Pixel pusher, gamer, baker, bibliophile, cat lady, cross stitcher, & MMO raider.

Portrait of Katie standing in front of a red brick wall.

Howdy, y’all

I’m Katie. I went to school at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts and graduated with a BFA from the Graphic Design program in 2011. I fell in love with Richmond where I lived, worked, and went to school downtown for four years. I love the south – southern hospitality (and pimento cheese) is forever a part of my heart.

I worked as a print designer for a few years after graduating. Eventually it was time for me to make a change and I managed to re-teach myself some basic HTML and CSS and find a job as a web designer and front end developer. I’ve been designing and building websites since 2015, and I love it! I’m always looking for smarter, more efficient ways to code. I attended Awesome Inc.’s Intro to Web Development course over the summer in 2021 to kickstart my JavaScript education. I love to learn and you can frequently find me Googling for solutions to my CSS & JS conundrums. I learn from my mistakes and I’m not afraid to ask questions. I’m a big advocate for web accessibility – I’m currently studying with the intention of testing for a Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) credential from IAAP one day in the future.

When I’m not pushin’ pixels, you can find me online playing PC games with my friends, in the kitchen baking, hanging out with my cat, dog, and husband, cross stitching, or reading a book.

Connect with me

LinkedIn

katierusch9@gmail.com

GitHub (work committed while working at Cornett)

Glitch (work created while attending Awesome Inc’s Intro to Web Development course)

Official résumé and references available upon request

Skills that pay the bills

Things I’m really good at:

  • Semantic HTML
  • CSS/SCSS/LESS (I <3 CSS)
  • Web Accessibility – both auditing for accessibility and remediating inaccessible websites
  • Bootstrap, Bulma – but I can work within any CSS framework given a little time and documentation
  • Styling responsive, mobile-first websites
  • Approaching web dev with a UI/web design oriented mindset
  • Working in various CMS-es:
    • WordPress
    • Webflow
    • Drupal
    • SquareSpace
    • BigCommerce
    • Or I can build/maintain static sites if needed
  • Utilizing the element inspector and Google 🙂

Things I’m pretty good at:

  • Javascript/Typescript
  • Agile
  • Git
  • User interface testing
  • Web design
  • Browser and device testing

Things I’m currently learning:

  • React

Things I know a little bit about:

  • Java/C#
  • Angular
  • Python
  • MVC
  • Test automation
    • Gherkin & Cucumber

Soft skills:

  • Time and light project management – I’m a very organized and detail oriented person
  • Putting together presentations
  • Talking and presenting to clients
  • Mentoring junior employees
  • Facilitating meetings and skill learning groups
  • Works well with others (I enjoy pair programming!)
  • Knows how to Google and work on learning new things
  • Co-captain and cat herder in my savage raid group (critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV with a free trial including the entirety of A Realm Reborn AND the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 with no restrictions on play time!)
A collage of all things Katie, including ampersands, tea cannisters, cross stitch pieces, a wand, a virginia license plate, floral Keds, a mechanical keyboard, Kindle e-reader, and more.