Clearwater Financial has recently upgraded their project and client management software. Due to this upgrade, they were unfamiliar with the best way to fully utilize their system. I was tasked with finding ways to optimize and automate their systems to help lessen their workload and make their days more efficient.

The primary way I did this was by learning how to use Deluge, their system’s scripting language. I spent a great deal of time poring through documentation, building, testing, and re-testing various scripts and workflows until, eventually, the solution worked. I was able to build quite a few automatic emails for their clients, and also automate some back end processes that will help them manage the wide variety of projects and clients that they interact with in the course of their work. I was also asked to train some of their employees in how to use this system.

Building the scripts and automation processes challenged me in new ways. I had to re-learn things that I knew from my time in college, and also had to reach out to experts in programming work. By doing this, I placed myself back into my students’ shoes. It was frustrating, and frequently I would find myself putting off work because I was stuck and didn’t know how best to proceed. Doing this externship reminded me of how my students likely feel when they’re encountering complicated math concepts for the first time. Teaching and training the staff of Clearwater also helped me refine how I want to instruct my students and help them build their own problem-solving skills. I’m excited to take the skills that I’ve learned and try to find new ways to push and challenge my students in this upcoming year.

Grade Level and Subject Taught: High School Math