I'm a personable, creative and detail focused Software Engineer. As well as in general an all round supporter of people, and I am a recent Makers Academy graduate (April '22 intake).
When not doing the above I also search for, and then eat, the best vegan pizza in London, play games and practice singing songs as Kermit the frog.
Before taking the leap into software development I worked at various Special Educational Needs Schools across London over an 8 year period. I ran communication lessons for non-verbal students, and watching them interact with the games I made, and getting to see the progress they achieved with their social skills and verbal communication was extremely rewarding.
I graduated from East 15 Acting school with a first class BA degree in Acting and Contemporary Theatre. Where I spent 4 years developing my own skills of collaboration, team work, flexibility and an understanding of self worth.
While working in schools I got my first glimpse into the world of coding and software development. I would assist the students in an hour of code a week. We built a lego robot and were able to control it's movements using simple lines of code.
After working through the pandemic and realising that I wanted a change of career, I started to look into the possibility of re training as a software engineer. Combining my interests of building things and the possibility of tech led me to start my journey with Makers.
What excites me most about tech is the seemingly unlimited potential to develop software that will have a positive impact on its users and the people around them. Software that can support people from all walks of life, especially for those who are overlooked. My future personal projects are to build the pen and paper learning resources I made for my non-verbal students, but as interactive and accessible web/mobile apps.
| Languages | Technologies | Testing Frameworks | Concepts |
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| Name | Group/Alone | Description | Technologies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palendar | Group | A web app from scratch. Finding a day to socialise with your friends, made easier. | MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js, HTML5, CSS3, Jest, Cypress, React testing Library |
| Bettah | Group | A clone of Facebook | JavaScript, Node.js, Express, Handlebars, HTML5, CSS3, Jest, Mongo, Cypress |
| MakersBnB | Group | A clone of AirBnB | Ruby, Rspec, Sinatra, Capybara, CSS3, HTML5, PostgreSQL |
| Bank Tech Test | Alone | A simple application that allows a customer to have a bank account which runs in Node REPL. | JavaScript, Node.js, Jest |
- I led communication lessons for mainly non-verbal students.
- Where I broke down the basic components of social communication into tailor made accessible resources and interactive games.
- Which resulted in the students verbal communication growing over a period of time and to reach a place where they could successfully verbally communicate simple sentences.
- Leading successful daily standups and retros.
- Addressing issues within the team dynamic.
- Helping to communicate ideas and alternative ways of thinking.
- Broke down daily goals and achivements into organised and focused tasks.
- I provided support and workshops for colleagues in how to use our own personal talents to structure communication lessons so the students felt safe in a productive learning environment.
- Colleagues felt more comfortable and confident while leading lessons.
- Students achieved more and progressed faster.
- As Project Manager, I was able to ascertain the strengths and interests of our team.
- Encourage my team to use the skills they had to help to accomplish our daily tasks and goals.
- Identifying team members having blockers and reassuring them.
- Identified individual skills to help team members unblock themselves and an alternative way of thinking.
- Sharing my knowledge and learnings about different aspects of code or framework when I saw someone was struggling.
- Going from in person teaching to at the drop of a hat creating interactive online resources for students to access remotely during the pandemic.
- Adapting in person classes into video tutorials on independent skills as well as virtual check ins and emotional regulation.
- This provided structure and reassurance in a world that can quickly change.
- Consistent check ins on emotional state before starting work in a pair.
- Identifying blockers or imposter syndrome and allowing space to discuss them in a non judgmental environment.
- Identifying when something wasn't working for someone, and adapting to their needs to keep progressing.
- Understanding the ever changing needs of the specific students, and tailoring resources for them.
- Building a communication board that allowed a specific student to build simple sentences with word-image cards to allow them to simplify their verbal process so they felt empowered to have their needs met.
- I saw that the student was struggling, and we weren't being as accessible as we could.
- So I took the initiative to build and deliver the resources needed for him to communicate both verbally and non-verbally if needed.
- Identifying my team was struggling with blockers, and work fatigue.
- While running the end of day retro I suggested we played a game of online pictionary.
- This raised spirits and gave our minds a break from the blockers we were facing, and we ended the day on a good note.
- Built different styles of puppetry entirely from scratch.
- Through studying an image, or source material and spending a large amount of time thoroughly planning functionality and how the performer intended to use it.
- Built a simple mechanical parrot handle umbrella for a show about Mary poppins.
- Constructed three cardboard Bunraku styled puppets for a telling of Shakespeare's Richard III.
- Because of my eye for detail I was able to fix bugs.
- Find mistakes and assist with errors.
- This helped in building good quality, well tested code.
- Thorough planning of how the application interacted between Front-end and Back-end.
- Learning lines for productions on a short time scale.
- Often having to be off script in under a day or two.
- Thorough research to fully fulfill the characters needs and journey.
- These skills helped while learning new languages and frameworks.
- Not feeling overwhelmed with new seed or legacy projects.
- Building an understanding around new concepts and frameworks in a few days.
- Researching best practicies and expected testing structures.
- Working in a devised, movement and clowning based practice, I had to be ready to adapt and be quick on my toes.
- Being able to react and develop ideas and impulses in a group of performers while building a harmonious product.
- Being able to work with anyone. From any walk of life.
- Comfortable working in small and large groups.
- Considerate pairing partner.
- Able to judge how people were feeling and assist where I could.
Full-time 16 week intensive software development bootcamp focusing on:
- Object-Oriented Programming, Test Driven Development, Model View Controller design patterns, DRY and SRP principles.
- Agile principles, pair programming, stand-ups, retros and sprint planning.
- Various computer based languages such as Ruby and JavaScript.
- Group based projects to develop our programming skills in a workplace environment.
- Sharing knowledge as a Mentor to students in newer cohorts.
- First Class degree in BA Acting and Contemporary Theatre.
- Subjects included. Devising, clowning, voice over, dance, physical theatre, puppetry, singing, movement, gymnastics, script writing and directing.
Goodlord (Oct-2022 to Jan-2023) Software Engineering Intern
- While on the intern academy I was able to adapt to new software languages and challenges quickly. Getting a quick understanding and able to add value. Working on different tickets that required using different languages. I.e. python, ruby, JS, TS, C#, react and PHP.
- Supporting the other interns when they came across blockers. Working together to overcome personal challenges and discovering new ways of achieving goals and providing value.
- Working with mid to senior level developers on tickets and being able to add value while working with new languages. As well as shadowing of other parts of the business and being able to address functionality problems to help support them do their job.
Samuel Rhodes School (Feb-2020 to Dec-2021) Class Room Teaching Assistant
- Working with secondary and college aged students with a range of special educational needs and disabilities.
- Being neurodiverse myself and displaying my own personal skills I showed them that no matter their diagnosis, everyone has a personal basket of skills that are just as valid and valued as others.
- The student's confidence grew, and they achieved things even they couldn't have imagined.
- Lead Class TA and 1:1 with students to provide a safe and nurturing environment in which the students could excel and feel self empowered.
- I was often tasked with training and mentoring new TA's.
- Provided feedback to higher management and the TA I was training, so the students accessibility needs were our top priority.
- This helped maintain a culture of constant improvement and development for everyone.
- Led communication and self independence lessons where I built and delivered tailor made resources from scratch.
- I also made resources that visually showed the students class structure, and broke their daily tasks down into simple to understand chunks.
- I was asked to deliver my resources to other classrooms, so the students were provided with coherent structure across all subjects.
- This caused the students to engage more in classes and to alleviate anxiety within the students.
Sugarman Education (Dec-2013 to Feb-2020) Agency Class Room Teaching Assistant
- Worked with primary and secondary aged students with a range of special educational needs and disabilities, as well as emotional needs.
- I was able to work in a range of different schools and environments that would often change from day to day.
- Students warmed to me quickly, and I was often asked to return on several occasions.
- This resulted in the students staying focused and showing no signs of anxiety around change.
- Worked at a range of different schools from primary SEN to secondary SEN pupil referral units dealing with behaviour.
- Using my skills I was able to withstand threats and attacks, of being hit, bit or spat on, while still reassuring the student that they weren't in trouble and that everything was going to be alright.
- On several occasions I was able to defuse situations between two students which would have ended up putting the students safety in danger.
- Reading: I like to read sci-fy and fantasy novels, I'm eagerly awaiting Patrick Rothfuss' highly anticipated "The Doors of Stone." as well as Pierce Brown's final books in the Red Rising Saga "Lightbringer" and secret 7th book, "Red God".
- Board/Table top games: Current favourite board game is "The Quacks of Quedlinburg." where you play as charlatans or quack doctors brewing potions adding ingredients one at a time. I also enjoy communal story telling games and RPGs, such as "D&D", "Call of Cthulhu" as well as "Ten Candles".
- Video games: Currently sailing the seven seas as a rag tag crew of salty sea dogs in "Sea of Thieves" coordinating plundering, riddle solving and treasure hunting with friends from a far.
- Bouldering: Mastering the basics from V0 to V3 while socialising with friends and strangers a like. Building that all needed hand strength for improved code writing.
- Table Tennis: A social player who gets increasingly competative the longer the game goes on. Helluva a serve, but I've been told I hold the racket weird.