About Me

My name is Valeria Reifschneider, but as that is quite hard to pronounce, Vee is more than sufficient. I prefer the use of she/ they pronouns.

My current studies, as previously hinted at, include the first year of a BSc(Hons) in Computer Science at the University of South Wales.

This opened up an opportunity for me to work as a STEM Ambassador.
As a sidenote, I started programming in my seventh year, not because I liked it, in fact I thought of computers as tedious, but rather because I have been discouraged to do so by family members and wanted to prove them wrong.
And well here I am now, hoping to spread my (since then) discovered love for programming and to help paving the way for pupils of the next generations, by debunking a few of the common stereotypes.

Previously, I have finished college in Germany and a degree in Higher Education in Ireland for Organic Horticulture.

And I can see that this combination might seem confusing, but my vision for my future involves combining both of my main passions.
Namely, I would like to work on software developing part time, because I enjoy programming, but also as a financial aid for working on an organic vegetable part-time.
In my experience, it is an absolutely ideal combination, as working on the computer allows my body to get a rest from the more physically demanding work on the fields, whereas being outside gives me a necessary break from sitting in front of screens all day.
Plus, there is of course the great benefit of enjoying sorting through different possibilities and bugs in a code as much as crawling on my knees to weed a carrot bed, while snacking on the latter.

Additionally, I am somewhat involved in voluntary work.
My experience on vegetable fields for example comes not only from my certification, but also from being part of a voluntary scheme for which I lived and worked on a farm in Pembrokeshire for over half a year.
Since working there, I have kept helping out at multiple community gardens and fields, which I still do regularly to this day.

Apart from organic growing, I am passionate about humanitarian subjects.
I have helped with developing and sustaining a solidarity Christmas market in Katerini, Greece, to collect storable food and medicine for the local charity.
We hosted nearby pupils that might not afford to spend money on proper Chistmas markets and the general public that might also not have the money, but a few items to spare.
Over the summer months I have also been working as a fundraiser (yes, that means the people standing on the streets and talking to everybody) for Amnesty International.

I wish to keep learning how to help most effectively, so I am continuously working on finding more opportunities to help.