Elsje Slothower
Artist, Creator, Developer.
I solve problems with software.
With a background in front and backend work, my projects emphasize database functionality and user experience.
I also run a small stained glass business on the side to document the process of making and selling my work online, mistakes included. Feel free to check out my stained glass if you're curious.
About
Developer
Ada Developers Academy gave me my start in software development, but the spark started in high school when I took a coding extracurricular. The basic building blocks of programming began with Snap! and I've been building on that foundation ever since. Critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity are the skills that I bring to every project I work on.
Creator
My bachelor's degree is in Journalism and Public Interest. I have a long history of creating, whether it's publishing articles, fostering community engagement, or posting on social media. In my current position, I create software while creating a relationship of trust with my clients. I enjoy the creative process of building software, and I enjoy the creative process of building relationships.
Artist
I like working my hands as well as my brain. Curiosity is the key, and I cultivate it anywhere and everywhere I can. Progressing through a project from start to finish is satisfying, and it's even better to share your creations with others. Stained glass is my outlet when I see something beautiful in the world and want others to see it too.
Projects
What I've built and what I'm building.
AI-Centric Personal Project
Stained Glass Quote Tool
Backend that turns a customer's photo and project description into a structured, editable price quote. An LLM vision call produces the first-pass estimate. Notably, a human always reviews the estimate before it's sent. Built for a real stained glass small business.
- FastAPI
- SQLAlchemy 2.0
- PostgreSQL
- Anthropic Claude API
- HTML / Tailwind
Kaleidoscopic, Alphanumeric Visualizer
AuraScope
A text-to-art algorithm that takes a string of letters and numbers to create a beautiful mosaic. Type in any word, phrase, or lucky number you may have gotten from a fortune cookie, and see what happens.
- TBD
Ada Developers Academy Capstone project
Pantry Pickings
A dinner-party web app that helps hosts pick a recipe using ingredients they already have on hand. The app is intentionally designed - quick, simple, budget-friendly, and mindful of guests' dietary preferences and intolerances.
- React
- React Router
- Axios
- Userfront
- Heroku
Wordle Dupe
Guess the 5-letter word in 6 tries.
Once you have guessed the word, type the answer into the URL following elsje.codes/_____ for a secret.
- Right spot
- In the word, wrong spot
- Not in the word
Skills
Languages
- C#
- Python
- TypeScript
- JavaScript
- SQL
Backend
- FastAPI
- SQLAlchemy
- PostgreSQL
- REST APIs
- Pydantic
Frontend
- React
- Next.js
- Tailwind CSS
- MVC-style architecture
- Responsive design
Tools & practices
- Git / GitHub
- pytest
- LLM API integration
- CI / CD
- Jira
Contact
You're the solder to my copper foil. Let's connect.