About the Author

Ishmael Avila

I first learned about the Art of Education University through an email sent by LinkedIn. I do not consider myself in any way shape or form an “art person,” but I greatly admire those passionate enough to pursue art. For example, I’m about as musical as a rock whereas my wife can play cello, piano, and violin. She also used to be an avid painter, and while she hasn’t painted recently, let’s just say she outclasses the fingerpainting skill I learned in kindergarten by a large margin.

I think art of any kind is an avenue for the creativity of the human spirit, so when I saw the mission of AOEU, “to grow amazing art teachers,” my interest was piqued. By contributing to the AOEU team, I’ll indirectly impact artists everywhere.

I am a self-taught developer who was introduced to programming by my older brothers who eventually suggested I join the Computer Science team in high school. From there, I began competing across the state in various competitions and doing quite well. My passion for code was ignited, and I have been working on code in various capacities ever since.

My experience includes helping streamline farming operations and handling millions of tons of fresh produce at grocery stores near you to automating data-heavy processes for the eCommerce world. I’ve worked heavily with various eCommerce platforms, and am familiar with code requiring a high level of performance. I’m eager to bring that experience to AOEU.

Besides codes, I have various hobbies with the most recent being fish—and I don’t mean going out to fish (although I do enjoy that as well). I have added two aquariums to my home holding various types of fish (cichlids). I also have two pet rabbits, a dog, and until recently some chickens. So I suppose you could say I like animals.

I also dabble with automations around the home and making my home a bit “smarter,” including a reminder system to help keep track of common household chores.