Emily worked as a newspaper copy editor and designer before discovering her passion for web development. She returned to school for computer science, taught herself HTML and CSS, and completed two internships before landing her first job as a developer for Code and Theory. She started at Sailthru in May 2011 and loves being part of a startup. Emily holds a B.A. in French and Spanish from Skidmore College.

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A little known fact about me is…I was my high school valedictorian
The best part of my job is…
working with a great group of people who have so much energy and talent
Not many people know that I’m really good at…
hula hooping
The worst job experience I’ve ever had is…
Spending a summer as an au pair for two little bilingual monsters
In 5 years I want to be…
Working at a California or European branch of Sailthru!

Do you have any big plans for the summer?
I am just trying to take advantage of all the really cool stuff New York has to offer in the summer. Going to the beach, seeing some outdoor movies, having some drinks on rooftops…

Sounds a lot better than being an au pair…
Sounds way better.

So why did you decide to study French & Spanish in college?
I took both languages in high school, and then I studied abroad in Paris my junior year of college, and fell madly in love with it. But ultimately, I was getting near graduation and going, “You know, I don’t think I’m going to do anything with this.” And that’s how I got into journalism – it was my “practical” career choice, until realizing that wasn’t so practical either. And now, here I am.

Did majoring in languages make it easier to pick up programming languages?
You know, I actually tell people that, and they’re skeptical. But I really think it did. Programming languages are languages – it’s all about syntax and structure.

If you were able to go back in time and give your 16-year-old self some advice, what would you say?
I really wish that I had been exposed to programming and HTML earlier. I would have loved it in middle and high school, and it’s just not something girls seem to be aware of at that age – I know I certainly wasn’t. I’m actually currently volunteering with an organization called CodeEd that teaches middle-school girls to code. Little boys tend to grow up playing with computers and programming for fun, but girls generally don’t – it’s really important for them to be exposed to the tech field at a younger age.