My Story
The Fun Stuff
My husband and I relocated to Aiken mid 2021 from Columbia, South Carolina. I'm a cat lover and volunteer with FOTAS, Friends of the Animal Shelter, here in Aiken. I take care of the cats that are housed in the PetSmart once a week. In my spare time, I also run a local DnD campaign as the Dungeon Master. While attending Aiken Technical College, I met a small group of students who are passionate about helping and together we run a Discord server to provide assistance or tutoring to classmates during off hours.
One of my favorite things to do is travel. The beach is my happy place and one of the best places to go to recharge. I love going exploring in the mountains. Trying new food in different cities. I'm one of those people that I don't mind driving to see people, events or try new things.
Certifcations
The Journey
Before pursuing my degree in Computer Technology with a focus on programming at Aiken Technical College in Aiken, South Carolina, I accumulated valuable skills and experience through various professional opportunities.
My career began at 17, with my first job at a local movie theater, where I developed essential transferable skills such as time management, customer service, and teamwork. I then transitioned to the restaurant industry, working at a small, family-owned Japanese restaurant. In this role, I learned the intricacies of running a business, contributing to payroll, training, ordering supplies, and managing the front of house.
After several years, I advanced to a position at the chain restaurant Ruby Tuesday. Here, I expanded my knowledge of managing a larger-scale business by forecasting labor costs using historical data and applying this insight to optimize supply orders based on deals and holidays. Additionally, I created schedules for both front and back of house staff, managed inventory, and investigated shortages.
Following nearly a decade in the food industry, I shifted to the financial sector, specifically within Credit Unions. This role allowed me to acquire significant knowledge of financial wellness and sharpen my attention to detail, crucial for fraud prevention.
My next career move was into the telecommunications sector, where I collaborated with the business sales team to facilitate the installation of services for our business clients. Leveraging my prior experience, I was recognized for my efficiency, accuracy, customer service, and multitasking abilities. Consequently, my manager assigned me to a special project that provided me with experience in networking, incident management, and project management. This project required coordination with multiple teams and executives from both our company and third-party organizations.
Upon the project's conclusion, I determined it was the optimal time to pursue my degree in Computer Technology, focusing on programming, to further enhance my skill set and career prospects.