Hi there! I am

Sara Kvaska

I'm a deve|

About Me

I'm a senior at Harvard studying Computer Science with a Secondary in Astrophysics, originally from Miami, Florida. (In the photo, I'm in the middle!)

After college, I'm looking to gain experience as Software Engineer. I love working on innovative projects through code as well as learning how to solve everyday problems through new techology. I am also passionate about Girls Who Code and its mission to inspire young women to pursue Computer Science.

Apart from work and class, I love journal writing, training for half marathons, and anything that has to do with Gordon Ramsay, Taylor Swift or Seinfeld!

  • Name: Sara Kvaska
  • College Email: kvaskas@college.harvard.edu
  • Personal Email: kvaskasm@gmail.com




Education and Extracurricular

2017 - 2021

Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science

Harvard College

Studied Computer Science with a Secondary in Astrophysics.

Relevant Courswork: Introduction to Theoretical Computer Science, Data Structures and Algorithms, Visualization, Privacy and Technology

August 2018 - May 2021

Girls Who Code Co-Director

Women in Computer Science (WiCS)
  • Created and taught a curriculum (which has included python, HTML and CSS, Javascript, animation, and robotics) to 25 girls each fall and spring.
  • The curriculums taught have included Python, Robotics, HTML/CSS, and animation.
  • Led the shift to virtaul programming and then increased the breadth of the program to include nationwide and international students.
  • Organized a pen-pal program to connect young girls interested in computer science with women in the field.
January 2020 - December 2020

Festa, Design Co-Chair

Quincy Housing Committee
  • As Festa co-chair in the Spring, planned and organized a bi-weekly housing Festa for around 100-150 people, meant to be a place where all members of the dorm could come and enjoy music, drinks, and food.
  • As Design co-chair for the fall, responsible for planning house activities as well as working with the design board to create posters promoting our events including game nights, watch parties, open mic nights, and alumni panels.

Experience

June - August 2019, June - August 2020

Software Engineer Intern

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Implemented the small Uninhabited Aerial System Information Management System (sUAS IMS), a drone reservation system, in C# using the .NET Framework.
  • Wrote API endpoints to enable Cron Job email reminders, created an Inventory page enabled with calendar availability and filtering using the front end, and implemented pickup time functionality for user reservations.
June 2018 - May 2021

Senior Digital Communications Intern

Harvard Admissions and Financial Aid
  • Oversaw the publishing of all Student Stories (blogs) onto the college website; designed social media campaigns for the Harvard Admissions Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts; created and published between 100-150 posts and managed Instagram takeovers through Fall and Spring.
  • Spearheaded the Shoestring Guide Project; conducted surveys with college students, met with the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative and consolidated information into online guides.
May 2018 - August 2018

Teaching Assistant

Girls Who Code
  • Supported the primary instructor in maintaining an exciting and accessible classroom environment for a diverse group of 20 high school girls; helped teach introductory computer science fundamentals in HTML, CSS, Javascript and Python.
May 2018 - August 2018

Google CodeU

Google
  • Served as the Product Manager on a team with 3 peers to design and implement an online chat application using Java, JavaScript, HTML and CSS over the course of 12 weeks, leveraging various Google Cloud Platform APIs, including App Engine and Datastore.
  • Learned and followed industry best practices such as: contributing to open source software using Git and GitHub, conducting regular code reviews with/for teammates, designing new components and interfaces and leading them to completion.
August 2016 - May 2017

Airport Ambassador

Miami International Airport
  • Interned at Miami International Airport as an Airport Ambassador through my senior year of high school.
  • Worked in arrivals, helping travelers through the airport and answering their questions about flights, flight times and how to navigate the airport and the city of Miami.

Technical Skills

HTML

90%

JavaScript

85%

CSS

95%

R

90%

C#

70%

Python

80%

Projects

My Projects

Below are projects I've created for classes and internships!

sUAS IMS

A drone reservation system

CapOne

An Airbnb Helper

Epicure Taste

Recipes using everyday ingredients

Mariah Carey Season

Visualizing the Top Christmas Songs

An Algorithm in Pursuit of Network Fairness

Bandwidth Allocation at Home in a Zoom World



Interests

My Interests

Below are some pictures that represent my interests outside of class and work!





Contact

Contact Me

Email me or reach out on social media if you want to talk!


Twitter

@astronosk

Personal Email

kvaskasm@gmail.com