Stories from the Hackery

Ari Daron graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. As an athlete I've been a team player my entire life. I love collaborating with others to reach a common goal and being challenged to reach my full potential. Software development allows me to do both and truly put my energy into something that has become a passion.

Mac McMorries graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. Husband, father, Army Combat Infantry Veteran. Meeting new people and experiencing new cultures is my jam. Things I love most about coding? Oh, let me count the ways: The camaraderie, the joy you feel when you solve a problem, the fact that there is and will forever be something to learn and innovate, just to name my top three.

Adam Donaghy graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. Prior to becoming a software developer, I worked full time in distillation and brewing. Like software development, these careers rely on an attention to detail and ensuring all processes are accounted for in order to ensure everything works together seamlessly. I had been interested in software development since dipping my toes in basic websit...

Lauden Eller graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. As a private chef, I spent 14 years building my career on the foundations of sustainable agriculture and social justice. I was raised in rural Alaska where instead of being educated I learned how to cook and tend a small-scale farm and with that learned ethos I always fed my clients the highest quality, most sustainable food possible. In 2019,...

Jajuan Jones graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. My journey in tech started due to my passion for gaming. Besides making music, it's my greatest pastime. Somehow someway I found my way from building my own pc and being deeply involved in the hardware side of technology, to the software side. Oh, how times can change...

Jake Brooks graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I have always been a rather creative individual and ever since I first took an intro to gaming class in high school I knew coding was the perfect outlet for my creativity and problem solving skills to thrive. In late 2021 I enrolled into Nashville Software School which has provided me the technical skills needed for this pursuit.

Laura Beth Maddox graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. Before I started my journey in software development, I was working as a floater/runner at a title company while also getting my associates degree in General Studies. I am grateful to have had the experience at that job because it allowed me to better my attention to detail and my social skills. When a family member introduced me to NSS, i...

Destiny Frith graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. After working as a barista and professional shopper for several years, I wanted to branch out and try something different. I craved something new that would challenge me and allow me to combine my passion and creativity with a technical skill would be valuable throughout the course of my career. I started researching and asking friends for re...

Noah Taggart graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. Growing up, much to my parents chagrin, I was a tinkerer. I would find electronics around the house and disassemble/reassemble them. Sometimes, even successfully! This evolved into working more with software after I built my first pc sometime in middle school. Even though I had never been a technology professional, I always tried to keep up wi...

Hilary Shaner graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. After working as a Zoo Keeper for several years I decided to pursue a new career in Web Development. Last year I attended Nashville Software School's three week Jumpstart course. It proved that not only could I learn to code, but I enjoyed it too. I quickly applied for the full time bootcamp that started in January and now I am busy learning...

Stevie Hollander graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I am a creative and passionate software developer who recently transitioned from working in high-end retail. With a longstanding interest in technology and design, my pursuit of software development has scratched the itch I've have to create and problem-solve in a realm I feel personally connected to technology.

Jaimie Hart graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I'm passionate about problem solving and adding a creative flare to everything I do - and that's why I'm an experienced software developer and student at Nashville Software School. I've been a radio DJ for 13 years and I've been doing independent web design with WordPress and SEO content writing for the last 5 years. I'm excited to take my tech...

Zach Dugger graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I am a software developer with a diverse professional history. Across the many industries I have experienced, I find problem solving to be a consistently rewarding challenge. Software Development affords endless problems that need solutions and I look forward to contributing my perspective.

Airris Williams graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I am a Software Developer who recently transitioned from a career in Law Enforcement. My interest in technology was sparked from a prison program at San Quentin State Prison that taught inmates how to code. I believe programs like these are a great asset to rehabilitating inmates and society as a whole. I decided to learn software developme...

Dani Crosby graduated with Web Development Cohort 53.

Riley Phillips graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I am a software developer that recently made the transition from video production & CNC programming. With a longstanding interest for technology and design, as well as continued learning and problem solving, I decided to pursue a career that I felt would be a better fit for personal and educational growth.

Will Wardrop graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I am a former commercial real estate analyst turned developer with a zeal for working with and visualizing locational data. I love to speak with people about code and am a firm believer that explaining a concept is the best way to learn it. I look forward to interacting with enthusiastic coworkers as I work towards my goal of building software...

Van Nguyen graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. Being a former Electric & Electronics Engineer, I had a good foundation for technical knowledge and technology. I have an analytic and logical mindset. After I came to the United States in 2018, I enjoyed the time I worked for Publix and Cambridge which helped me a lot to improve my language skills. When a colleague introduced me to Nashville So...

Randall Thomas graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. Growing up as a musician and producer, I have been working with complicated software for years as a necessity. That necessity grew into a curiosity, and then a passion. My love for finding out what makes things tick, abstract thinking, and connecting dots have brought me to software development where I can apply even more of my creative, tec...

Erich Hils graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. Hey, I’m Erich. In my life before NSS, I worked as a a museum educator, a community art teacher, a cook in a kitchen, a potter, a musician, and many other occupations. I have found that a breadth of experience in a variety of fields has provided my with a unique and creativity-based perspective from which to approach the art of software developm...

Gregory Haney graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I've worked in technology my entire life. I started with a long career in the Air Force as a cyberspace operations officer, followed by various roles in security for defense contractors and state government. In my most recent job, I was a technical trainer. One common thread in all my positions has been the desire and need to inject automatio...

Ollie Lichtenstein graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I have always had a passion for math and solving problems, specifically the ones that challenged me and felt particularly rewarding after successfully completing them. After graduating from College studying Business, I decided it was more important to find a career that allows me to use the skills that I am most passionate about. Softwar...

Kevin Caruso graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I've always been fascinated by how far technology as advanced in just my lifetime alone and it excites me thinking about what I’ll get to see further into my lifetime. Having the opportunity to actually help design and build software that contributes to that forward growth is something I know I’ve always been interested in. I did some self stu...

Henry House graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I have always liked tech-related things be it hardware or software. I would be producing music for an artist and often find that I was more interested in the recording software than the song. That curiosity eventually led me to enroll in Nashville Software School!

Chelsea Harris-Washington graduated with Web Development Cohort 54. I am a dedicated learner currently pursuing software engineering and enjoying every bit of it.