Developer & CS Student
Ken Emata
Vancouver, BC
Selected work, 2022 - present.
Work
My recent projects.
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Sep 2026
Cellar
A CLI password manager. Cellar generates and stores a unique password per entry in a single encrypted file, so only one master password needs to be remembered. Everything is encrypted with Argon2id (key derivation) and AES-256-GCM (authenticated encryption), all in one file on disk.
Built with Python.
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Apr 2026
Connect Four
A two-player Connect Four game that communicates over a raw TCP socket. A server binds to localhost, accepts two clients on dedicated threads, and broadcasts board updates back to each player. Game state, move validation, and win detection all live server-side; the client is a tkinter GUI driven by incoming JSON messages.
Built with Python.
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Oct 2025
Turtle Trips
An AI-powered travel planner built at StormHacks 2025. Users enter a destination and the app generates a trip plan using Google Gemini, with Google Maps handling the underlying places, directions, and geocoding.
Built with Python, Flask, HTML/CSS/JS, Gemini API, Google Maps.
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Jul 2024
MarketMimic
A web-based stock trading simulator for first-time investors. Users track up to 50 tickers on a custom watchlist, view interactive historical charts, and place simulated trades with virtual currency, a low-risk way to practice before trading with real money.
Built with Java, HTML/CSS/JS, Maven, Docker.
Experience
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Jun 2025 - Present
Classroom Facilitator / Curriculum Developer STEMA Learning - Surrey, BC
- Designed and delivered technical curriculum for 30+ students ages 4-13, translating programming and engineering fundamentals into structured, age-appropriate lessons.
- Built programming modules in Python, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and Scratch covering core concepts including loops, conditional logic, and variables.
- Engineered hands-on engineering lessons using U20 Pro and VEX GO kits, focusing on mechanical assembly, structural stability, and sensor integration.
About
I'm a fourth-year computer science student at Simon Fraser University. I focus my studies on low-level systems, operating systems, compilers, and the tools underneath everything else. I'm also into cybersecurity, I enjoy learning about the vulnerabilites in code that come from using low-level languages like C, and learning about how weak design choices can lead to exploits.
Outside of the tech space, I coach youth basketball and get into pickup runs when I can. I've been weight lifting for 4+ years now. Occasionaly, I spend weekends hiking or backpacking. I've got a cat named Lucky at home, and no matter where I go, I've already got the food spots figured out.