellaneous Professional Skills

time-management, resource-management, cashier, serving food, cleaning, lifting, medical care.

Passions

I consider myself to be a polymath with a wide variety of interests including art, music, painting, cinema, science, biology, astronomy, history, philosophy, fencing, computer science, video games, mathematics, Magic the Gathering, and of course programming. In short I'm just a giant nerd.