This week, our employee spotlight series, Ghost Sighting 👻, takes us to Wisconsin to meet Ivan Barragan. Keep reading to get to know Ivan and his family!
Tell us a bit about yourself, Ivan!
I am originally from Colombia. I was born in Bogota but raised in Chiquinquira, Boyaca. When I was 16 years old, I moved to the United States and have lived in Wisconsin ever since. I graduated from high school in Colombia and had the option to attend college right after moving to the United States. However, since I knew very little English, I decided to attend high school in the US for another year to learn the language before attending college.
Eventually, I attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where I earned a Bachelor's degree in Computer Systems. But more importantly, that's where I met my wife, Kate, during my Junior year. We have been married for 13 years and have two children: Liara, who is 8, and Oliver, who is 6, as well as a 13-year-old lazy dog named Yoshi who spends most of the day sleeping. We currently live near Madison, WI, close to both of our families.
Very important question: mountains or beach?
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I like picking up new hobbies in my free time. I love learning new skills and getting my head around new concepts. So far, over the years I've gotten into: Soccer, Sim Racing, Magic the Gathering, Chess, Guitar, Drawing, 3D Modeling, Running, Cycling, Game Development, and my latest obsession is learning the ins and outs of Disc Golf.
Apart from that, I love spending quality time with my family and taking Yoshi for a walk. The rest of my time is spent gaming, either solo or with a tight group of friends that I've been playing with for over 15 years.