I’m Jake Engelen, a full-stack developer with a passion for building web solutions that are fast, functional, and forward-thinking. With 5+ years of experience in software development, I’ve spent the last 3 years honing my craft at The Dallas Morning News (remote), where I work as a mid-level developer creating seamless, user-focused applications. My toolkit? React, Tailwind CSS, Node.js, and Express—technologies I wield to turn ideas into reality with precision and flair. What sets me apart is my knack for problem-solving with React hooks. They’re second nature to me—whether I’m optimizing state management or crafting custom hooks to streamline a project, I thrive on making complex challenges feel effortless. That same drive led me to create Jelly Machine, my side project turned game-changer. It's a MERN-stack website builder that empowers creators and small businesses to design, publish, and manage sites with AI-assisted content generation (like auto-filling text and images), dark mode toggles, and responsive grids—all hosted on AWS S3 and CloudFront for near-zero runtime costs and lightning-fast loads. From custom Tailwind themes to serverless deploys, it's built for efficiency, letting users focus on ideas, not infrastructure. At The Dallas Morning News, I contribute to a platform millions rely on, developing high-traffic React apps with Server-Side Rendering, integrating ArcXP CMS and GraphQL/REST APIs for enhanced SEO, and building scalable Node.js backends with PostgreSQL and AWS Lambda to process Kinesis streams for video workflows. But I’m not just about the code—I’m about the impact. I approach every project with a mix of creativity and reliability, ensuring what I build doesn’t just work, but works better. Based in Dacono, Colorado, and a 2020 UCCS Computer Science graduate, I’m always tinkering—whether it’s experimenting with new frameworks, optimizing workflows, or dreaming up tools like Jelly Machine to push the boundaries of what’s possible. I’m here to deliver results that impress employers and solve problems for clients. If you’re looking for a developer who’s equal parts inventive and dependable, let’s connect—I’d love to bring my skills to your next big idea.