Matthias Southwick
Full-Stack Software Engineer
"Build once. Deploy everywhere. Keep it simple."
Philosophy
These aren't buzzwords — they're the decisions that show up in every project.
Free & Open Source First
Prefer free APIs and self-hostable tools over paid lock-in
Self-Host When It Makes Sense
Own your stack, own your data
Code Once, Reuse Everywhere
Boilerplates, libs, and pipelines — write it right the first time
Simplicity Is the UX
If you need training, the design failed
Security Without Friction
OAuth over passwords, public/private endpoint separation always
High-Quality Data
Clean schemas, clean migrations, accessible but never messy
AI as a Multiplier
Claude Code to iterate fast; AI amplifies craft, doesn't replace it
Data-Informed, Not Data-Driven
Data surfaces truth — people make decisions. Dashboards should empower judgment, not replace it
Projects
From sold SaaS to C++ game engines. Filter by category or click any tag.
Admishn — Admissions CRM
Web platform for schools to manage student applications end-to-end, with real-time student progress tracking, built-in mail merge, and automated email workflows. Sold to Davis School District.
MatthiasTV
Full self-hosted media streaming platform with browser playback, a native Roku TV app (BrightScript), and a cross-platform Electron desktop app. Uses FFmpeg for video transcoding. No subscription fees, no third-party services.
Mentors Global Reports Dashboard
Professional reporting and data visibility platform with a Google Docs–style editing experience and role-based permissions. Used across departments in multiple countries at Mentors International.
PixelAI — Image Processing & AI Studio
Unified platform for image processing, AI model training, and AI image generation. Demonstrates the complete pipeline from raw input through model training to generated output.
api-lib — Express API Boilerplate
Opinionated Express boilerplate enforcing separation of public vs. private endpoints with Google and Microsoft OAuth baked in from the start. Secure by default — no password management, no account complexity.
Online Explorer — Self-Hosted File Manager
Self-hosted file explorer web app. Browse, preview (images, video, audio, PDFs, code), and download files from any server directory. Google/Microsoft OAuth with per-user access control and email-based access requests.
TemplateWebsites — Google Sheets CMS
Deploy and manage live websites entirely from a Google Sheet. A shell script provisions a new NGINX site, and content syncs automatically from Google Drive. Currently powers four live sites — all content-managed without touching code.
CI/CD Pipeline Templates
GitHub Actions pipelines for deploying containerized apps to AWS Fargate, ECS, and local Linux servers. Reusable across projects, battle-tested in production.
Google Slides PDF Certificate Generator
Uses the Google Slides API to programmatically generate and export personalized PDF certificates at scale. Zero manual design work per certificate.
Database Design & Migration
Designed the schema for a major production system overhaul and led migration from a legacy database. Emphasis on clean data architecture and zero data loss.
Family Registry
Private family app where any family member signs in with Google to access a shared family tree and contact book. Designed to need zero explanation — you log in, it works.
Chess + Minimax Bot
Fully playable chess in the browser with complete rules, checkmate puzzles, and a bot built from scratch using the minimax algorithm searching 4 moves deep. Engine written in C++ and served via Node.js.
Multiplayer Game Suite
Real-time multiplayer games using WebSockets for game state sync and room management: Enchanted Forest, Bananagrams, Checkers, Blokus, Asteroids.
ASCII Camera
Live webcam feed rendered as real-time ASCII art in the browser via canvas pixel manipulation.
JS Animation Engine
Lightweight animation-making software for HTML5 Canvas. Reusable library used across game and creative projects.
Raspberry Pi Robotics
Integrated web software with Raspberry Pi hardware for robotics projects. Bridges server-side code with physical computing.
Amazon Alexa Integration
Built Alexa skills for voice-controlled IoT devices and home automation.
Experience
Professional roles and education — built in parallel.
Co-Founder & Software Engineer
Admishn Software
Sold to Davis School District
B.S. Computer Science
Brigham Young University
Current student
Software Engineer
Mentors International
8+ full-stack tools, AWS, production Linux
Data Analyst
Weber State University
Advanced SQL, Tableau, open-source data viz
A.S. Computer Science
Weber State University
Graduated
Skills
The tools I reach for — and the ones I've shipped to production.
Contact
Open to new opportunities, collaborations, and interesting problems. No form — just reach out directly.