Alexander Koik-Cestone
Appian and Microsoft Power Platform developer

Hi, I'm Alex. Below, you can find my portfolio, certifications, what I'm working on right now, classes, achievements, blog posts, and more.

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Portfolio

My portfolio of projects. Most of these have a Github repository associated with them.

  1. Celestial Compare Compare solar system objects by physical properties.ReactJSJavaScriptHTML5CSS3
    1. Demonstrates skills in ReactJS.
    2. Concepts: Context, component reuse, state management, routing, hooks, two-way databinding, modules, number precision, table layouts, and styling.
    3. Technologies: ReactJS, React Router, useContext, useState, useMemo, JSX, CSS Modules, Create-React-App, Webpack, JavaScript (ES6), CSS3, HTML5.
  2. CountIt Live sentence, word, character, and paragraph counter. Portable script.JavaScriptHTML5CSS3
  3. February Animated Valentine's Day greeting card with customizable message.ThreeJS
  4. Snowy Scene Winter scene with animated snow.ThreeJS
  5. Christmas Comet Story Narrated tale about extrasolar comet 2P/Borisov.JavaScriptHTML5CSS3
  6. Analog Clock Analog clock with customizable hands and units.BabelJavaScriptHTML5CSS3
  7. Jokes Jokes page with rimshot button.
  8. Happy Easter! 3D rotating n=1 Jerusalem Cross cube.ThreeJS
  9. Happy Birthday, BJ! CISSP birthday cake.ThreeJS
  10. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Animated clover.
  11. Countdown to New Year's New Year's countdown with tinsel.JavaScriptHTML5CSS3
  12. Happy Mother's Day! Happy Mother's Day in 3D.ThreeJS
  13. Collatz Conjecture Interactive example of the Collatz Conjecture.JavaScript
  14. Capitalize Capital letter formatter.JavaScript
  15. HTML5 Hearts A web valentine.JavaScriptHTML5CSS3
  16. SirKoik's JS Fiddles JS Fiddles.
  17. SirKoik's Quizlet Quizlets on topics like Security+.

Certifications

Technical certifications that I have obtained.

  1. CompTIA Security+ ce Certification Sep 2025.
  2. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2024 Generative AI Certified Professional Aug 2024.
  3. Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Developer Associate Mar 2024. Renewed Mar 2025.
  4. Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals Jul 2023.
  5. Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt May 2022.
  6. Lean Six Sigma White Belt Feb 2022.
  7. Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) Sep 2022.
  8. Appian Certified Senior Developer Sep 2022.
  9. Appian Certified Associate Developer Aug 2022.
  10. Appian Certified Analyst Jul 2022.
  11. Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals Mar 2022.
  12. Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals Feb 2022.
  13. Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals Feb 2022.
  14. Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals Jan 2022.
  15. [JSE-40-01] JSE – Certified Entry-Level JavaScript Programmer Dec 2021.
  16. Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals Dec 2021.

In progress

Areas of focus that I am currently studying.

  1. OpenAI API. Learning about how to tune the hyperparameters and prompts to deliver desired outputs for user feedback in web apps that I am developing.
  2. Python. Specifically machine learning related Python programming. Using Jupyter notebooks.
  3. NodeJS
  4. NextJS

Skills

A list of my skills. Myrésumé has a more comprehensive list.

  1. Web development.HTML,CSS, Sass / SCSS,JavaScript, Angular, TypeScript,React, jQuery, JSON, XML, Bootstrap, PHP, ThreeJS
  2. Artificial Intelligence (AI).Microsoft Copilot in Power Apps. Prompt engineering, prompt enhancement, fine tuning, AI security, ML model installation and use. Endpoint setup and consumption using web apps. ChatGPT and the OpenAI API. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) AI Services. Meta Llama2/Llama3.
  3. Cloud. Appian, Microsoft Power Platform.
  4. Performance / Usability / SEO.Lighthouse
  5. Databases / backends.Dataverese, MariaDB, MySQL, SQLite, Firebase
  6. Programming.Java, Perl
  7. Scripting.VBA
  8. Version control.Git, Github, Atlassian Bitbucket
  9. Basic knowledge.NextJS, MongoDB, Vercel hosting, Jest, Python

Blog

Posts related to software development.

2/4/2022 - Webpack

Webpack logoLately I have been learning a lot about the ins and outs ofwebpack. I use it in my React and Angular projects, but now I know much more about how it works, as I've converted my BorisovXmas project (Github,Live Site) into a webpack-based one that can generate builds of minified HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. I plan to do the same with my main page and some other projects which do not yet have minification workflows.

Classes

classes that I have taken. Links to completion certificates are in green.

  1. Node.JS: The Big Picture.Pluralsight, September 2021 . Learned about the NodeJS event loop, event emitters, streams, Node Package Manager (npm), and testing with Mocha and Chai.
  2. React - The Complete Guide.Udemy, September 2021. Learned how to write dynamic websites using the React library. Also learned how to use libraries like Redux and NextJS.
  3. React: The Big Picture.Pluralsight, May 2021. Learned about the basics of the React library and how it compares to frameworks like Angular, Vue, and Ember.
  4. Agile for One.Pluralsight, May 2021. Learned basic Agile and Scrum techniques for managing projects.
  5. Git & Github - The Practical Guide.Academind, Dec 2020. Learned the basics of both Git and GitHub.
  6. Angular - The Complete Guide (2020 Edition).Udemy, Oct 2020. Learned how to create dynamic websites using the Angular framework.
  7. Complete AJAX Using Bootstrap, PHP from Basic to Advanced.Udemy, Apr 2018. Learned AJAX, Bootstrap CSS, and the PHP programming language.
  8. The Complete HTML & CSS Course, From Novice to Professional.Udemy, Apr 2017 Learned the HTML and CSS languages for writing website front-ends.
  9. Complete jQuery and jQuery UI Course for Beginner.Udemy, Dec 2016. Learned how to use jQuery, a dynamic JavaScript framework for web pages.

Class projects

Projects that I made in classes that I took.

  1. React
    1. React Meals • Basic food ordering app system. Concepts: Component reuse, state management, hooks, context, HTTP requests, side effects, REST APIs.
    2. Quotes Page • Basic add / view quotes and comments system. Concepts: Routing, lazy loading, hooks, HTTP requests, side effects, REST APIs.
    3. Meetups • Meetups page. Basic add meetups form, individual meetup view and list view. Concepts: NextJS, server-side rendering, SSG, ISR, File-based routing, MongoDB connections, Vercel hosting.

Code Callenges and Achievements

Code Challenges and links to other coursework that I have completed.

  1. Code challenges archive
  2. Codewars:Codewars badge
  3. Microsoft Docs achievements and badges Microsoft Learn coursework that I have completed.