---
margin-left: 1cm
margin-right: 1cm
margin-top: 0.5cm
margin-bottom: 1.5cm
title: Ava Gaiety W.
description-meta: 'Software Engineer & UX Designer'
keywords:
  - 'accessibility' 
  - 'ux design' 
  - 'software development'
author-meta: 'ava@wroten.me'
---

###### [gaiety.me](https://gaiety.me/) | [linkedin.com/in/gaiety](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaiety) | [Ava@Wroten.me](mailto:ava@wroten.me) | 443.985.8927 ![](./pfp.png)

## Professional Summary

Passionate developer with _over 13 years of experience_ in web application engineering. **Full-stack** knowledge with _front-end expertise_. Skilled in team **leadership**, **mentoring**, **cross-functional collaboration**. Ready to help take **accessibility** and **user-experience** (UX) to the next level.

## Skills

`HTML`, `CSS`, `TailwindCSS`, `PostCSS`, `JavaScript`, `TypeScript`, `React`, `EmberJS`, `Vue.js`, `NodeJS`, `Express`, `Python`, `Elixir`, `Phoenix`, `PHP`, `Ruby on Rails`, `Docker`, `SQL`, `Git`

Communication, Collaboration, Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, Initiative

## Experience

### Web Engineer Contractor

**PowerSchool, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation**
(Jun 2024 - Present)

Lead and was the primary developer for a greenfield project exceeding timeline and quality expectations.

- Collaborated in tech stack choice of `Elixir`, `Phoenix`, `Lit` (web components), `TypeScript`, with a `PostgreSQL` database
- Hand-crafted dynamic charts with zero-dependency **SVG** pie charts for **data visualization**

### Senior Accessibility Tools Developer

**Deque Systems**
(Apr 2024 - Jun 2024)

Debugging sophisticated accessibility problems with robust solutions.

- Adding features and fixing bugs in the _open-source_ platform `axe-core`
- Leveraging `GitHub` issues for community based communication around bugs and features
- Updating complex `Playwright` automation tests with improved `TypeScript`

### Senior Software Architect

**PowerSchool** (Allovue)
(Apr 2022 - Mar 2024)

Education Finance Technology (EdFinTech) to ensure every dollar reaches every student and faculty.

- Lead `Elixir` and `Phoenix` centric complex features in the _Shape Up_ product development strategy (by Basecamp)
- Cleanly combined `ExUnit` and `Doctests` to confidently ship well tested code
- **Refactored** `Alpine.js` into `Phoenix` `LiveView` components
- Writing **documentation** _architecture decision records (ADR)_ and code patterns
- **Mentored** juniors in new skills, patterns, and career advancement
- Improved legacy product built in `EmberJS` and (Ruby) `Rails`
  - Vastly improved product **accessibility** while utilizing **test-driven development** in `Qunit` for effective **refactoring**
  - Extended `Ember Data` (with `Ecto` and `Triplex`) to efficiently send batch updates to a `Rails` API leveraging `Graphiti`

### UI Engineer

**Oncue**
(Apr 2023 - Mar 2022)

Design system engineer building an Atomic Design inspired **mobile-first**, **nestable** and **accessible** toolset for engineers to implement in various products in the moving industry

- Reusable components built with `React` with `TypeScript` tested with `Jest` and `Cypress`
- Cleanly documented in `Storybook` leveraging `Chromatic` for designer approval
- Consulted internal projects on **accessibility** standards
- Lead cross-team workshops, leading to a conference talk at _MagnoliaJS_

### Lead Full-Stack Software Engineer

**SkillsEngine**
(Aug 2020 - Apr 2021)

Full-Stack engineer for a sophisticated web application balancing skills needed for educators to teach students to become employees.

- Revamped onboarding practices along with employee **mentoring**
- Shifted company from agile to **Shape Up** product development
- Shipped complex features in `EmberJS` and `Rails` carefully tested with `fixtures` in `Qunit` and `RSpec`

### Developer III

**Q2ebanking**
(Jan 2016 - Aug 2019)

`EmberJS` engineer improving products on multiple teams through **test-driven development** (TDD) practices.

- Maintained a **mobile-first** dynamic front-end flow applications powered by `Command Query Responsibility Segregation` (CQRS)
- Pitched a `Native Web Component` library with proof of concept
- Collaborated closely with **QA** on a robust **end-to-end** Testing suite
- Lead the initiative to push for improved **automation testing** cross-product standards with **Test-Driven Development** (TDD) practices
- Presented company-wide **presentations** around new initiatives and features
- Organized internal developer conventions and a public **Meetup** group

### Senior Web Engineer

**Eyemaginations Inc.** (Rendia)
(Feb 2013 - Dec 2015)

Designer and full-stack developer delivering the tools doctors need to better educate their patients through ambitious web applications.

- Modernized a `PHP` application to be rebuilt as a single-page application (SPA) in `EmberJS` and `Sass`
- Launched two enterprise scale applications
- Video streaming leveraging complex interactions with `HTML5 Video` and `Canvas`
- Lead user-experience (UX) design initiatives and tech stack decisions

## Presentations

- **Thinking in Components for Scalability** discussing **Tailwind UI** and **Storybook** at _TestJS Summit_
- **Building the Dream UI Component Library** discussing **Storybook** and web standards at _MagnoliaJS_
- **Achieving A11y Automation Testing** discussing **Ember**, **React**, **Svelte**, and **axe-core** at _TestJS Summit_
- **A11y First, and Everyone Wins** discussing **Ember** at _EmberConf_, _Ember Dallas_, _Ember ATX_, _Austin Accessibility and Inclusive Design_
- **Overcoming Impostor Syndrome** at _NW Austin Professional Developers_

## Volunteer Work

### Code2College

Developing curriculums around **HTML5**, **A11y** and assisting with interview practice.

### Austin Give Camp

Assisting non-profits with mobile readiness, **internationalization** (i18n) and content restructuring.

## Education 

### Master of Science in Interactive Media and Communications

**Quinnipiac University**
(Jan 2023 - Present)

### Bachelor of Science in Design & Information Systems, _Deans List_

**Stevenson University**
(2010 - 2012)
GPA 3.9/4.0

### Associate of Arts in Interactive Technologies, _Stewart_, _Deans List_

**Anne Arundel Community College**
(2005-2010)
GPA 4.0/4.0

## Hobbies

- Tabletop Role-playing Games (TTRPGs) having run several 3+ year long campaigns
- Self-Hosting a `Linux` server with many websites and services running in `Docker`
  - Secured with `Wireguard`
  - Reverse proxied with `nginx`

## Books

Relevant titles I've read to better my skills.

- **Shape Up** by _Basecamp_ (37signals)
- **REMOTE Office not required.** by _Basecamp_ (37signals)
- **Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship** by _Robert C. Martin_
- **Refactoring** by _Martin Fowler_