Hi, I'm Emmanuel

B.A. Computer Science & Linguistics · UCLA

Before computer science, I was convinced I was going to go pro in soccer. I played competitively for years and honestly saw it as the only path for myself until I tore my ACL in high school and suddenly had a lot more time sitting in front of a computer than I expected. Out of boredom at first, I started exploring computer science as a degree and ended up loving it, especially the mix of problem solving and working closely with people to take ideas from 0 to 1.

Now, I study Computer Science and Linguistics at UCLA, where I spend most of my time building products that solve real problems and actually get used. I have worked on everything from real time event platforms to nonprofit systems and civic tech, and what I enjoy most is building things where I can see the impact of what I worked on.

Outside of coding, I tutor with School on Wheels, play double bass, and make music. I think the patience and repetition that come with music carry over pretty naturally into how I approach engineering.

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Emmanuel Hernandez

Featured Projects

SwipeBite

Feb 2026 - Present
Next.jsNode.jsExpressPrismaPostgreSQLJWTGoogle Places API

Building a Tinder-style restaurant discovery app that personalizes recommendations over time based on user behavior and taste preferences.

Implemented a rule-based personalization engine with weighted signals and real-time preference updates per swipe.

Designed a swipe-based UI with gesture handling and threshold locking to separate card swipes from photo scrolling across 15+ React components.

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DIDUC

Oct 2025 - Dec 2025
TypeScriptReact NativeExpressMongoDBFirebase

Led a 4-person team to build a shared event photo app where users join via code and collaboratively upload photos into a shared feed.

Architected REST backend from scratch with 10+ endpoints, JWT middleware, and Mongoose models adopted as core team infrastructure.

Implemented Firebase Cloud Storage and Authentication, reducing server load and removing local storage dependencies.

Shipped 8+ reusable components and API abstractions across frontend and backend using Expo, NativeWind, and Firebase.

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Currently Working On

We Explore Earth

Full Stack Mobile Developer

React Native app for a community platform: events, volunteers, and the usual mobile polish, with Firebase doing a lot of the live data.

React NativeTypeScriptREST APIsFirebaseFirestoreFigmaGitHub

What I'm Building

  • Shared UI pieces (cards, forms, nav) so the product feels consistent phone to phone.
  • REST endpoints for auth, creating events, and RSVPs, with an eye on not over-fetching.
  • Flows for organizers and volunteers that a pretty large member base actually uses week to week.

SwipeBite

Full-Stack Restaurant Discovery

Swipe-first restaurant finder with simple personalization, JWT logins, and location data from Google Places.

Next.jsNode.jsExpressPrismaPostgreSQLJWTGoogle Places API

What I'm Building

  • Lightweight rules for 'you liked this, try that' that update as you swipe.
  • Gesture-heavy feed UI where swipes and photo scrolls don't step on each other.

Technical Skills

Languages

C/C++PythonJavaJavaScriptTypeScriptSQL

Frontend

React NativeReactNext.jsHTML/CSSExpo

Backend

Node.jsExpressFirebaseFirestorePostgreSQLPrismaREST APIsSupabase

Tools

GitLinux/UnixAWS (S3)CI/CDGoogle Apps ScriptPostmanCursorGitHub CopilotClaude Code