About Me

I have always loved learning.

As a kid, I would spend my summer vacations reading and learning new things. This love continued through college where I earned a degree in Political Science. While in college, I decided to continue my education, in hopes of one day earning a PhD and becoming a professor. I went to graduate school for Public Administration. As I neared the end of the program, I became eager to start working.

Because I graduated during the recession, finding a job in my field was difficult. I worked in many different industries (including as a barista and administering payroll) while waiting for the right career opportunity.

That's when I was introduced to code.

Passionately Curious

A friend encouraged me to learn how to code, because I wasn't finding job opportunities I was excited about in my field. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I didn't have anything to lose! That first day, I spent over 8 hours working through online resources on HTML and CSS. A whole new world opened up for me.

That's when I realized that I earned a graduate degree because I love to learn. Working in tech gives me the opportunity to continue learning all the time. With endless things to learn and constant growth, I have found a way to be passionately curious in a career I love.

Check out what I've been working on lately:

Creative

In my free time, I like to do many things to fuel my creativity. Whether it's cooking, embroidery, painting, writing, or learning visual design, I enjoy finding new things to try.

One thing I love about tech is that I can blend together the challenges of logic and creativity. Blending these two things together allows me to create products I can be proud of.

When I want to practice visual design, I work on challenges from Daily UI.

Here's some of my past work:

Quirky and Caffeinated

More often than not, you will find me with a coffee or tea in hand. I worked as a barista for many years and I love to find new coffee shops to visit. Know of any good ones? Let me know!

The things I enjoy doing in my free time are wide-ranging. Currently, like many others, I have been self-isolating at home. This has given me the opportunity to develop hobbies that others are rising in popularity: cooking, learning how to bake bread, making whipped coffee, and playing Animal Crossing.

I also have been able to spend more time reading, watching Netflix, and going for walks around my neighborhood.

When the MN weather turns nice (and health guidelines allow), I love to explore walking paths, find cool local businesses to support, and attend fun events like Art-A-Whirl, TC Pride Festival, and (of course!) the Minnesota State Fair.