Centriq Blog Category: Featured Students

CINDY GONZALEZ

Bio

I have been an elementary and high school substitute teacher and a teaching assistant. I have also coached competitive girl’s gymnastics teams and volunteered through AmeriCorps with Habitat for Humanity. I was also in the Army as an Information Technology Specialist.  Any time my friends or family have computer issues, they usually come to me to help them out.Read More

Kaylynn Keller

Bio

I have worked the last several years in Customer Service. During this time I’ve developed a lot of really good skills, such as active listening, working in a fast paced environment, and speaking and explaining things clearly. I also started my own side business at the beginning of the year making and selling paper art. This has taught me a lot of skills as well like organizing, prioritizing, and planning work. Aside from work and running a business and I am a partner to my wonderful Fiancé, Jake, and a Mother to my awesome 3-year-old, Lincoln.

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Dennis Michalicek

Bio

I have mostly worked in a manufacturing environment, both technology and non-technology related. During that time, I’ve learned a lot of what it’s like to be in a team setting, and how communication is the key to success for the team, the project, and the company. Every team member’s voice needs to be heard, and their knowledge utilized for overall success. Most importantly, I learned that technology is not just the future, but it is the here and now.
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RYAN BREWTON

Bio

I grew up in Las Vegas before moving to the Kansas City area to be closer with my family. Without much of a direction to go into, I got my AA degree before settling on enrolling into Centriq to get into a field that I am passionate about. Technology has always been a big part of my life growing up, from taking apart laptops to fixing computers for family members. Coupled with my desire to educate myself, IT seems like the perfect field for me.

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Lindsay Astelford

Bio

Coming from a background in research and healthcare, I had pursued a career as a physician because of the meaningful relationships with patients, helping others, while solving problems. In my third year of medical school, I became unhappy with the slow progress of the healthcare system and the dwindling minutes I had to spend with not only each patient, but also my family and friends.

I had been tangentially associated with development through friends in the industry.  Tech seemed like a natural transition for me because it welcomed quick adaptation, continual challenges, and collaboration which are areas where I thrive!Read More

Nicholas Landolt

Bio

My love for technology started at a young age when I would take apart and rebuild video game consoles in an attempt to make them run faster without overheating. On top of that whenever a family member got a new TV or VCR, I would be the one in charge of hooking them up and making sure they were configured correctly.Read More

CARLOS PADILLA

Bio

Since childhood, I’ve had a penchant for technology, which resulted in taking every computer class in high school from keyboarding and multimedia design to introductory programming and web design. I joined the US Navy after high school as an IT where I did two deployments to the Middle East, administrating the ships’ networks. I also worked as an IT Assistant for the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. At this point, I’m pretty sure I dream of electric sheep!

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MALCOLM LEE

As early as 11 years old, I had been building my own computers and diving into the evolving internet as a hobby. I studied Psychology and Mathematics at the University of Kansas and initially started work as a Technical Support Specialist and had moved on to Software Testing but couldn’t stomach the notion of cubical life at such a young age. I have worked as an Arborist until I had broken my leg in a skateboarding injury in March of 2017. During recovery I picked up Mountain Biking as a low impact form of rehabilitation and have traveled across the US from KC to Oregon exploring trails along the way and back.
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Samantha Turpin

Bio

I received my bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology and spent two years working as a Zoo Keeper. My most recent position was at the Reptile House at the St. Louis Zoo. I enjoyed working with my team to create enrichment for the animals, and used critical and logical thinking to solve problems. My greatest accomplishment during my time there was working with my coworkers to create a new enclosure for a group of our animals. It was the first time I was able to create something that I could share with the public, and took great care in helping to make it perfect.

In addition to my love of animals, I am also an avid gamer. I have been playing since the mid 90’s, where I started to make basic games in my spare time. I just started to delve into Unity, a product used to create both 2D and 3D games. Although I enjoyed my job as a Zoo Keeper, I realized I couldn’t see myself doing it as a career for the rest of my life. While I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I kept going back to technology. My dad received his degree in Computer Science, and we always had technology in our house. We got our first home computer when home computers were just starting to become commonplace, and since then I’ve always had an interest in figuring out how programs run. That interest pushed me into coding and development.

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ROBERT SVEC

Bio

My love of technology pushed me to an early start as a technician at my hometown PC shop and soon moved up to administrator at the local theatre.  I served in the Navy where I learned electronics and worked on F/A-18 Super Hornet avionics.  I ran my own business creating STEM curriculum for children and teaching electronics/robotics at schools and makerspaces.

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