# Sam Balana

> Senior Software Engineer at Google

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/sambalana

I am a full-stack developer enthusiastic about building practical, comprehendible, malleable APIs and applications; sharing my passion through teaching; and constantly learning.

## Work Experience
### Software Engineer @ Google
Jan 2019 – Present | Mountain View, California, United States

### Lead Software Engineer @ Ardent Academy for Gifted Youth
Jan 2015 – Jan 2019 | Orange County, California Area
- Created a web app used everyday by teacher assistants; reducing time to grade student assignments by ~50% (Python, React)
- Developed a web app for creation of course curricula, student and classroom management; currently hosting 50 courses and 1,000 users (Node.js, RethinkDB, GraphQL, React, Flow)
- Maintaind an iPad app allowing students to complete assignments; currently serving 400 students (Node.js, RethinkDB, REST, React Native)
- Redesigned the entire application stack for microservice-based architecture; increasing API throughput by 300% (Docker, Kubernetes)
- Created a utility program for regularly scheduling database backups to Amazon S3; saving $30 per month (Go, RethinkDB)
- Interviewed and built a team of frontend engineers and interns
- Taught and lead teams to build the following applications:
   - An iPad app for staff; easing student attendance and file management (React Native)
   - An iOS and Android app for parents; notifying of student performance and course updates (React Native)

### Software Engineering Intern @ Google
Jan 2018 – Jan 2018 | Mountain View, CA
- Implemented caching of time series data; reduced response time by 98% (IndexedDB, Service Worker)
- Designed caching of performance reports; decreased response time by 99% and surpassing stretch goals (IndexedDB, Service Worker)
- Contributed to standardizing frontend technologies across Chrome Operations


## Education
### Computer Science and Engineering
UC Irvine
Jan 2015 – Jan 2019

### Computer Science
Norco College
Jan 2012 – Jan 2015

### High School Diploma in General Eduation
John F. Kennedy Middle College High School
Jan 2012 – Jan 2015


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sambalana
- Website: https://sambalana.com

---
Source: https://flows.cv/sambalana
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/sambalana/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-03-22