Sten Leinasaar
Cloud DevOps Engineer
Address
Tallinn, Estonia
Pronouns
He/Him
Nationality
Estonian
Get in Touch
Grants and Awards
Thorn Family Award
Summer Experience Fund
Recipient of a competitive award to complete a summer experience/internship that is unpaid.
Career Development Center Award
SEE Beyond Award
Recipient of a competitive award aim to support a student to conduct a experience/internship in their major to further enhance their experiences.
I helped to organize and lead a whole summer event in Estonia with the Association of Disabled Women Of Estonia called Sail for Inclusion.
Career Development Center Award
SEE Beyond Award
Recipient of a competitive award to support me in taking on a summer internship that is unpaid.
I conducted an internship with a start-up company called kBonsai Inc.
Scholarship recipient
UWCSEA Scholarship
Awarded a scholarship to attend UWC school in Singapore and obtain my IB diploma.
Scholarship
Skidmore College grant
I was offered a Skidmore College grant to obtain my degree in Computer Science and Sociology at Skidmore College.
Scholarship
Davis Scholarship
Award given to all UWC students who are going to attend a Davis partner school.
About Me
I was raised in a small town in Estonia. I learned from an early age to be curious and explore new possibilities. Answers like, "this is impossible" or "don't bother, it is too much" didn't satisfy my need to understand. I felt an even bigger rush of motivation to prove everyone wrong. Yes, I am that kind of person. I have learned to move on if it is truly impossible. Like does P= NP? Perhaps... I am still working on it from time to time.
However... Developing new solutions for problems we encounter in our everyday life is a pursuit that I find deep passion in. I love using code to implement a solution; however, designing a solution using my knowledge of sociology as well as technology, offers me challenges that I appreciate beyond my professional career. I'm curious. That's what you should know.
Free-time projects
- Designed and implemented a Daily Newsletter python project. Curated personal content for myself in order to practice web scraping and connecting to various python API libraries.
- I am currently designing and implementing a personal budgeting app with .NET 7 and Angular frameworks. I serve the whole project using nginx that I run on my raspberry pi. The dashboard gives me an insight on how my budgeted vs actual spending compares and if I need to take action on limiting my habits.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Professional Experience
Cloud DevOps Engineer
ERR ( Estonia ) 2023 - Present Responsibilities- Developed an A.I neural-speech model from a starter code to allow users to listen to articles on our website.
- Migrated a on-premise application to cloud by designing a reliable and fault tolerant infrastructure.
- Managed, configured, optimized, and developed cloud solutions.
- Discover and implement possible automation opportunities.
Backend Cloud Engineer
kBonsai Inc ( USA ) 2022 September - 2022 December
Continuing my internship from summer, I began working on back-end, quickly learning new systems and frameworks to be able to offer value to the project. I was heavily relied on and took on responsibilities like designing complex systems, which helped me grow professionally.
Responsibilities
- Developed CRUD operations for data persistence using cloud functions for scalable serverless back-end structure using Google Cloud Platform and Firebase.
- Built a data pipeline with pub/sub to BigQuery in the GCP platform to ensure data availability with SQL querying.
- Managed and organized the legacy codebase whilst adding documentation.
- Obtained medical and Wilderness survival training.
Tech-Lead/Front-End Developer
kBonsai Inc ( USA ) 2022 May - 2022 August
After creating an opportunity to work with an alumnus, I asked to begin working on a project as a front-end developer in order to have more multi-faceted background before I begin working following my graduation.
Responsibilities
- Developed responsive and accessible web page with extensive documentation. Utilized frameworks like Lit Elements and TailWind CSS to increase modularity of the code space.
- Supported and managed a team of six. I oversaw work and managed the kanban board in Jira.
- Created backlogs, managed sprints, and adapted to agile development.
Executive Board Member
UWC Estonia National Committee ( Estonia ) 2019 - Present
As an alumn of United World College South East Asia, I stepped up and took on a role as an executive board member. This opportunity allows me to show my gratitude for the life-changing 2 years at UWCSEA and offers a unique opportunity to change someone else's life.
Responsibilites
- Planning and coordinating the selection process for a new candidate.
- Interfacing communication between various UWC schools and current Estonian scholars.
- Coordinate communication between international UWC office and Estonian National Committee board.
- Learned to cope with high-stress and pressure whilst maintaining high performance.
Squad leader/ Marksman in Elite Infantry Battalion
Estonian Government ( Estonia ) July 2018 - May 2019
In Estonia, every man above the age of 18 is required to serve a year of National Service in the military. I completed my service year right after graduation from UWCSEA and prior to my enrollment at Skidmore College.
This experience offered me a unique skill set to handle stress and make difficult decisions under immense pressure. I learned how to perform under high demand.
Key Achievements
- Commanded a squad of 10 during tactical trainings.
- Managed the equipment, weaponry, and well-being of my squad.
- Took on a role of a spokesman for a whole A-Coy Unit between soldiers and highest commanders.
- Create CI/CD pipelines, manage changes, and increase reliability of infrastructure systems.
Event Coordinator
Estonian Association of Disabled Women ( Estonia ) May 2021 - August 2021
This summer internship offered me a unique opportunity to see first-hand what kind of inclusion work is needed to be done in my home country. I had the privilege to meet a lot of incredible people with special needs and connect with them on a personal level.
I reflected on the various privilege I have and how I can best use them. This summer experience inspired my research thesis on computer science by pointing at the connection point between my passion and skillsets.
Key Responsibilities
- Developed and fostered communication with Estonian Government officials to raise awareness on inclusion.
- Organized and coordinated events for the project "Sailing For Inclusion"
- Optimized the querying speed roughly by 2% by implementing indexing in Firebase.
- Created automated testing of the cloud functions to ensure the sustainability of the endpoint.
Education
Undergraduate Degree
Skidmore College ( USA ) 2019 - 2023
Obtaining an undergraduate degree in Computer Science and Sociology.
My extra-curricular activities are as follows:
Events Coordinator for DiscMore club, Vice president of Eastern European Club, a Trained leader in Outing Club, Peer Academic Coach in Computer Science, and a Peer Leader in Pre-orientation program SCOOP.
Currently, I am working towards writing my thesis on the topic of Algorithms of Oppression. I am working with Athletics Department to develop an app to run the statistical analysis for sports teams.
High School in Singapore
United World College SEA ( Singapore ) 2016 - 2018
I was awarded a scholarship for 2 years to study in UWCSEA in the IB system in Singapore.
My course selection: HL Physics, HL Theater, HL English Literature, SL Estonian (Self-taught), SL Psychology, and SL Maths
Extra-Curricular: Varsity Rugby, Varsity Volleyball, Boxing. IFP Cambodia, and Boarding Buddy program.
High School in Estonia
Nyo Elite Science School ( Estonia ) 2014 - 2016
Estonian Elite Science School: Physics focus class with an elective course in programming and Microsoft Office.
Leadership roles: Head Of Public Relations in Student Government, Vice President of Events Committee, Student representative on Board of Trustees.
Athletic interests: Volleyball, floorball, basketball, and boxing.
My Hobbies
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Reading -
New Coding Languages -
Disc golf -
Running -
Baksetball -
Boxing -
Primitive Survival -
Floorball -
Volleyball