About

Strong opinions, loosely held.

Software should be used to improve peoples’ lives.

This blog is a space for me to reflect on things I think I’ve learned in an effort to understand them better.

Who?

My name is Gina, and I’m a software engineer based in Columbia, Maryland. I enjoy being a full stack developer, jack of all trades, with fingers in all the pies. I like to build things, and I like it more if those things are useful to people.

I’m a high school dropout. At 16, I had health issues that kept me from being able to sit in a classroom all day. My high school wasn’t willing to make any accommodations, and after two weeks of missing too many classes, my high school dropped me, and said I couldn’t come back because I was no longer in their honor’s program. I ended up at a early college program that let me take college classes for high school credit, and I graduated at 18 with both a high school diploma and an associates degree.

After a couple of years taking undergrad classes and working in IT, I went to Oregon State University, and got my bachelor’s degree in 2018. At that point, I’d only ever lived within 30 minutes of the Willamette river. I knew no one on the east coast, and had never been to the east coast, but I accepted a job offer that took me to Maryland. With a one way plane ticket, a backpack, and a suitcase, I made my move to Maryland.

I now own a home with my boyfriend, 1 cat, and 1 dog. We hope to travel lots, have a yummy garden, increase the household cat to dog ratio, continuously try new hobbies and pick up new skills… maybe not all of those goals are shared. I’m currently learning how to sew and running (ran my first 10 miler this year! looking to increase my pace before I do a half marathon).