Jonah Kowal
Hey there! I’m Jonah, a second-year computer science student at the University of Washington in Seattle.I’m interested in a wide variety of things in computer science, but right now I’m most interested in creating software that is first and foremost fun to use, and that connects people to the world around them. I like to excite and draw people out of routine to try something new.
I attempted this aspiration with my 15th Avenue Photobooth project, which repurposed traffic cameras into a quirky photobooth available to all. Try it out on your phone!
Currently, I am collaborating on a project to reimagine your browser’s new tab. We’re developing an extension that replaces that familiar page with a dashboard compiling all things you need to know. It includes content such as your assignments due soon, weather, what’s on your calendar, and more, and it’s all customizable! Look for that releasing sometime soon in the future.
Outside of CS, I like to bike, hike, and explore the city. I’m very interested in city planning, and I’m looking to minor in Urban Planning (as well as Mathematics) at UW.
On this website you can find my resume, my contact information, as well as my various thoughts on urban planning, computer science, and whatever else interests me.
My blog
- My recent posts
- My computer science posts
- My urban planning posts
- 2025-06-03 19:46:00 +0000 quality vs. affordability: a case study
- 2025-05-05 21:16:00 +0000 notes on my hometown
- Other posts
- archive
- rss
My resume
Education
University of Washington
Seattle, WA | Sep. 2024 - Jun. 2027Bachelor of Science in Computer Science; GPA: 3.93
University of Washington
Seattle, WA | Admitted Sep. 2027 - Jun. 2028Master of Science in Computer Science
Experience
Teaching Assistant (TA)
University of Washington
Seattle, WA | Sep. 2025 - Present- Undergraduate TA for Computer Science introductory class with 300+ students
- Teaching a 20+ person quiz section the fundamentals of Computer Science and Java
- Created a custom Java visualizer to help students understand references and objects
- Acting as grading lead since March 2026 creating new assignments and material for the course
Instructional Assistant
University of Washington Youth and Teen Programs
Seattle, WA | Jun. 2025 - Aug. 2025- Assisted in three classes teaching the next generation of students Java
- Boosted learning by eagerly answering questions as they arose
- Guided students with their own projects as they explored programming concepts
- Presented and gave advice on navigating AI in our current world
Projects
Voxel Game Engine
Jun. 2026 - Present | Rust, Vulkan, GLSL- In-development voxel game engine built in Rust with Vulkan and GLSL
- Features a custom ECS and ground-up rendering system with a focus on performance and modularity
Java Visualizer
Nov. 2025 - Present | Svelte, Typescript- Fully in-browser Java interpreter and visualizer built with Svelte and Typescript
- Primarily designed to help students understand references and objects in Java
- Used as a teaching aid in my TA role for the Computer Science introductory class at the University of Washington
- Helped more than 50 students learn the fundamentals of linked nodes
TA Training Games
Mar. 2026 - Jun. 2026 | Svelte, Typescript, Drizzle ORM, SQLite- A collection of games designed to help train new TAs for the Computer Science introductory class at the University of Washington
- Multiplayer functionality provided via an SQLite database and Drizzle ORM
- Supported 80+ TAs playing the games concurrently in the Winter and Spring 2026 quarters
Newtab
May 2025 - Present | Svelte, Lit, Typescript, Figma- In-development browser extension that replaces the default browser new tab with a customizable dashboard
- Pulls data from several sources including Google Calendar, Open-Meteo Weather, Github, Gradescope, Canvas, and more to provide users with a broad overview of what they need to know
- Designed in Figma with user documentation provided via a Jekyll-based doc. website
Skills
Languages: Rust, Typescript, Java, Python, C++Frameworks: Svelte, React, Node.js, Flask, JUnit
Tools: Git, Docker, VS Code, Claude Code, IntelliJ