Jerry Aska
Backend Engineer • Reliability • Proud Antiguan
Welcome
I'm a backend engineer focused on building reliable production services and improving how systems behave under real-world conditions. I care about clean abstractions, well-defined service boundaries, and tooling that makes teams more effective.
In recent work, I've led backend efforts around region-aware routing and reliability improvements — defining API contracts, refining request flows, strengthening monitoring and escalation paths, and supporting production systems through on-call rotations.
I was born and raised in Antigua, where I taught and mentored students before moving into engineering full-time. Outside of work, I invest in education and community initiatives back home, and I enjoy chess as a long-running hobby.
Highlights
Career
Building reliable services
Backend Engineering
Amazon Web Services • 2023 - Present
I've led backend design and implementation of multi-region routing for a previously single-region service, defining API contracts and request flows to support region-aware traffic.
I strengthened reliability via canaries and escalation workflows, reduced region expansion time through deployment improvements, and supported production systems through on-call rotations.
Education
Foundation of growth
New York University
BS Computer Engineering, Minor in Psychology
I graduated from NYU Tandon in 2023. During school, I served as Lead TA for Computer Architecture, supporting 160 students while coordinating a team of TAs. Before NYU, I was valedictorian at St. Anthony's Secondary School in Antigua and earned an AS in Mathematics.
Chess
Strategic thinking
National Champion
Antigua and Barbuda • 2018
I learned chess at 12 and became the national champion of Antigua and Barbuda in 2018. I represented my country at the Batumi World Chess Olympiad that year as a top-performing team member. These days I play casually online — you can find me on chess.com as KrisAska1412.
Philanthropy
Giving back home
Annual Aska Award
Villa Primary School • Established 2024
I established a $1,000 annual scholarship at Villa Primary School in Antigua. It's the same school where I previously volunteered as a TA, teaching and mentoring students. Giving back to the community that shaped me is important — it's one way I try to keep doors open for the next generation.