Right Now
Living on the cusp between the Millennial Generation and Gen Z, I am chronically online, while also relishing new experiences and Instagrammable moments. I live in the Land of Enchantment (New Mexico), where my loving partner Eli, our anxious dog Tofu, and our fluffy maxonista cat Mau Mau and I work to build a wonderful life together.
I was born and raised in rural New Mexico, near the US / Mexico border, and I am a transplant into the Albuquerque metro area, several hundred miles from my hometown. While Albuquerque is the largest city I have ever lived in, I dream of someday living in a city with a functional metro and subway / rail transit system. My inner model-train nerd yearns for it.
Computer Nerd
I have been building websites and tinkering with computers since middle school, where I helped to set up networking for the computer labs under the helpful direction of our sole IT person at the time, Brenda. Brenda is the reason I found my love for computers, and she will have the credit for sparking my joy of programming for the rest of my days.
I built my first website (a version of this website) in 2007 using static HTML I copied and pasted from other website’s source codes. Sadly (and thankfully), those versions of the site are lost to time.
From there, I taught myself how to read and write HTML and XML from there, while learning CSS and a bit of early Javascript. By high school, I had “discovered” PHP, and used it to redesign my high school’s website, which was my first non-personal project.
In college, I initially studied computer science, and worked in various departments building and designing their websites. I switched degree plans and graduated with a B.Sci in Technical Communication with a focus in Computer Science and Universal Design.
For Work
I currently work at the University of New Mexico Early Childhood Services Center as a Programmer Analyst II (web developer). My primary job focuses on developing our Laravel applications for Early Childhood Family Services Resource and Referrals. I maintain and develop all of our web applications and websites in the department, and I provide technical support and development support for teams using web applications across the state.
For Fun
I like to play piano in my free time, and I teach piano lessons on the side. I enjoy writing, reading, and bingewatching TV. I listen to podcasts religiously, and I am constantly looking for new audiobooks to consume.
I am an avid coffee drinker. I work on web-apps and laravel apps for fun in my free time, and I am currently going back to school for a second B.Sci in Computer Science.