Engineering Tech Lead, Stas, Reflects on 6 years at ALICE

Stas Kvitash is an Engineering Tech Lead at ALICE, located in Kiev, Ukraine. Working at ALICE for the past six years, Stas is an ALICE veteran and has had the opportunity to contribute to the growth of the company since its early stages.

Our People team sat down with Stas to chat with him what it's like working on the Engineering team at ALICE. 

What was your first role at ALICE?

When I first started at ALICE six years ago I was a Front End Engineer. I have since  moved into the role of a Full Stack Engineer.

How did you originally get involved with ALICE?

When I was first introduced to ALICE I just viewed it as another project that was proposed to me. However, after I learned more about ALICE and what the company does, I was extremely excited to be a part of it. I was very eager to be a part of a company whose main focus is to help other people. When I first started at ALICE, the company was less than 10 people; it was still a small startup. It was really fascinating to be a part of ALICE when we were so small and then to also be part of the growth and development over the past six years. 

What is special about the engineering team at ALICE? 

ALICE’s engineering team is based all over the world; our team has members in Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, India and more. We all work from different time zones and we all bring our own cultures to the team. In addition to our cultural diversity, everyone on the team is brilliant.

What has been your favorite project at ALICE?

My favorite project that I’ve been a part of at ALICE would have to be our Housekeeping product. We launched Housekeeping in June 2019 and it was and still is very innovative. There aren’t many other products like it on the market. All of the different departments within ALICE, especially our Sales team, have been very excited about the new frameworks and technologies that we have introduced through the Housekeeping product. 

Do you have a most memorable moment from your time at ALICE?

Four years ago I had a trip planned from Ukraine to New York. This visit was going to be my first trip to the United States and my first time meeting with the team in person. About one hour into my flight I realized that we were starting to turn around and that something wasn’t right. I was told that there was a problem with the engine and that we had to land in an airport in Poland. We ended up being stuck at the airport for 23 hours. Eventually, after many long conversations with fellow passengers, I finally made it to New York and it turned out to be an amazing and exciting trip. 

Do you have any advice for ALICE newbies?

Stay positive and never give up. Always try your best to deal with challenges ahead, not only in ALICE but in all aspects of life. If you stay positive you will always achieve your best.