Alexa Calkhoven
Software Engineering New Graduate
About Me
Nice to meet you, I'm Alexa! I recently graduated from the
University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Software Engineering and a
minor in Biomedical Engineering. My peers describe me as a strong
communicator, an innovator, and someone who reliably delivers
high-quality products. Through my education and internships I have
maintained my passion for learning, inspiring me to participate in
hackathons, conferences, and personal projects. I am currently
seeking new grad roles! Feel free to contact me by email or social
media (check out the
connect tab).
Experience
Code Ninjas
Youth Coding Instructor, Winter 2023
Teaching at Code Ninjas was a fun way to challenge myself in my
senior year. Breaking down programming concepts such as functions
and objects into simple, digestible pieces is unexpectedly
difficult, especially when teaching 4-12 year olds! An added bonus
to this job was getting to mentor young girls, contributing to my
goal of helping grow gender diversity in STEM.
Meta
Software Engineering Intern, Summer 2022
• Worked on the Messenger Kids team to develop a tool for quickly
reformatting the explore page, reducing app update time by
2+ weeks and increasing explore page engagement by over 50%
(PHP/Hack, React, JavaScript)
• Consistently conducted interviews with users of the tool and
implemented 8 extra features based on feedback
• Piloted and completed improvements to the code base outside of the
assigned project, fixing 5+ aesthetic issues on the app
Coinbase
Software Engineering Intern, Winter 2022
• Worked on the Institutional Core team to develop their application
for industry investors and large organizations that manage $40
billion+ worth of assets on the app (Go, MongoDB, React, AWS)
• Migrated backend from Ruby to Golang improving transaction speeds
by over 400%, preparing the platform for upgrades requested by 1000s
of customers
Amazon
Software Development Engineering Intern, Fall 2021
• Worked on the Worldwide Advertising Success Engineering team to
develop a web-app with 10+ workflow management tools for internal
advertising teams (Java, Spring, React, Dagger, AWS)
• Added Outlook integration to streamline email correspondence,
speeding up drafting by 25% on 1000s of emails per week
• Leveraged 5+ AWS services and CloudFormation to construct a
pipeline to trigger custom Lambda functions
Microsoft
Software Engineering Intern, Summer 2021
• Worked on the Bing Location Understanding Infrastructure team to
increase language support from 20 to 52 languages
• Integrated 4 million+ pieces of unused metadata into Bing,
improving responses to 3 million+ queries per week (C#, C++)
• Saved 15+ hours of manual effort by implementing Python tools to
automate parsing of 1TB+ of geographical data (Pandas)
iGEM Calgary
Dry-lab Developer, Jan 2020 - Dec 2020
I worked on the iGEM 2020 team as a dry-lab developer. I created tools to assist the wet-lab researchers with their synthetic biology research, as well as programs to supplement the project. I also led the Wiki development team. You can check out our Wiki and learn more about our project here.
The Popular. Company
Backend Software Developer, March 2020 - Nov 2020
I am helping develop the backend for this start-up's website. I, along with a team of developers, work in Java to create data analytics tools for businesses to understand their consumer base. Learn more about Popular here.
Schulich Ignite
Volunteer Mentor, Fall 2019
Led high school students through an introductory Java course by mentoring on a weekly basis for 8 sessions. This was a fantastic learning experience for myself, as it challenged me to explain coding in new and simple ways.
My Projects
Breast Cancer Imaging Cloud Application (Capstone)
TypeScript, React, Golang, AWS
• Collaborated with a breast cancer imaging startup to develop a
full-stack cloud-based web app for oncologists to manage scan data
(TypeScript, React, Golang, AWS)
• Led front-end development by designing and delegating the
creation of 7+ website pages, supporting the team with 15+
detailed Figma mock-ups and documentation to maintain code base
consistency
• Migrated proof-of-concept Python scripts to a fully functional
AWS cloud solution, using services such as Lambda, SQS, and S3,
introducing portability and scalability
• Integrated AWS Amplify to provide authentication services to the
app, protecting patient data while maintaining response times of 3
seconds or less
• Led meetings with oncologists and technicians to design an
intuitive UI with image comparison and segmentation tools
Check out our pitch
here.
SunLite Smart Lamp
Python, React, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Auth0, Twilio, LIFX
• First Place Overall and Best Use of Auth0 out of 60+ submissions
at MHacks 14
• Smart lamp and web-app pairing that schedules a simulated
sunrise, waking users up naturally and effectively
• Integrated Twilio API which allows users to control the lamp
using text messages
• Directed backend development and UX design
Check it out
here.
ConsoleMates
Python, React, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Auth0
• First Place in the Advanced Division out of 50+ submissions at
the Calgary Youth Hackathon
• Web-app that supports the mental health of coders by arranging
an anonymous, one-time exchange of letters
• Led REST API development, UX design, and presentation
Check it out
here.
BenchBae
Django, Python, React, Typescript
Second place overall out of 90+ submissions at CalgaryHacks 2021.
A web-application built with React and Django that uses Calgary
Municipal open-source data and the Google Places API. Find users a
nearby restaurant and west-facing bench to watch the sunset. Aims
to boost actvivity at local businesses during the COVID-19
pandemic. Check it out
here.
Job Hunter Application Tracking System
C#, ASP.NET, SQLite
A comprehsenive database and REST API that allows job-hunters and recruiters to manage job-application data. Database was designed using entity relationship diagrams and relational models. The database tracks over 10 strong and weak entities, with several attributes and complex relationships. Built using ASP.NET's ORM, C#, and SQLite. Check it out on GitHub here.
BLM Timeline
Javascript, Typescript, React, HTML, CSS
A website created with React that visualizes recent events in the Black Lives Matter movement. Focusses on optimistic events to spread positivity. Check it out here.
MotivateMate
Java
An application created in Java that helps students stay on track one day at a time, while rewarding them for their achievements so far. Designed to support those struggling to be motivated during quarantine. Check it out on Devpost here.
Arduino Minutes Logger
C++, Arduino
An Arduino-Uno-build used to track minutes. I created this to be more aware of my time studying, and to develop good habits. I made a tutorial to show how I made this project, check it out on Instructables here.
Planet Defender
C#, Unity
A game created in Unity for the 2019 BCI Game Jam. This game uses an incredible brain-to-computer interface to allow children who have lost motor function to play video games. Check it out on itch.io here.
ecoPath
Java
A program created with Processing used to model an app that finds the most eco-friendly path to your destination, rather than the fastest, using the A* algorithm.
Case Competitions
I have a passion for solving problems, and practice this through case competitions. You can view some of my submissions and pitches here.
Find more at my GitHub!
Case Competitions
Calgary Interprofessional Challenge for COVID-19 2020
This was a challenge to explore how COVID-19 alternate care facilities could be improved. Check out our pitch video here.
Calgary Interprofessional Challenge 2019
This was a challenge based around making the healthcare system more streamlined. Patient data can get lost and forgotten, leaving some waiting too long for treatment. My team won first for our project myTimeline. Check out our pitch deck here.
Modern Niagara 2019
This competition asked for a solution to the forest fire crisis in Jordan. Even the smallest of forest fires were threatening to burn down their small and precious forests. My team won second for our forest fire prevention and sensing project. Check out our pitch deck here.