A Bit About Me

Hello there! I'm Jesi (I generally go by jesikitty online and at cons). This is one of my personal websites (my professional one is under my actual name, Jesi Merrick) that I use for testing out designs and random ideas. I also use this one to throw up some of my cosplay photos (I go to several Chicagoland cons). A bit about me, I'm a software developer/cosplayer/furry/board game enthusiast. I've been living in the Chicago area for quite a while now (for all of highschool and college), but I was living in Guatemala before that, and still go down there regularly to visit family.

My Work

I'm a software developer, with a current focus on full-stack JavaScript web development. I graduated from Illinois Tech with my Bachelors and Masters in Computer Science back in 2015, and since then I've had the chance to work in a few different technologies and environments (starting with some PHP, then later NodeJS and MeteorJS). The learning continues however! Lately I've been learning about RxJS, React, functional programming, and just overall improving my skill and knowledge when it comes to programming and JS.

Passing It On

Outside of development work, I've also discovered an interest in teaching. The summer before my third year at Illinois Tech, I was an assistant for a summer camp that introduced middle school girls to Computer Science. This launched off a love for teaching that I did not expect! Since then, I have helped with the same camp for two other summers, as well as the Fall and Spring clubs that we run for advanced students.