Progression

The path was not linear. The pattern was always systems.

My background moves through science, statistics, science communication, leadership, research, and software — but the through-line has always been the same: understand complex systems, find the weak points, structure the information, and turn ambiguity into something usable.

From science to systems

Every stage trained a different part of the same skill set.

I did not arrive at implementation through a traditional software path. I came to it through molecular biology, microbiology, applied statistics, science communication, graduate research, marketing, and client-facing systems work. That path gave me a different lens: I do not just look at what a system is supposed to do. I look at how it behaves, where it fails, who it affects, and what structure it needs to work in real life.

Timeline

A nonlinear path, mapped by what each stage taught me.

This is not a straight ladder. It is a progression of skills that kept compounding: observation, analysis, communication, leadership, research, and implementation.

July 2014

General Studies Foundation

A.A. in General Studies

Highland Community College

Built the academic foundation that led into molecular biology, biotechnology, and scientific research.

Academic foundationGeneral analysisWriting and communicationTransfer preparation

Connection now

This was the starting point — broad enough to explore, structured enough to build toward a more technical scientific path.

Aug 2015 – May 2018

Scientific Foundation

B.S. in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology

Washburn University

Studied microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics while building a foundation in observation, experimental thinking, documentation, and biological systems.

  • Isolated magnetotactic bacteria from a local lake
  • Studied bacteriophages that infect Bacillus subtilis
  • Completed a TERT-related cancer research project at KU Med
  • Contributed to a bioinformatics project mapping Drosophila genes for future research
Scientific reasoningExperimental designLab documentationPattern recognitionMolecular systems thinking

Connection now

Science taught me to observe carefully, test assumptions, track variables, and look for the weak point in a system instead of accepting the first visible explanation.

Summer 2021

Science Communication

Science communication certificate experience

Sunset Zoo

Completed a year-long science communication program focused on translating complex scientific topics for the general public.

  • Practiced communicating technical ideas clearly under time constraints
  • Learned how easily information becomes distorted when context is missing
  • Explored how research builds messily from incomplete observations and prior work
Technical communicationAudience awarenessClarity under constraintsPublic-facing explanationContext translation

Connection now

This stage strengthened one of the most important parts of implementation: making complex information clear enough for other people to use.

Aug 2021

Applied Statistics & Analytics

Completed graduate coursework in Applied Statistics

Kansas State University

Expanded from scientific observation into statistical reasoning, messy data, mock study data, research data, and evidence-based interpretation.

  • Worked heavily in R and SPSS
  • Used statistical methods across messy datasets and mock study data
  • Analyzed well-known datasets, including Parkinson’s-related data
  • Applied statistical thinking to genetic data from graduate research
Statistical reasoningData interpretationHypothesis testingPattern detectionValidation thinking

Connection now

Statistics changed how I solve problems. It taught me that data should not be forced to tell a convenient story. It should be structured and tested well enough to tell the correct one.

May 2023

Leadership Development

Graduate Professional Leadership Program

Kansas State University

Completed a selective year-long leadership program while developing practical leadership experience through graduate research, lab mentoring, and teaching.

  • Mentored students in the lab
  • Taught microbiology lab
  • Managed graduate research timelines and project responsibilities
  • Developed leadership, communication, and accountability practices
Leadership communicationMentorshipTeaching and trainingProject ownershipStakeholder awareness

Connection now

Leadership made the human side of systems clearer. A process can be technically sound and still fail if people do not understand it, trust it, or know how to use it.

Aug 2023

Advanced Research & Systems Modeling

Ph.D. research in microbiology and bioinformatics

Kansas State University

Worked on graduate research involving Agrobacterium tumefaciens found on Helianthus annuus across Kansas, analyzing bacterial diversity, genotypes, plasmid possibilities, infection mechanisms, and sequenced genomes.

  • Studied Agrobacterium tumefaciens diversity across known bacterial subtypes
  • Investigated whether plasmids may be connected to infection behavior
  • Explored Type IV secretion system-related genes
  • Analyzed sequenced bacterial genomes using bioinformatics tools and statistics
  • Built research direction through literature review, tool discovery, and independent validation
BioinformaticsGenome analysisResearch modelingLiterature validationIndependent problem-solvingAmbiguity tolerance

Connection now

This stage taught me how to work when there was no clear playbook. I had to find tools, evaluate research, test approaches, and validate my own direction inside a complex system.

Nov 2023 – Present

Stormy Meadowlark

Marketing, systems, software, and implementation work

Self-directed / client-facing work

Started Stormy Meadowlark and began applying science, statistics, communication, marketing, and software to real business systems.

  • Launched Stormy Meadowlark as a marketing and systems-focused business
  • Delivered client work for HEM Automotive
  • Built websites, marketing systems, paid acquisition workflows, and business directories
  • Completed The Odin Project in April 2024
  • Expanded into backend APIs, vehicle inventory workflows, SaaS architecture, and CMS systems
Client-facing deliveryWorkflow mappingWeb developmentAPI and data structure reasoningMarketing systemsImplementation thinking

Connection now

This is where the path converged. I moved from analyzing systems to building and implementing them — turning messy workflows, customer behavior, operational gaps, and technical requirements into usable tools.

The convergence

Implementation became the obvious through-line.

As my work expanded across websites, workflows, customer systems, data, backend architecture, and client delivery, the pattern became clear. I was not just interested in coding, marketing, research, or analytics in isolation. I was interested in the point where all of them meet: understanding a messy system, finding what is broken, translating it into structure, and making it usable for real people.

What each stage added

The value is in the combination.

My background does not look like a straight ladder. It looks more like a system map — each stage added a different way to understand complexity.

Science

Observe the system

Identify variables, test assumptions, document behavior, and look for what does not hold up.

Statistics

Validate the story

Use data to reveal patterns, test hypotheses, and support conclusions with evidence.

Science Communication

Make complexity understandable

Translate technical ideas clearly so people can use the information instead of getting lost in it.

Leadership

Understand the people

Recognize how trust, communication, ownership, and accountability determine whether a process works.

Research

Navigate ambiguity

Find tools, evaluate literature, validate direction, and keep moving when the answer is not already documented.

Implementation

Make it usable

Turn workflows into requirements, data structures, permissions, validation rules, and systems people can actually operate.

Current lens

Now I use that background to build and implement systems.

I am strongest where customer workflows, business operations, data, APIs, product logic, and user adoption overlap. My path trained me to ask better questions, notice weak points, communicate clearly, validate assumptions, and build toward systems that work outside of theory.

Hiring takeaway

What this means for technical implementation work

My background is nonlinear, but it gives me an implementation lens that is hard to teach: I understand systems scientifically, data analytically, users behaviorally, and delivery practically. That combination helps me move from ambiguity to structure — and from structure to something people can actually use.

The progression explains the lens. The case studies show the proof.

Explore the work behind the timeline — the systems, workflows, architecture, and implementation decisions that show how this background translates into real outcomes.

View Case StudiesRead About My Approach