Hometown: Red Hook, NY but my current city is Karlsruhe, Germany
Major: Computer Science
Current Involvement: I teach web development and design through popular online platforms such as Egghead.io, Frontend Masters, and Lynda.com. I started a women-run tech podcast, the Ladybug Podcast, and also am a panelist on the JavaScript podcast JSParty. I founded an open source project to connect developer mentees and mentors, called Coding Coach.
Involvement while at Siena: Pep band manager
How do you involve yourself in your community? Most of my community involvement is done through the internet, however I co-run a local JavaScript meetup called Karlsruhe JS.
Describe a typical day in your life.
I typically arrive at work around 9 or 10 am (since I have evening meetings most days). I’ll answer important Slack messages and emails. Then I’ll either watch a coding tutorial and work on building out our design system using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React. But a lot of my job also requires interfacing with key design system stakeholders, thus I may also work on company-wide presentations.
How did your Siena education prepare you for the work you’re doing today?
My education at Siena taught me appreciation for people from all walks of life. The liberal arts education pushed me outside my comfort zone and into new spaces such as philosophy and jazz dance. Having exposure to many different areas allowed me to hone in on exactly what I loved, computer science.
Describe your professional progression since leaving Siena.
After graduating from Siena in 2015, I moved down to Austin, Texas for 3 years where I worked at IBM as a Software Engineer. I worked on many fun projects like IBM Quantum Computing where I learned a lot of UX design skills. Then in February of 2018 I left everything and flew my cats and myself over to Germany to start a new life as a Software Engineer at LogMeIn. I worked as a Software Engineer on GoToMeeting for a year before migrating over to the design team as the Design System Lead where I’m currently leading the effort of building our design system.
Additionally during the last year I’ve managed to build up my social media presence (@emmawedekind) and create a successful blog, open source project, and podcast. I love teaching others by making abstract concepts attainable with real-world examples and metaphors. So I am extremely lucky to have the ability to travel the world speaking at conferences and working with amazing companies like Stack Overflow and LinkedIn to teach.
Siena Favorites
Siena Professor: I loved working with Dan DiTursi because, although I wasn’t the “smartest” student, he always helped me when I struggled and allowed me to believe in myself
Class: I loved my Database course with Dr. Vandenberg!
Location: I had some fun times on the Roger Bacon computer science floor!
Study-break Food: The chicken tender wraps, ugh
Residence Hall: I loved living in a Townhouse but Hennepin was also fun
Class Year: Junior year! I got to study abroad and it was the highlight of my time at Siena
Food: Mac and cheese
Favorite Memory: Study abroad in London my junior year and the mission trip to Haiti!
Advice for current Saints:
Don’t take anything for granted. College really is the best time of your life and the friends you make there will be friends for life.
Career advice for current students:
It’s okay if you’re struggling in school. You don’t have to be the best student or get the BEST grades to succeed in your career. Hang in there!
