Ruben Christopher Arevalo
About Me
My name is Ruben Arevalo, and I am a software engineer from McAllen, Texas.
I wrote my first line of code in 2017 while I pursued an associate's degree in computer science during my junior year of high school. For the past 8 years, I have learned a lot of lessons along the way, and have taken a keen interest in software development as a result of my experiences.
My interest in software development also extends into integrating generative AI into products to help improve and streamline processes, such as incorporating RAG pipelines to provide more accurate responses by using an external source for reference (e.g. company policies, a database of research articles about best software engineering practices, etc).
I strive to improve and learn new lessons every day, as well as continuously hone my craft in programming so that I can apply what I learned into finding solutions for real-world problems prevalent in today's society, both current and new.
Education
The University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley
August 2019 - May 2023
I earned my Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley in May 2023, with my concentration focusing on software development.
Achieve Early College High School
August 2015 - May 2019
I earned my high school diploma in May 2019 from Achieve Early College High School, which came just after graduating with an associate's degree in computer science.
South Texas College
August 2015 - May 2019
I earned my Associate of Science in Computer Science from South Texas College in May 2019, just a few weeks before I graduated from high school.
Experience
Software Developer, Del Valle Pest Control
In person
February 2025 - Present
- Coordinated with a team of 3 to develop a program that improves inventory quantity tracking.
- Led front-end development of two programs to design and enhance user interface and user experience design.
- Mentored new programmers by providing guidance, insights, and tips on how to succeed in their role and navigate the development process.
Software Engineer Fellow, Headstarter AI
Remote
July 2024 - September 2024
- Built and deployed 5 AI projects using React, Next.js, Firebase, Clerk, and Vercel, incorporating best software engineering practices such as CI/CD for regression detection and iterative deployment.
- Collaborated with and led a team of 3 to build and deploy a SaaS product that generates flashcards based on a given topic using the OpenAI API.
- Developed a RAG-based project with a team of 3 using the OpenAI API and Pinecone that generates responses based on a provided dataset.
Retail Salesperson, Walgreens
In person
December 2022 - March 2023
- Guided 20-25 customers/week on average with product questions or related concerns.
- Restocked sold out products in respective bays to maintain inventory levels.
- Displayed products in the promotional section of the store to help drive sales.
For more past experiences, visit my LinkedIn profile!
Projects
.svg?alt=media&token=b12f651f-a267-44c4-95ae-a776f76317b6)
Personal Website (v2)
October 2024 - PresentThis website is my current personal website as of October 2024. It contains the most up-to-date information regarding my education, work experience, and projects I have done throughout the course of my career.
Next.jsReactTypeScriptTailwindGoogle FirebaseView Project
IncludiTrip
August 2024 - September 2024A project currently in the general public beta stage, the purpose of this product is to generate personalized itineraries--a feature currently in the works--for people with disabilities and who are looking to travel. Generative AI is used to analyze information such as travel dates, budget range, and destination to provide them with suggested destinations, hotels, and information on accessibility resources that the destinations may offer to accommodate their needs.
Next.jsReactTypeScriptTailwindGroq APIBooking.com APIGoogle FirebaseView Project
RateTeach AI
August 2024 - August 2024Based and inspired by the concept used by the RateMyProfessor website, this AI-powered web application was built utilizing the concepts of retrieval augmented generation--also known as RAG--utilizing Python, Jupyter Notebook, and Pinecone, to store data embeddings in a vector database to use as an external source of information to provide personalized and accurate responses.
Next.jsReactTypeScriptTailwindPineconeOpenAI APIJupyter NotebookPythonView Project
BrainflashAI
August 2024 - August 2024Built by me and my team of 3, this AI-powered flashcard app takes in a user prompt--whether it'd be a series of lecture notes, bullet points, or a question asked by the user--and transforms its content into easy-to-use flashcards, helping those using the product better memorize, understand, and retain concepts better and more efficiently.
Next.jsReactTailwindGoogle FirebaseClerkOpenAI APITypeScriptView Project
AI Chatbot
August 2024 - August 2024Based on an early prototype of a hackathon project, which became the precursor to our final project, IncludiTrip, this AI chatbot project was built by me and my team of 3, with the Groq API being integrated with a system prompt that will help the user receive suggested travel destinations based on relevant information, such as travel dates, budget range, destination (city and state), etc.
Next.jsReactGoogle FirebaseTypeScriptGroq APITailwindView Project
FoodPantryInventory
July 2024 - August 2024One of the first AI-powered websites I built, this website revolves around storing items and the quantity of said item in a database. Furthermore, generative AI was incorporated to generate a list of 5 suggested recipes based on the current items stored in the pantry.
Next.jsReactTypeScriptTailwindGoogle FirebaseMaterial UIOpenAI APIView Project
Dating Web App
June 2023 - July 2024I am currently building a dating web application based on a model helps promote self-esteem and laying down the proper foundation for a successful future relationship between two people.
ReactCSSTypeScriptPythonFastAPIExpress.jsPostgreSQLView Project
Personal Website (React)
July 2021 - September 2021Before making my landing page, I built a personal website that would display information about me, provide announcements to those visiting the site, display works, and allow people to contact me for questions.
ReactCSSReact BootstrapFastAPIView Project
CV Website
June 2021 - July 2021One of my first websites, I built this website using only HTML and CSS. This website contains basic, but important details about my background, such as who I am, my education, my work experience, what software projects I built, etc.
HTMLCSSView Project