Skip to content
A photo of Tessa holding a stylus as if writing on a smartboard. They are a white human with medium-length auburn hair wearing a blue plaid button up shirt with a white camisole underneath.

I love using technology to find solutions

About Me

A selfie of Tessa smiling at the camera. They are a white human with medium-length auburn hair pulled to one side to reveal the shaved underside of their head wearing a red crop top.
Tessa Watkins (they/them)

My identities include being white, disabled, queer, trans, spouse, and a parent to an amazing little girl. My pronouns are they and them and I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. I have my own side hustle called AuRise Creative where I provide website hosting, design, and development services, and I am passionate about social justice where I advocate and educate as Just 1 Voice of many.

My Professional Work

I am an autistic programmer and coding is a special interest of mine. I’ve created professional websites for clients in a variety of industries including metal manufacturing, martial arts, progressive politicians, occupational therapists, enterprise healthcare companies, nonprofit organizations, and more. I’ve authored official WordPress plugins and contributed to WordPress core. My score on StackOverflow is over 2,000 and climbing.


A photo of Tessa working at a laptop. They are a white human with medium-length auburn hair wearing a blue plaid button up shirt with a white camisole underneath.
Tessa Watkins (they/them)

My Personal Work

A photo of Tessa standing straight with their hands behind their back and staring at the camera. They are a white human with medium-length auburn hair wearing a predominantly white dress with black trim.
Tessa Watkins (they/them)

My core values lead me to have lot of strong feelings when I witness discrimination. In the professional world, it allows me to deliver human-centered products and services but it also motivates me to advocate for marginalized communities, especially my own. I am a vocal advocate on topics such as autism, neurodiversity, mental health, disability, accessibility, anti-racism, gender diversity, and more.

I’m not a good fit for companies that want quiet employees and I understand that my public advocacy can potentially affect my employer’s reputation. I hope that any business or organization I work for, or with, will stand with me in the face of injustice.