# Kitan García > Software Engineer | Solana, React, Node, Express, JavaScript, Python, Flask Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/kitan A high impact software engineer who thrives on difficult problems, an empathetic communicator who can interface with clients and execute based on their needs, and a culture champion who recognizes the importance of identity and values. I've worked in consulting as the sole developer building out a testing framework before onboarding and managing 8 new engineers, as the first hire of a startup where I shipped features weekly across the full stack, and as a freelancer building out projects on the Solana blockchain and beyond. I've shaped organizational processes and doubled revenue in a quarter, increased our userbase 8x, and upped user engagement by 50% by building features based on user feedback. Want to work together or just talk about random stuff? Don't hesitate to reach out! Outside of work, when I'm not building something new, you can find me fiendishly playing soccer/football (field, street, or freestyle), jamming on the quena or charango (instruments from the Andes), practicing calligraphy, expanding my rare edible garden, and much more. Besides that, I am enchanted by nature, the outdoors, travel, and people. I find the exploration of cultures, places, and perspectives to be not only a passion, but something that is paramount in this day and age. In addition, I'm strongly connected to the Peruvian community and helped run the Peruvian Student Association at UC Davis. Keeping in touch with my roots, working to help maintain one's culture away from home, and assisting those who are not so well represented or do not have a high standard of living are very important to me. I'm always happy to lend a hand, which is why I've enjoyed volunteering as well as routinely cooking for multitudes of people. I love Linux and have full stack experience with: • JavaScript (jQuery, Node.js, Express.js, React.js, React Native, Redux, TypeScript, Protractor, Chai, Cucumber, Socket.io, Passport.js, Mongoose) • Solana • Rust • AWS • DynamoDB • MongoDB • PostgreSQL • HTML • CSS • Electron • Python • Flask As well as experience with: • C • C++ • Bash • Git ## Work Experience ### Full Stack Engineer @ California Department of Motor Vehicles Jan 2023 – Present Working to improve the experience of internal teams and millions of Californians. License Registration Backend • Wrote logic concerning license applications to account for fraud, duplicate records, address changes, and unique records. • Worked extensively with Node, Express, and Postgres, modifying existing data, creating a new table for duplicates, and handling database migrations with Knex. Research Portal • Created an internal tool granting other teams access to view and export license and test data for investigation. • Built out responsive front end using React and Redux. • Implemented Node and Express server to query Postgres database using Knex.js. • Utilized GitHub Actions, Docker, and AWS to handle hosting, load balancing, and authentication. Database Journaling • Developed an npm package to journal request and response data to a Postgres database to aid in future debugging. • Built middleware using Node and Express. ### Full Stack Engineer @ Unknown Jan 2022 – Present SolEd: An educational dApp empowering experts to share their knowledge and allowing learners to enroll in their courses with SOL or USDC. • Created NFTs on Solana using Candy Machine and Sugar, and built out a platform for users to accrue Reward Tokens for staking. • Currently building out an educational hub empowering experts to create courses and educational content to get newcomers Web3-conversational and skilled up as quickly as possible in their areas of interest. • Wrote Rust with Anchor smart contracts for creation, reading, and deletion of Instructors and Courses on Solana blockchain. • Crafted front end with React, Next.js, Tailwind, and TypeScript allowing users to onboard and login with wallet authentication, enroll as Instructors, and create Courses in their areas of expertise using Anchor and @solana/web3.js. • Built suite of tests to guarantee correct back end behavior using Chai and Mocha. • More to come soon! Carbon Intensity Visualizer: An app allowing users to visualizing, track, and understand carbon usage across time • Leveraged D3.js to create rich visualizations of 4 years of carbon usage as a filterable line chart and heatmap. • Optimized UX by implementing efficient rendering algorithm handling over 28,000 data points simultaneously. • Implemented RESTful API with Python, Flask and Postgres to supply data to the client. • Upheld TDD best practices using by writing comprehensive front end tests with Jest. • Developed front end with React, TypeScript, Next.js, and Tailwind. • Containerized with Docker. MapBox GL Annotations: A project enabling users to play with markers on a map • Designed a sleek interface for placing markers on a map canvas, filtering them, and communicating to the user in a clear but non-invasive way using MapBox GL, React, and TypeScript. • Created a RESTful back end Node.js, Express.js, TypeScript, and MongoDB to pass markers to the client and persist new ones in the database. • Managed state using React Redux. ### Solana Fellow @ MLH Fellowship Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 | Remote • Contributed to open source projects including Treat Toolbox, a no-code app for creating and launching generative NFT collections, using JavaScript and React. • Built a Patreon-inspired dApp allowing creators to gain a following and provide unique benefits to their fans. Fans support creators with SOL by subscribing for access to benefits they provide. Handled smart contracts with Rust, Anchor, and Solana, tested using Chai and Mocha, and built front end with React, TypeScript, Next.js, and Tailwind CSS. • Implemented Anchor endpoints allowing creation, reading, updating, and deletion of user accounts and their associated benefits on the Solana blockchain. • Wrote React frontend featuring wallet-based identification, routing via Next.js, and ability to manipulate on-chain account data. • Won the inaugural MLH Solana Hackathon by building an NFT collection using Treat Toolbox, Solana, and Metaplex' Candy Machine, to create a website allowing peers to mint our NFTs and receive them in their wallets. ### Founding Engineer @ Kona Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 | Remote • Helped Kona scale 8x over two quarters by overhauling customer onboarding, referrals, and digests. • Increased revenue by 100% in a quarter by building dashboard navigation, user page, and graph annotations from scratch, using React, Typescript, TailWind CSS, DynamoDB, and Flask. • Implemented vacation alerts using Python and Flask, notifying users the day before a holiday to pause Kona, used by over 80% of customers. • Increased weekly active user engagement by 50% by implementing Kona Friends, custom reactions, and an announcements banner. • Created tests that led to a 50% decrease in bugs that snuck into code. • Implemented sentence stems to help users begin elaborating, resulting in an immediate 29% increase in activity from less active users. • Crafted scripts delivering weekly reports on customer metrics to facilitate client-related decisions and prevent potential turnover. ### Full Stack Engineer @ Urban Botanica Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco, California, United States • Automated workflows for flowershop to save time and reduce overhead using React, TypeScript, Python, and Flask. • Implemented calculator to determine costs of floral arrangements based on market values of stems. • Devised method of logging stem type, quantity, and cost for purchase, as well as amounts comprising an arrangement. • Output shopping lists for users to quickly determine costs and quantities of each item before going to market. • Developed authentication system allowing the shop to register and login to view and make changes to their data. • Persisted details such as floral recipe, previous shopping lists, and costs of stems using DynamoDB. ### Advanced Applications Engineering Analyst @ Accenture Jan 2019 – Jan 2020 | San Francisco Bay Area • Sped up test execution times by over 650% by automating e2e testing for billing and revenue management system in JavaScript, Node.js, Protractor, Chai, Cucumber, and Gherkin. • Engineered data manipulation scripts using Newman and Axios, speeding up API testing by over 300% and removing dependencies on Postman and ReadyAPI. • Implemented automatically generated reports using JavaScript, Cucumber, Gherkin, Chai and associated libraries, saving team about 20 hours per week and allowing client to easily read and track progress. • Trained coworkers in tech stack by recording tutorials and writing documentation, scaling onboarding process by allowing 8 teammates to immediately contribute to effort without sacrificing productivity of others. • Thoroughly documented key files, procedures, and results through Markdown readmes, code comments, video recordings, and automated reporting • Lead demonstrations of proofs of concept and working progress to the client managers at the end of every agile sprint • Managed Git repository and enforced best practices. Delegated tasks and educated the team of the technologies used ### Web Development Team Lead @ natcar.org Jan 2018 – Jan 2019 | Davis, California • Directed an agile team to deliver an online course on building self driving cars to high schools across California • Scouted, recruited, and managed a team of developers to create online interactive lessons and labs • Managed online curriculum website ### Information Services Intern @ Sutter Health Jan 2017 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco Bay Area • Employed Microsoft Excel for data analytics, creating graphics, charts, and pivot tables and utilizing functions to simplify data manipulation • Developed presentations on optimal business intelligence platforms and Microsoft trainings to facilitate educated decisions for the Business Operations Manager, Chief Information Officer, and Board of Directors. Shadowed information system architects and engineers • Actively contributed in meetings to optimize Sutter’s IT architecture ## Education ### Solana Bootcamp in Computer Science Encode Club ### Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Engineering University of California, Davis ### Computer Software Engineering Horizons School of Technology ### High School Benicia High School ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kitangarcia --- Source: https://flows.cv/kitan JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/kitan/resume.json Last updated: 2026-03-29