Nikki Kyllonen

San Francisco Bay Area · nikki-kyllonen@comcast.net

I am a learner. Following my curiosity has led me to pursue two degrees in Computer Science, to teach for Girls Who Code, and to dive into functional programming. I operate at my best among a fun, inclusive, and honest community that values communication, work-life balance, mentorship, and individual growth.

If you're interested in learning more about me, explore the subsections below! If you would like to get in touch, feel free to contact me at my email above or through LinkedIn .

Education

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Master of Science

Computer Science

GPA: 3.78

2018 - 2020

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Bachelor of Science

Computer Science, Minor in Astrophysics

GPA: 3.64

2014 - 2018

Experience

Junior Developer

NewAperio

Assisted with Elixir/Phoenix/PostgreSQL and React.js web apps; React Native/GraphQL mobile app. Supported seniors through documentation, feature presentations, and insightful questions for clients. Provided meticulous copy reveiws, GitHub PR reviews, and QA testing for design and development. Iterated with direct feedback to ensure an optimal balance of user experience and code construction. Collaborated with team members to build a company culture founded on trust, empathy, and fun.

February 2021 - Present

Virtual Summer Immersion Program Instructor

Girls Who Code

Introduced HTML, CSS, and JavaScript curricula through 2-3 projects in 2-week and 1-week programs. Built a fun, fast-paced virtual classroom that valued sisterhood-building and leaning into discomfort. Managed a virtual classroom using GMail, Google Classroom, Google Slides, Zoom, Glitch, and Google Chat. Distributed constuctive and encouraging feedback to TAs and students.

June 2020 - August 2020

Summer Immersion Program Instructor

Girls Who Code

Taught fundamentals with Python, web development with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and robotics with Arduino C. Encouraged a classroom community that promoted curiosity and the confidence to face the unknown.

June 2019 - August 2019

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Software Design & Development, Interactive Games & Graphics

Assisted students with C++, Git, GitHub; fundamental graphics principles; and OOP practices in a large project. Oversaw a team of 6 graduate TAs; providing guidance on best practices and Python grading script usage. Improved feedback and turnaround times for grading by designing and modifying grading scripts. Formed and advocated for the use of a staff Slack workspace; reducing miscommunications between TAs and professors.

September 2018 - May 2020

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

Introduction to C/C++ Programing

Helped engineering and science majors learn fundamental programming principles using C++. Led review lectures to clarify key concepts and address common questions, reducing in-lab issus. Curated 1:1 and small group discussions in office hours for personal and collaborating help.

September 2016 - May 2018

Projects

Balloon Pop Game [HW1 - Game from Scratch]

Real-time Game Engine Technology

To dive into what makes a Game Engine a Game Engine, we were first tasked to build a game without one. Instead, we used Processing: a free and open-source, Java-based language that cuts out much of the nitty-gritty nuances and the low-level heavy lifting of traditional graphics programming. The task was to create from scratch a "Balloon Pop" game, customized however we wished. My game is a pong-inspired, 2D, single-player game where the objective is to pop as many good balloons as possible while avoiding as many bad balloons as you can.

Submission Page

Preview Video

September 2019

Baby Game Engine [HW2 - Rendering Large Scenes]

Real-time Game Engine Technology

Submission Page

Preview Video

October 2019

Unity Exploration [Final Project]

Real-time Game Engine Technology

Now that we've spent an entire semester discussing different aspects of not only game engines, but also fundamental graphics concepts and techniques, we were set free to explore as we saw fit. Seeing as I'd spent all of my assignments thus far using either the game engine provided to us or a classmate's engine, I wanted to try out Unity. My previous experience with it was dated and I had learned from some of my classmates about this new tool called Shader Graph and I was eager to see what I could do with a full-blown, deployed game engine.

My explorations took me through several tutorial videos, the large majority of which were created by the fantastic, Unity-sponsored Youtube channel Brackeys . This project is a compilation of too many hours setting up Unity and many of Brackey's Unity tutorials.

Submission Page

December 2019

Skills

Programming Languages

Elixir, C++, TypeScript, C, C#, SQL

Tools & Frameworks

LiveView, Tailwind CSS, Git, React Native, PostgreSQL, Unix

Workflow

Mobile-First, Responsive Design
Cross Browser QA Testing & Debugging
Highly Collaborative, Cross Functional Teams
Agile Development & Scrum

Interests

Despite being a Computer Scientist, I relish being active and away from my computer. I am a stay-at-home dog mom and love taking River on her daily walks and sprinkling in playtime during my remote workday.

I love to hike, tent camp, and road trip- and try to bundle all three into summer trips with my dad. This year, I joined a co-ed adult soccer league- getting back into the game after 10 years away from the field. In college, I started indoor rock climbing and am excited to try climbing outdoors one day! I love the mental and physical stimulation of climbing- it's active problem-solving while hanging from a wall.

Music is a passion I've always had and I love jamming out as I crank through components and pages, singing along to my current favorite album or artist. My other media obsession is churning through YouTube videos: from interviews of my favorite actors to the latest SnakeDiscovery zoo updates.

Awards & Honors

2019 John T. Riedl Memorial Graduate TA Award
2017 Hopper-Dean Scholarship Honoring Dr. Vipin Kumar
2017 Dean's List - Spring Semester
2016 Dean's List - Spring Semester
2014 Dean's List - Fall Semester
2014 - 2015 Bay Area UMAA Scholarship
2014 - 2018 Gold National Scholarship