Andrew Casarsa

Experience

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  NYS Division of Human Rights

  Jun 2012 - Aug 2012

  Claims Investigator Fellowship

  ○ Managed multiple claim tickets simultaneously, with a high level of interaction with complainants;○ Determined probable cause for claims via complainant/respondent interviews, document investigation & research in applicable law & its interpretation. Represented Upper Manhattan Office at the Civil Rights Roundtable Intern Conference.

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  US Patent & Trade Office

  Aug 2012 - May 2013

  Extern

  ○ Created customer service expert logic system to answer legal queries. Advised customer service team on how to walk users through trademark infringement, portfolio management concerns & when to recommend contacting a lawyer.

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  Law Offices of Ann Pinciss Berman PC

  Feb 2013 - May 2013

  Law School Clinic: Court Evaluator

  ○ Court appointed court evaluator for guardianship proceeding under mentor, Ann Berman;○ Drafted court evaluator's report, and supplemental report on patient’s medical records;○ Researched & analyzed client & opposition provided documents; reported to mentor on findings;○ Interviewed interested parties, drafted court evaluator's report, presented to the court & negotiated with counsel;○ Wrote internal advisory reports on client financials.

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  Dacheng Law Offices

  May 2013 - Aug 2013

  Law Clerk and Intern Manager

  ○ Co-founded Dacheng International Group (DIG) division to efficiently allocate western interns’ skill sets among Dacheng Partners, so as to manage & organize recruitment and integrity of the intern program.○ Drafted weekly newsletters, operated company blog, and prepared marketing materials.○ Drafted, edited, and summarized the English language communications and contracts for an employment dispute; a contact and leasing agreement regarding IP rights in the healthcare industry; and mergers and acquisition arbitrations.Intern Manager- Oversaw 30-50 international interns per month.- Developed relationships with several bars and restaurants and partnered with Dragon Events to host networking events. - Organized team-building and networking events for interns and current associates. Show less

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  Casarsa Designs LLC

  Jun 2014 - Jul 2016

  Operations Manager

  ○ Managed renovation projects and consulted for family business refurbishing homes and choosing prospective investment properties in the upscale market of the Berkshires, Massachusetts. ○ Took lead on day-to-day operations, tracking supply orders and deliveries, and providing client service attention as needed. ○ Researched and created a database of competitors, vendors and recorded the feedback we received on jobs, which greatly increased efficiency2010-2016 - Refurbished houses for resale or rent. Construction, landscaping and painting. Helping wherever needed. Show less

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  New York Law School

  Oct 2015 - Feb 2017

  Digital Repository Project Coordinator

  ○ Managed and contributed to the development of the New York Law School Digital Commons, an online repository for open access to research, scholarship, and institutional history.○ Gained experience working with metadata standards and interoperability protocols relevant to digital libraries and repositories.○ Acted as a representative for the Digital Commons project in strategy meetings with executive leadership, advising on topical issues to improve digital presence and brand reach.○ Developed and implemented data-driven marketing and re-engagement strategies to promote the Digital Commons to alumni and current students.○ Created and maintained documentation for institutional repository processes and tracked progress using custom spreadsheets.○ Organized and analyzed archival data, leveraging Excel macros and visualizations to identify trends and inform decision-making.○ Contributed to the development of the repository's website design and layout to improve student engagement.○ Created a global alumni database to aid fundraising efforts. Show less

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  Freelance

  Jan 2017 - Apr 2021

  Website and Small Business Consultant

  Specialized in no-code and Wordpress, and PHP web development and design consulting achieving significant cost reductions and enhancing online presence for clients ranging from educational institutions to non-profits.* Guided diverse clients in achieving web development and design goals using no-code and low-code platforms, enhancing project efficiency and user engagement.* Led website redesign strategies based on user feedback and modern design techniques, improving client communications and online user experience.* Executed multi-platform branding and analytics-driven market research for artists and non-profits, optimizing online visibility and engagement.* Achieved an 85% reduction in client yearly expenses through financial diagnostics and online expense reconciliation. Show less

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  Flatiron School

  Feb 2020 - Jun 2020

  Software Engineer

  CheckIT - A kanban task organizer for children built with React frontend using React Hooks and Context for state management and a RESTful Rails API connection to a PostgreSQL database. With children stuck at home during the pandemic, I created a web app that would help them keep their days organized and productive. Stack: React, React-Beautiful-DND, React-Confetti, Rails API, PostgreSQL, Material UI, Styled-Components, CSS PawPals - An app built with React frontend and a RESTful Rails API connection to a PostgreSQL database where dogs can find and follow each other and create and attend events. Uses self-referential tables to allow dogs to follow each other and the DogAPI via Postman to generate data.Stack: React, Rails API, PostgreSQL, Bootstrap, CSS, Styled-ComponentsIllucidBeats - A sound machine built with a Javascript frontend and RESTful Rails API connection to a PostgreSQL database. Utilized javascript event listeners to allow users to adjust volume slider of each sound, pause and play each sound on click of sound’s icon and to pause, play and reset all volumes.Stack: Javascript, Rails API, PostgreSQL, CSSPOSH-Port-Out-Starboard-Home - A Ruby on Rails web app where the ultra-posh can purchase art for exorbitant amounts of money directly from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s API. - Authenticated user login with bcrypt - Used sessions to track current_user- Built out a store for purchasing art using user funds. - Used MET API for sample paintings. Show less

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  TYCA (formerly Errunds Inc.)

  Aug 2020 - Apr 2021

  Software Engineer

  * Resolved critical keyboard avoidance and scrolling issues within the React Native codebase, ensuring a seamless and frustration-free user experience on mobile devices.* Optimized Postgres database performance and code clarity by updating models, refactoring GraphQL resolvers and schema resulting in 15% faster query response times.* Troubleshooted and resolved Google Auth login issues for the business mobile app, enabling uninterrupted access for business users.* Streamlined the new business onboarding flow by refactoring legacy code.* Collaborated with a cross-functional team to successfully launch new mobile app features, enhancing overall user experience and engagement. Show less

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  Arist

  Apr 2021 - Aug 2021

  Software Engineer

  Contributed to a Y Combinator-backed startup with a focus on backend development and integration solutions, leveraging serverless architectures and improving messaging system efficiency and scalability.* Spearheaded Mailgun integration with Arist’s messaging system using Ruby on Jets, leveraging AWS Lambda and webhooks in a serverless architecture for efficient, real-time event processing. Developed Lambda functions to handle webhook-triggered events, optimizing the system for swift message delivery and processing.* Implemented an AWS S3 image resize routine for streamlined processing and resizing of user image uploads.* Contributed to the backend message processing system by writing robust Ruby models and tests, focusing on system scalability and reliability. Wrote documentation for all contributions to streamline future development.* Collaborated with cross-functional teams for feature refinement, bug triage, and code reviews, contributing to the overall effectiveness of the messaging system.* Created learning guides for engineering team processes, including Git workflows Show less

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  ClientCircle

  Jan 2022 - Jun 2023

  Software Engineer

  Full Stack Developer focusing on enhancing user experience and application performance through comprehensive frontend and backend development, with significant contributions to rebranding initiatives and API optimization.* Led creation & refactoring of 300+ React components documented with Storybook, promoting a modular, reusable codebase for enhanced UI/UX with TypeScript integration. This resulted in a 15% user engagement bump & halved new feature development time.* Enhanced Ruby on Rails API by adding GraphQL types, migrating business logic to more efficient Ruby on Rails patterns, such as Active Interactions encapsulation, resulting in improved maintainability and testability of codebase supporting 10,000+ active users.* Reduced load times by ~15% with a full-stack approach, using Apollo Client caching and polling in React components, and enhancing the API with batch processing and optimized queries.* Expanded test coverage to 90% by using tools like Cypress, Percy Snapshots, RSpec, and Capybara, ensuring robust and reliable code.* Collaborated over Slack and Figma with product, design, and account management teams to bring new features to life, triage bugs, and prioritize tasks based on client needs and feedback.* Enriched ActiveAdmin dashboard by customizing features for faster data retrieval, streamlined client downloads with efficient batch actions, saving an average of 10 hours weekly, and boosting lead generation.* Led seamless zero-downtime migration from Paperclip to Active Storage Attachments and configured AWS S3, ensuring uninterrupted client experience during a critical Rails 6 upgrade. Show less