Kelis Hightower is an Informatics student at the University of Washington with an interest in cloud-native technologies and the beginner learning experience. As part of a generation that grew up alongside modern infrastructure, she is curious about how people learn complex systems that are often assumed to be “basic” but rarely taught from the ground up.

She enjoys learning through hands-on projects and sharing her experiences to help make technical spaces more approachable for newcomers. Kelis is especially interested in the intersection of technology, learning, and community, and is excited to continue growing her skills while connecting with others who are passionate about teaching and building.

Presentations

23x

The Scenic Route to Cloud Native

By the time I started learning cloud-native technologies, tools like containers and orchestration were already considered “basic knowledge”, yet no one seemed to agree on how beginners were actually supposed to learn them. This talk reflects on my journey into cloud-native computing as part of a generation that grew up alongside the technology but was never really taught how it works.

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