Andrew Castro

Andrew Castro

Software Engineer

Languages & Web

Python, JavaScript, SQL, PHP, HTML, CSS


Backend & Architecture

REST APIs, Microservices, FastAPI, Data Pipelines


Data Science & Machine Learning

NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn


Databases & Cloud

MongoDB, MySQL, MSSQL, AWS


Tools & Version Control

Git, VS Code, Jupyter Notebook

ABOUT ME

I'm Andrew, a Software Engineer based in the United States, dedicated to finding clarity in complexity. As a first generation college graduate (B.S. in Software Engineering, 3.7 GPA, Honors), and second generation citizen in my family; I am driven to pursue a career with a positive global impact.

I enjoy designing and deploying production-ready systems, analyzing complex datasets, and turning insights into actionable software solutions. I believe data, and the software we build, are powerful tools for shaping ethical and equitable policies, for everyone.

I am driven to refine and apply my skills to high-impact fields, including biotechnical, machine-learning, and quantum engineering.

Professional History

Aug 2025 - Feb 2026
  • Consulted with an early-stage business owner to scope an MVP platform and replaced a planned subscription website builder with a statically hosted Cloudflare solution.
  • Developed a responsive multi-page platform using JavaScript, Bootstrap, SEO metadata, and local business schema to improve discoverability and mobile usability.
  • Integrated an interim appointment request workflow using embedded Google Cloud services, allowing the owner to capture customer inquiries manually, before investing in backend infrastructure.
  • Lighthouse score: 97% performance, 96% SEO, 100% accessibility, and 100% best practices.

Sep 2024 - Jul 2025
  • Evaluated multimodal generative AI outputs using RLHF-style ranking to support training dataset refinement.
  • Conducted structured annotation and comparative evaluation of model responses to identify alignment gaps.

Portfolio

  • Github Portfolio Website
  • Built a FastAPI REST service that combines Open-Meteo geocoding and forecast endpoints to return travel recommendations from live location and weather data. 1
  • Implemented asynchronous HTTPX requests and response handling to coordinate external geocoding and weather lookups without blocking API execution. 1
  • Added location disambiguation logic for ambiguous city names by filtering geocoding results with country and state inputs before requesting forecast data. 1
  • Defined Pydantic response models and query validation rules to enforce structured JSON output and safer request handling across API endpoints. 1
  • Deployed the API on Render with CORS configuration and Gunicorn/Uvicorn workers, and designed a custom scoring system that normalizes temperature, wind, and rainfall into a 0–100 trip score. 1

  • Github
  • Built a full-stack PHP collaboration platform with user registration, login, session-based authentication, and role-gated access across users, groups, tasks, and messaging workflows. 1
  • Developed group and task management features supporting bubble creation, invite-code onboarding, member assignment, task updates, scheduling fields, and permission-scoped record actions. 1
  • Implemented dynamic filtering and database-driven retrieval for tasks, messages, users, and group-scoped records using PDO prepared statements and conditional query logic. 1
  • Built threaded messaging and memo workflows with mailbox-style views, reply chains, parent-child message relationships, and hide-without-delete behavior for cleaner user inbox management. 1
  • Added moderator and member role controls for managing group visibility, task access, and protected CRUD operations across multi-user collaboration features. 1
  • Structured backend logic around reusable PHP controller methods and scenario-specific database operations to support task history views, memo handling, group workflows, and maintainable feature expansion. 1

  • Github
  • Built a full-stack eBay-style marketplace with user registration, login, session-based authentication, profile management, and database-driven account workflows. 1
  • Developed listing creation and management features supporting product details, pricing, category and condition selection, location fields, and image uploads for end-to-end item posting. 1
  • Implemented dynamic search and filtering for products and sellers using PDO prepared statements across keywords, descriptions, categories, conditions, state, and seller-based queries. 1
  • Created buyer-seller messaging workflows with conversation views, inbox and outbox pages, and parent-child message relationships to support transaction communication. 1
  • Built moderator and admin tools for managing users, categories, conditions, and platform records through role-gated CRUD operations and protected account controls. 1
  • Added transaction-oriented marketplace flows including sale confirmation, purchase and sale history views, ratings, and time-stamped record handling across user activity. 1
  • Structured backend logic around reusable PHP controller methods and database access patterns to support account, listing, messaging, and moderation workflows across the platform. 1