Carolyn Stransky
Software developer (and sometimes still a journalist) based in Berlin, Germany
Email / Website / LinkedIn / GitHub / Twitter / DEV
๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ป Technical Experience
Google Season of Docs 2020 | Technical Writer @ GraphQL Foundation (Aug 2020 - Present)
Creating a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) resource for graphql.org
Software Engineer @ Meeshkan (Oct 2019 - Sep 2020)
Early-stage startup focused on automated API testing and NLP.
- Building the website and the web app that visualizes the test reports
- Maintaining unmock-js, an open-source fuzz testing library
- Ownership of documentation and the blog
- Technologies used: TypeScript, React, Gatsby, Chakra, Next.js, Node.js, GraphQL, REST, Jest, CircleCI, Python.
- Selected open-source work:
Frontend Developer @ Blacklane (Mar 2018 - Sep 2019)
Professional chauffeur service available in over 300 cities worldwide.
- Worked in a cross-functional, agile team to rebuild and rebrand the B2C booking experience
- Led an accessibility initiative resulting in the website passing WCAG 2.0 requirements
- Extended and maintained a company-wide design system
- Technologies used: HTML, CSS, JavaScript ES6, React, TypeScript, Storybook, Redux, Next.js, REST, Jest, Mocha, Cypress, TravisCI.
Technical Writer @ Contentful (Sep 2017 - Feb 2018)
API-first infrastructure to create, manage and distribute content.
- Ownership of Contentful's technical blog
- Wrote developer experience documentation
- Assistance with information architecture and UX writing for the web app
- Technologies used: React, Gatsby, Node.js, GraphQL, REST, Contentful.
- Selected writing:
- JavaScript SDK guide
- Node.js example app and courses
- Concept references: Domain model, Multiple environments
๐ Journalism Experience
This section only accounts for work done post-career change.
Freelance Writing (Mar 2020 - Present)
Currently on a break from sending pitches. Recent articles in Curve Magazine and DZone.
Contributing Editor @ FLURT Magazine (Mar 2016 - Sep 2018)
Magazine for socially conscious young people who want to create their own media.
- Wrote over 20 articles for print and web focused on technology and activism
- Edited and curated online-exclusive content
- Selected articles:
๐ On The Side
Web Development Instructor @ ReDI School of Digital Integration (Aug 2017 - Present)
Non-profit digital school for tech-interested newcomers applying for asylum in Germany.
- Building and continuously developing the course curriculum with a team of 4-8 other instructors
- Leading classes to improve student comprehension of React, HTML, CSS and general web design principles
- Mentoring students through presentations and job search
- Note: Took a break from teaching in 2019
Co-Organizer @ QueerJS (Jun 2019 - Present)
๐ณ๏ธโ๐ A meetup for everyone where queer speakers take the stage.
- Selecting speakers and scheduling events
- Fostering an inclusive community and enforcing the code of conduct
๐ป Previously co-organized BerlinJS from May 2018 - May 2020
Workshop Lead @ New Devs on the Block (Jul 2019 - Present)
Free, two-day workshops to help people build their first website.
- Creating a curriculum that covers HTML, CSS and a bit of JavaScript
- Preparing supplemental presentations on topics like accessibility and animations
- Events in Nรผrnberg and Vienna, now post-poned due to the COVID-19 outbreak
๐ค Public Speaking
Upcoming Events
- Write the Docs on the Internet
๐ (Oct 18-20, 2020)
Emceeing
Recent Appearances
-
Women TechMakers Vienna (streamed on Aug 7, 2020)
How AI is Enhancing Journalism -
Talk Python To Me Podcast (released on Sep 5, 2020)
Python and AI in Journalism
Want me to speak at your event?
๐ Accomplishments
Top Author Recognition @ DEV (2019 - 2020)
Named one of the Top 500 authors in 2019. Also wrote two articles that ranked in the weekly Top 7:
- How to remove condescending language from documentation
- Onboarding a junior developer to your team? Here's 12 tips.
Won Best Project @ Geek Girl Carrots Berlin Hackathon (Oct 2017)
Created Qarma, an online platform to report and retrieve lost & found objects for travelers abroad.
๐ฌ Languages
English: Native
German: A2.2
๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ Education
12-week intensive coding course focused on full-stack JavaScript
SPICED Academy - Berlin, Germany (Apr 2017 - Jun 2017)
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies
Beloit College - Beloit, Wisconsin, USA (2011 - 2015)
Washington Semester Program for Journalism and New Media
American University - Washington DC, USA (Fall 2014)
International Exchange studying Political Science
Yeditepe รniversitesi - Istanbul, Turkey (Spring 2013)