Understanding emerging trends and apply them to client projects. Keep our team running smoothly under the Agile/Scrum software development framework. Content creator, application/web development, social media marketing.

I created Portageur.ca as a means to advocate spending time in nature because I feel passionately that this is important. To do this, I share my experiences portaging, camping and canoeing through writing, public speaking, and a strong web / social media presence - each supported by vivid photography. Portageur's attitude, philosophy and style can be summed up by "If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong."

Fiona from Badger Paddles called me one day with this great idea to encourage people to get outdoors and re-enforce the idea of how rewarding it is to be "Out There". We'd create a kind of Province-wide scavenger hunt, where we'd hide six paddles and throughout the summer we'd publish clues to their location. The winner who found the paddle got to keep it, along with some other prizes. http://paddleintheparkcontest.caThe first year was a huge success. The feedback from those who participated or just followed along at home has been fantastic, usually accompanying great stories of their paddle-finding attempts. The most poignant message we received was that, without exception, everyone had a fun and rewarding experience even if they didn't come home with a new paddle.

Wolf Lake, located in the Temagami region of Ontario, is home to the world's largest ancient Red Pine forest, and is currently under threat by industrial mining and even declassification that would allow for much more destructive activities. In 2013, an idea was created to raise awareness towards protecting this beautiful, ecologically important, traditional canoeing and camping area. We would invite a group of artists to visit Wolf Lake and let it inspire works of art, which would then be exhibited and sold to help protect the area. For more information, see http://partnersforwolflake.ca or http://savewolflake.org

In January 2012 I decided to make a big jump and start working for myself. I was also eager to start developing with more varied web technologies and a variety of project types. I started dabbling with PHP and MySQL (WAMP) based sites, but also managed and developed a few Ruby on Rails solutions. I soon found a particular focus on building Wordpress based sites, having a lot of fun creating many custom functionality. It was fun and exciting, right from the start, and I can say I am really enjoying working each day knowing it will provide a unique challenge to solve.

My role at Coyote involves work on several projects with varied requirements. The projects involve creating desktop and web-based applications, mostly using .NET as well as SQL Server (T-SQL). Of course creating web based applications has also afforded me the opportunity to develop HTML, CSS, javascript, and AJAX skills.

My time at the CBSA offered me a great opportunity to get started in Information Technology and gain a wide range of experiences. At first I provided internal hardware-related technical support, but soon started to provide software solutions for various departments. Saying "I'm sure I can figure that out" offered me a chance to learn and prove myself, eventually moving from small projects to nationally used enterprise solutions.

When I was approached to become a Computer Skills Instructor at the CIDH, I strongly felt that this would be a challenge, being as introverted as I was at the time. However I felt just as strongly for that same reason I needed to do it. This was a valuable experience learning to plan lessons, the design and grade tests, as well as in-class instruction and one-on-one assistance. Sadly, my full-time job required more of my time and after 3 terms I had to resign, but I learned quite a bit in that short time.