Ashlynne Morgan is a Ruby on Rails master by day, amateur painter by night. This former math teacher is looking for a company with compassion. Capture her skills before someone else does.
What program did you just complete?
I just completed the Coding Immersion course at Tech Talent South (TTS), which is an 8-week course that immerses students in many skills, with a focus on Ruby on Rails.
What did you build during your time in the course?
Oh, let me count thy apps…we created a Travel app to showcase our personal travels (which made me realize that I need to get a passport). We also created a Twitter-esque app, a Hotel app, a Pet Store app, and a Storefront app.
What other past tech/creative projects have you worked on?
As a former secondary math teacher, I built my own website (back when Weebly was popular). I helped a few other teachers set up their websites—and this is when I really became intrigued by the endless possibilities of the “interwebs” (Pops from The Regular Show).
During my Master’s program, I did a lot of reading and writing. Since our readings, lecture slides, and assignments were on Google Drive, I learned how to utilize that pretty efficiently. A few assignments allowed for some creativity: I put together a 15-minute tutorial video (using iMovie); I created a “Prezi” about my son’s obsession with zombies; and I created my own version of “Everest” (a leadership and teamwork simulation).
Most recently, I sold my house. I staged it entirely myself (I clearance shopped online and then consulted a few Dwell and Ikea magazines to bring it all together). Although I wasn’t able to take the photos myself (I wanted to), I created a brochure to showcase the photos and tell potential buyers about my house; and I learned a lot about Photoshop in the process.
My creative, ongoing hobbies are painting (amateur), refinishing old furniture (also amateur), and playing Xbox One with my son (very amateur).
What are your best technical or creative skills?
Since I was a young lad, my best technical skills have consistently been memorization, spelling, and writing. When I wasn’t playing soccer or basketball or baseball, I was reading a Goosebumps book or writing a novel about my angsty issues. I competed in a spelling bee once, but my stage fright kicked in and ran off the stage in tears.
In college, I discovered my passion for math and science. I majored in Biology at THE Ohio State University, but I found Chemistry came most natural to me because it incorporates math logic and physical concepts. Organic chemistry was a whole different ball game — it required a lot of non-logic memorization; however, the lab experiments we did were super cool (my fav was acid-base titration).
My friends and family would say that I am a great storyteller and a great writer. When telling stories, I enjoy cursing and using humor of all types. When writing, I enjoy using analogies and metaphors, as well as trying to get humor across (usually without cursing).
Creatively speaking, I like to think outside the box… I see potential in things (and people) and work very hard to bring it out. I will re-work and re-teach a new concept or language to myself until I master it. (I am not above flashcards or “cheat sheets.”) I’m currently learning Ruby on Rails (at Tech Talent South) and Spanish (via Duolingo and Rosetta Stone) simultaneously, so sometimes neural pathways cross and I type in “rails por favor” in the command line.
What’s next on your list to learn?
Once I master Ruby on Rails, I am on to PHP and JavaScript. Once I master Spanish, I am on to Portuguese and French.
What’s your ideal internship/job?
Since I’m a teacher at heart, I would love to work for a company that values education and lives that value in some way (i.e., allowing its employees to continue their learning in some way in their job roles). I am a fan of companies that give back to the community in ways that help others help themselves.
Interested in startups?
Definitely… I am constantly inspired and amazed by the start-ups I read and hear about.
Post graduation plans?
First, I am going to write thank-you notes to all of the awesome people at Tech Talent South for having me in their awesome program… I have learned so much and have made life-long friends there! After that, I am setting my sights on getting an internship at a company in Atlanta.
When are you available to start?
Now!
