About me

Hi there! My name is Kyle James and I am a Red River Métis student born, raised, and studying in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. I am currently completing a B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Statistics at the University of Manitoba, and I am expected to graduate in December 2025.

At my core, I'm a creator. My passion is finding problems in my daily life, designing solutions, and bringing them to life. It took me 20 years, but I finally discovered that software engineering and product management allow me to channel that passion into a career.

I’ve gained experience in software development, web design, data analysis, and product management through both internships and personal projects. I’m always looking for opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute to meaningful work.

What I do

  • product management icon

    Product Management

    I've gained valuable product management experience throughout two internships at Microsoft

  • camera icon

    Indigenous Advocacy

    I am a proud member of the Métis Nation of Manitoba, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and the Indigenous Tech Community

  • software engineering icon

    Software Engineering

    I have a strong academic foundation in computer science, and have demonstrated them through two software engineering internships.

  • Web development icon

    Data Science

    Pursuing a minor in statistics has inspired me to dive into data-driven personal projects, where data is collected, analyzed, and visualized For a perfect example of this, check out the DPL!

My Hobbies

  • Hiking Icon

    Hiking

    Hiking has helped me reconnect with my sense of adventure. It clears my mind, grounds me in nature, and gives me a chance to reboot—mentally and physically—while getting some exercise along the way.

  • Club Card Icon

    Poker

    Poker is a beautiful game. It blends probability, strategy, and psychology like nothing else. For me, it’s also the perfect excuse to hang out and catch up with my buddies. I even built a fantasy-style poker league for us — check out the Degenerate Poker League!

  • Guitar Icon

    Guitar

    I truly believe that creating music is one of the most impressive things a person can do. Playing guitar gives me a creative outlet and a way to connect with others. While I still have a lot to learn, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of emulating my favourite songs.

Azure Services

Azure Services

Throughout my Explore Internship with Microsoft in the summer of 2023, I made effective use of Microsoft Azure tools, including Azure DevOps, Azure Data Factory, and Azure Data Lake.

Resume

Work Experience

  1. Product Management Intern @ Microsoft

    Summer 2025

    Defined and delivered requirements for programmatic ad support in Microsoft's Order Management System (OMS). Collaborated with design and engineering to unblock the migration of $500M/year in ad operations and cut $1.2M/year in vendor costs.

  2. Product Management Intern @ Microsoft

    Summer 2024

    Led the investigation into a contractor's present ad serving methods on Xbox, providing key insights for developing an internal order management system (OMS) to bring ad serving in house. Took ownership of key features like a roadblock calendar, workflow status changes, and the approval process, saving Microsoft from renewing a $110M contract.

  3. Explore Intern @ Microsoft

    Summer 2023

    Collaborated in a team of three interns, serving as both the product manager lead and software engineer to design, develop, and implement a middle tier pipeline for an alert within Bing ads’ internal Unified Customer Management dashboard

  4. Research Intern @ the National Research Council of Canada

    Summer 2022

    Developed a three dimensional visualization tool which visualizes a model ship’s performance in simulated ocean environments using collected data, numerical models, and live data

  5. Credit Recovery & Services Representative @ Manitoba Hydro

    Summer 2021

    Student position focusing on assisting clients, recovering outstanding payments, and performing various tasks with team members and external departments

University of Manitoba

  1. Pursuing a B.S. in Computer Science, with a minor in Statistics

  2. In my fifth year of studies and expected to graduate in 2026

Extracurriculars

  1. AISES CLOUDS Fellow

    Summer 2025

    Participated in the AISES CLOUDS program, focusing on leadership development and community engagement. Placed 1st overall in our product pitch competition.

  2. AISES Bison Bump Fellow

    Summer 2025

    Participated in the AISES Bison Bump Challenge, a business pitch competition for Indigenous students, and was voted winner by attendees.

  3. AISES US National Gathering Scholarship Awardee

    2023, 2025

    Two time recipient of the AISES US National Gathering Travel Scholarship for my contributions to the Indigenous community and academic excellence.

  4. AISES Canada National Gathering Scholarship Awardee

    2023, 2024, 2025

    Three time recipient of the AISES Canada National Gathering Travel Scholarship for my contributions to the Indigenous community and academic excellence.

  5. Indigenous @ Microsoft Member

    2023-2025

    As a member of the Indigenous at Microsoft employee resource group, I connected with a vibrant community of Indigenous professionals and allies. Through this network, I participated in cultural events and discussions that fostered a sense of belonging and community during my internships.

  6. Accenture Student Leadership Fellow

    Winter 2024

    As a fellow in the inaugural Indigenous track of Accenture's Student Leadership Program, I developed key leadership skills alongside a national cohort. I also took the initiative to leverage my personal network and recruit other Indigenous students to participate in the program.

  7. AISES Member

    2022-Present

    As an active member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), I have engaged with a national network of Indigenous STEM students and professionals. Attending national gatherings has allowed me to access invaluable mentorship, career development, and scholarship opportunities.

Degen Poker League

Overview

The Degenerate Poker League started as a solution to a recurring problem: every time my friends and I played poker, we’d lose track of who bought in, who cashed out, and what were the results. After one too many chaotic post-game audits, I decided to build a better system.

This project is my pride and joy. It’s the perfect blend of product management and software engineering — I get to design solutions, build them out, and immediately see the impact at every step of the way. There’s honestly no better feeling than watching my friends crowd around the leaderboard, laughing, trash-talking, and genuinely enjoying something I created.

Feature Timeline

  1. Google Sheets for Data Tracking

    Dec 2022

    Built a shared Google Sheet to track each poker game's buy-ins, cash-outs, and net earnings. Used formulas to generate running totals, player stats, and dynamic leaderboards.

  2. Google Apps Script Automation

    Sep 2023

    Wrote custom scripts to automate data entry via a button interface. This created and formatted new game entries automatically.

  3. Twilio API Integration

    Dec 2023

    Integrated Twilio to send automatic recap texts to players the day after each game. Messages included net earnings, personal stats, and a link to the full summary.

  4. Responsive Web App with React

    Dec 2024

    Created a responsive React website using Material UI tables to display player stats and leaderboards. This solved mobile usability issues and gave players access from any device.

  5. Migration to SQL (In Progress)

    Summer 2025 (Hopefully)

    Planning to migrate data from Google Sheets to SQL for more robust data management. This will allow for complex queries, better data integrity, and easier future feature additions.

Bison Bump Challenge

What's the Bison Bump Challenge?

The Bison Bump Challenge is a business pitch competition open to AISES college members across the U.S. and Canada, focusing on culturally grounded innovations that are sustainable and community-driven. It seeks bold STEM projects such as robotics, coding, traditional ecological knowledge, and environmental solutions that harness Indigenous wisdom to address today’s most pressing challenges while honoring both tradition and innovation. Teams of up to five are invited to propose ideas with real potential for positive community impact.

My Pitch

Polar Pods is an Indigenous-led business that helps northern communities access fresh food by turning shipping containers into year-round hydroponic greenhouses. Each unit is built to handle the extreme weather and transport challenges of remote regions, growing crops like greens, berries, and herbs locally. The company offers sales and leasing, ongoing support, and community training instead of one-time deals. By working directly with Indigenous partners and helping secure grants, Polar Pods lets communities take charge of their food supply and create new jobs and learning opportunities. Financially, the business is designed for steady growth and aims to deliver reliable food access and lasting value for northern regions.

Results

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People's Choice Award

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Third Place in Judges Voting