/cv

:page_with_curl: Carolyn Stransky's CV

Carolyn Stransky

Software developer (and sometimes still a journalist) based in Berlin, Germany

Email / Website / LinkedIn / GitHub / Twitter / DEV

πŸ‘©πŸΌβ€πŸ’» Technical Experience

Frontend Engineer @ BRYTER (Dec 2020 - Present)
Part of the design systems team behind BRYTER's no-code building platform.

Google Season of Docs 2020 | Technical Writer @ GraphQL Foundation (Aug 2020 - Jan 2021)
Google Season of Docs is a short-term program matching experienced technical writers with open source organizations.

  • Created a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) resource for graphql.org, including all the content and page functionality
  • Triaged issues and reviewed pull requests to the GraphQL documentation
  • Wrote internal documentation to improve the contributing experience
  • Assisted with migrating graphql.org from custom scripts to Gatsby
  • Technologies used: CSS, React, TypeScript, Gatsby, GraphQL.

Software Engineer @ Meeshkan (Oct 2019 - Sep 2020)
Early-stage startup focused on automated API testing and NLP.

Frontend Engineer @ 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.

πŸ—ž 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.

πŸ“Œ 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)
πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ 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
  • 🐻 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 NΓΌrnberg and Vienna, now post-poned due to the COVID-19 outbreak

🎀 Public Speaking

Recent Appearances


Want me to speak at your event?
πŸ’– Check out my website for more information.

πŸ† 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:

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.

πŸ’¬ Languages

English: Native
German: A2.2

πŸ‘©πŸΌβ€πŸŽ“ 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 Üniversitesi - Istanbul, Turkey (Spring 2013)