Group Photo
Meet the Centered team
AI Engineer
Jasmine Robbins
Jasmine is a Computer Science student at the University of Utah, where her studies have focused on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. She will graduate this May with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Certificates of Proficiency in Robotics and Information Systems. She previously attended Salt Lake Community College, where she earned an Associate of Science in Computer Science.
For her senior capstone, Jasmine contributed to Centered, a productivity and time management app built for students. She designed and built the app's AI Assistant and AWS cloud infrastructure, and contributed to backend development. Outside of Centered, she has explored AI in healthcare through a research project applying machine learning to sepsis treatment data to evaluate AI-driven clinical decision-making. She has also done freelance development work building a custom WordPress plugin for client CRM integration.
Jasmine's career goals are focused on AI/ML engineering and full-stack development, with a passion for building tools that genuinely help people. When she's not coding, you'll find her skiing, camping, baking, or painting. Fun fact: her dog Bentlie was the original mascot for Centered's Pet Store.
You can reach Jasmine at jasmine.didier@gmail.com.
Backend Developer
Christina Cao
Christina Cao is a senior at the University of Utah studying Computer Science and Film & Media Arts. From her academic journey at the U, she has developed a strong interest in backend development, human-centered design, and web development where she applied these skills in her senior Capstone project, Centered. Centered is a productivity app developed by and for students to help students reach their academic goals by featuring tools that manage their schedules, track their assignments, and support user engagement.
Collaborating with three key teammates, she helped design and develop Centered, primarily working on features such as the assignments, reminders and a virtual pet store game. In addition to coding work, Christina also gained experience with CI/CD pipelines, Docker, Django, and React. She enjoys building user-centered products and solving everyday problems as seen in her work on Centered.
Beyond computer science, Christina is also a filmmaker who has created documentaries about people close to her community. As both a computer science major and a film major, she explores the intersection of technical development and creative media and how they complement each other.
You can reach Christina at ccao2002@gmail.com or at her LinkedIn.
Backend Developer
Emiliano Plaza
Emi is a senior Computer Science student at the University of Utah with a strong interest in backend engineering, product development, and human-centered technology. He is currently a core contributor to the Centered Senior Capstone project, a productivity platform designed to help students manage assignments, schedules, and habits in one place. His primary contribution has been designing and implementing the Friends system, which introduces relationship states, friend requests, and secure calendar sharing between users. He has also worked on backend architecture, authentication, API development, database modeling, and CI/CD integration using Django, React, Docker, and AWS.
Technically, Emi enjoys backend development and systems thinking. He likes working on structured data models, handling edge cases, and building features that are reliable and production ready. He is especially interested in designing systems that are both technically sound and useful for real users.
Beyond engineering, Emi is interested in product management, human-centered design, and building tools that improve focus and organization. He also has strong interests in philosophy and writing, which shape how he thinks about technology and user experience. Emi's goal is to start his career in product management while continuing to build technically rigorous systems that bridge engineering and product vision.
You can reach Emi at emilianoplaza77@gmail.com.
Frontend Developer
Samantha Vazquez
Samantha is a computer science student completing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at the University of Utah. She also previously completed a certificate in Web & Mobile Development at Bridgerland Technical College. As a front-end developer for Centered, Samantha has hands-on experience with React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and building user-focused software.
Samantha's academic background includes coursework in Web Development, Mobile App Programming, Computer Security, Computer Networks, Database Systems, and Designing Human-Centered Systems. She is passionate about user experience and enjoys creating software that is both impactful and easy to use.
Professionally, Samantha currently works as a Software Engineer Intern. Previously, Samantha was a Teaching Assistant in Professor Martin's Software Practice class. Samantha was also a Computer Assistant for the Department of Human Genetics.
Samantha's primary interest is web and mobile application development, with a focus on creating high-quality, robust, and user-friendly software. In her free time, Samantha enjoys reading, painting, and making sourdough baked goods.
You can reach Samantha at her LinkedIn.
Team Mascots
The pets inspiring the petstore
We added a variety of dog and cat breeds in the petstore, inspired by our own cute pets.
