Kelly Stevens Chosen As St. Louis' Sexiest Cyber-Geek Lady of The Year

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When we asked St. Louis to nominate their picks for our city's Sexiest Cyber-Geek there were a ton of nominations, and when we finally got the voting going there were literally thousands of votes. When the polls closed one cyber-lady and one cyber-dude were crowned as St. Louis's Sexiest Cyber-Geek. The winners were Kelly Stevens and Brad Hogenmiller. Here is the dish on Kelly Stevens and where you can find her on the web.

Kelly Stevens

Kelly is 26 years old and works as the lead developer for ThinkLocal.com plowing through code for the site, the administrative functionality, and she also develops mini-applications and widgets for the web. She graduated from Truman State University with a Bachelor's in Computer Science. She met her husband, Jeff, in high school and has been married for three years in May. She and Jeff are the proud owners of a 3 year old cockapoo, Tucker. She blogs at DevilGirlSpeaks and GraspingLife, chats on Twitter as , and is a member of the professional networking site .

 

What facets of the tech industry are you involved in/interested in?

Programming, it doesn't matter what language. Once you know the basics they are all easy to learn and I love that you have the ability to create things with code. Being a developer, I also have a pretty good handle on SEO, just because it is a requirement (in my opinion) for good web development. I am interested in social media marketing and blogging, both of which I have recently started to participate in.

How did you get involved with the tech industry?

Let's see...my dad has always been involved in technology in some way shape or form and I always found what he did to be interesting. Before going to college I was set on being an Accountant, but after two semesters of Accounting I decided I wanted to try something that would be more challenging. Accounting just wasn't all that interesting to me and I saw little room for excitement there. (No offense to accountants of course.)

So I thought, what kind of career would benefit from that same logical type of thinking. That is when I came across Computer Science and the opportunity it presented appealed to me. After some courses and some programming, I had a degree and went on to work in the wonderful world of programming.

Why do you use social media?

I started using social media as a way to connect with friends and people I know. I was already on Facebook, but it took some convincing by a few friends to get me to not only try Twitter, but actually "get it." There is a a difference there. Now that I am involved I view it as a way to meet new people in all types of industries, keep up on the latest trends, and help get the word out about stuff you're working on.

Coolest thing about you?

Coolest thing about you? Let's see, I think it is pretty cool that in one minute I can talk about stored procedures in SQL and the next about the new pink sweater I bought at the Gap. My life is full of interesting contradictions and I like it that way.

Most unique thing about you?

I smile - pretty much all of the time. Seriously, ask anyone who knows me. I always have a smile on my face. What can I say I am a happy person, at least it brightens other people's day.

Favorite band?

I love all types of music from the oldies to heavy metal, so it's really hard for me to pick a favorite. It all depends on the mood I am in at the time.

Favorite video game?

I am going to have to go old school on this one, Mario Kart for Super Nintendo.

Favorite TV show?

That's a tough one. I can't really pick between Dexter and The Office.

Favorite websites?

ThinkLocal.com, of course ;) Outside of that Twitter, CNN, and STLtoday.com are the sites I visit the most on a daily basis. When it comes to techy websites, I usually find that a Google search can find the answer to anything.

Favorite super hero?

Super heroes - sorry I'm just not that into you.

Favorite books/authors/magazines?

Unless it is a requirement I don't read. It's sad but I can't remember the last time I voluntarily picked up a book.

How do you stay up to date with the cyber-geek world?

This is a tough one to answer for some reason. Is the world wide web and acceptable answer? I find that by following the right people on Twitter you can stay up to date with the happenings in the cyber-geek world. Other than that, chatting it up with my coworkers and friends is where I get the most of my information.

What do you think are the biggest advantages of being a cyber geek?

Besides being able to have a a career that I love and enjoy. The biggest advantage for me is the ability to create with code, to take an idea and turn it into something people can use. On top of that, the results of my work are tangible and public so it's great to be able to point someone to a site or an application and say "I built that."

What neighborhood in St. Louis rocks the most?

It has to be where I currently live, "LA". That's "Lower Arnold" for all the non-Jeffco hoosiers like me. Just kidding, I love you Jefferson County. :)

Who is your favorite geek, and why?

I can't pick one geek in particular, but I can tell you my favorite type of geek. Those who love to help others get better and improve whatever it is they are working on our are trying to get accomplished.

The winner from among St. Louis's Sexiest Cyber-Dudes was Brad Hogenmiller. To learn more about him you can check out his profile. Congratulations to our winners, and we look forward to next years bout!