About
I started in a classroom, teaching science and mathematics. Explaining complex ideas to people who hadn't seen them before. That's still how I approach engineering: clear thinking, clear communication, systems that make sense to the next person.
I've spent years building backend systems where failure isn't abstract. Fintech transaction processing, AI assistants serving millions, KYC workflows where getting it wrong means compliance violations. The common thread: systems that need to work, stay up, and remain understandable as they scale.
My tools: AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, and Go on the platform side; Ruby on Rails, NestJS, and PostgreSQL for services; NATS.io for event-driven architectures. Security threads through all of it — least-privilege access, PII-safe data handling, supply-chain hygiene. Tools change; what stays constant is caring about the humans who operate these systems and the users who depend on them.
Outside work, I teach. DjangoGirls, RailsGirls, GDG Accra, university workshops. The industry gave me a lot; I try to give some back. I write about what I learn at blog.attara.dev: architecture decisions, operational lessons, leadership notes.
Core tools
AWS • K8s
Kubernetes, Terraform, and CI/CD in production — with Rails, NestJS, and Go services on top.
Community
AWS CB
AWS Community Builder (Security). Facilitator with GDG Accra, DjangoGirls, and RailsGirls.
Areas of Expertise
Backend Systems
Distributed systems that stay up. Microservices, event-driven patterns, APIs designed for the long haul.
Platform & DevOps
CI/CD, containers, infrastructure as code. The automation layer that makes teams faster.
Cloud Security
Least-privilege IAM, OIDC auth, PII-safe data workflows, and supply-chain auditing. Security as guardrails, not gates.
Engineering Leadership
Growing engineers, aligning teams, shipping while maintaining quality and sanity.
Community & Advocacy
AWS Community Builder — Security
Selected member of the AWS Community Builders program in the Security category, sharing cloud security practices with the builder community.
Workshop facilitator
DjangoGirls, RailsGirls, university programs. Hands-on teaching for engineers breaking in.
Speaker
GDG Accra, FOSUniverse. Talks on architecture, operations, and building engineering culture.
Writer
Field notes at blog.attara.dev. What I've learned building systems that matter.
Certifications & Credentials
AWS Solutions Architect Associate
Architecture design on AWS
AWS Developer Associate
Application development on AWS
AWS Cloud Practitioner
Cloud fundamentals
GitHub Copilot
AI-assisted development practices
Cybersecurity
ALX Africa
AWS DevOps Engineer Professional
Automation and reliability at scale
AWS Solutions Architect Professional
Complex architecture and migration