Pfizer logoCurrently an Extern @Pfizer·🟢 Open to work
Tahlia Smith portrait

QA engineer who tests by hand and scripts when it helps

I use boundary-value and equivalence partition testing with Python automation to identify bugs, enhance coverage, and accelerate repetitive checks.

Work samples

Work includes web app and API test suites, pre-release module validation, a Python document engine, and AI document-insight externships with Outamation and Pfizer.

  • Outamation Advanced AI-Powered Document Insights and Data Extraction Externship
    Outamation Advanced AI-Powered Document Insights and Data Extraction Externship
    Outamation logo

    Outamation · Jun 2026 · ✅ Verified by Extern

    Outamation Advanced AI-Powered Document Insights and Data Extraction Externship

    An Outamation externship exploring AI methods for turning large, unstructured mortgage document sets into searchable, structured data.

    AI & MLData AnalysisPythonGoogle ColabPresentation SkillsLlamaIndex
  • Pfizer Advanced: AI-Powered Document Insights & Data Extraction Externship
    Pfizer Advanced: AI-Powered Document Insights & Data Extraction Externship
    Pfizer logo

    Pfizer · ✅ Verified by Extern · ⏱️ In progress

    Pfizer Advanced: AI-Powered Document Insights & Data Extraction Externship

    Prototype AI-powered document intelligence with Pfizer—using OCR, LLMs, and RAG to automate real enterprise PDF workflows and build a standout portfolio project.

    AI & MLPythonDocument IntelligencePresentation Skills

About me

I use boundary-value and equivalence partition testing with Python automation to identify bugs, enhance coverage, and accelerate repetitive checks.

Professional Summary: Detail-oriented QA Engineer specializing in manual application testing, functional scope mapping, and independent test case execution within fast-paced agile teams. Combines rigorous manual methodology (BVA, Equivalence Partitioning) with a strong foundation in Python automation scripts and tool development. Proven track record of independently defining project scopes, troubleshooting complex web app modules, and analyzing code changes to optimize test coverage. [1]

Externships

Pfizer Advanced: AI-Powered Document Insights & Data Extraction Externship

In progress

Experience

AI Engineering & Test Automation Extern

Extern.com · 04/2026 – 07/2026

QA Associate

Walmart Distribution 6035 (Ottawa, KS) · 02/2022 – 10/2025

Customer Service & Tech Support Representative

Arise (Overland Park, KS) · 05/2018 – 02/2022

Education

Triple Ten Coding Bootcamp

QA Engineering Certificate

Capella University

BA in Business (110+ Credit Hours Completed)

Brown Mackie College

Associate of Applied Science in Business Administration

Skills

Manual TestingWhite Box TestingRegression TestingBoundary Value AnalysisEquivalence PartitioningIntegration TestingPythonJavaScriptSQLHTML5CSS3PostmanSeleniumChrome DevToolsJiraGitGitHubGradioREST APIsTest Case WritingDefect Lifecycle ManagementRoot Cause AnalysisTechnical Troubleshooting

✅ Verified by Extern

Outamation Advanced AI-Powered Document Insights and Data Extraction Externship

An Outamation externship exploring AI methods for turning large, unstructured mortgage document sets into searchable, structured data.

AI & MLData AnalysisPythonGoogle ColabPresentation SkillsLlamaIndex

Overview

During my externship with Outamation, I transformed complex document workflows into efficient, AI-powered processes. I developed skills in Python, machine learning, and OCR technologies, allowing me to extract valuable insights from mortgage documents. This project not only enhanced my technical abilities but also prepared me for future opportunities in the field of document automation.

Outamation Advanced AI-Powered Document Insights and Data Extraction Externship

What I've accomplished

I produced a complete mortgage-document pipeline including OCR preprocessing, field extraction (loan program, interest rate, loan term), a tested RAG retrieval stack with chosen embeddings and model, blob-level classification output as JSON, and a live Gradio demo plus supporting documentation.

Project breakdown

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✅ Verified by Extern · ⏱️ In progress

Pfizer Advanced: AI-Powered Document Insights & Data Extraction Externship

Prototype AI-powered document intelligence with Pfizer—using OCR, LLMs, and RAG to automate real enterprise PDF workflows and build a standout portfolio project.

AI & MLPythonDocument IntelligencePresentation Skills

Overview

I developed a prototype for AI-powered document intelligence at Pfizer, utilizing OCR, LLMs, and RAG methods to automate PDF workflows. This project focused on enhancing data extraction processes and creating a significant addition to my professional portfolio.

Pfizer Advanced: AI-Powered Document Insights & Data Extraction Externship

What I've accomplished

I parsed a 39-page regulatory packet, cataloged nine regulatory file types, identified three date-format schemas and one multi-year compliance outlier, and recorded parsing failure modes tied to embedded graphics and non-linear tables.

Project breakdown

The work parsed a 39-page regulatory packet, cataloged nine regulatory file types, identified three date-format schemas and one multi-year compliance outlier, and logged parsing failures caused by embedded graphics and non-linear tables.

The project cleaned and structured sample data in Colab, parsed nested JSON into flat DataFrames, applied text-standardization steps (lowercasing, removing special characters, fixing encoding, expanding contractions) and tried denoising and contrast methods for scanned images to improve OCR input.

The project loaded sample SDF PDFs with PyMuPDF, extracted full text and word bounding boxes, inspected layouts and tables, and reported field-level findings (dates, vendor, doc type). The submission included a shared document summarizing results.

Google Docs
Access

I ran Tesseract, PaddleOCR, and EasyOCR on a scanned supplier PDF, applied image preprocessing, captured each engine's extracted text and layout behavior, and recorded that EasyOCR most reliably captured lot numbers and expiration dates on first pass.

Google Docs
Access

The project parsed and chunked technical QA documents, created vector embeddings, and implemented retrieval and generation in a Colab RAG pipeline. The submission included a Google Doc summary and a live demo recording showing extracted technical values.

Google Docs
Access

I compared Gemini (cloud) against Mistral-7B and Phi-2 (local) on the same SDF queries. I recorded errors, memory and latency issues, response quality notes, and examples showing Gemini was fast but cloud-dependent, Mistral required quantization, and Phi-2 hallucinated.

Google Docs
Access

I received a bundled PDF, extracted page-level metadata, detected document boundaries, and produced JSON-formatted segmentation output. The submission included retry logic notes for a failing API call and a linked Colab and doc with the parsed JSON.

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Urban Routes Web App & API Testing

Designed and executed an end-to-end suite of manual test cases across diverse user paths, trimming redundant runtimes by 30%. Managed full defect lifecycles within Jira, isolating over 40 functional software bugs. Manipulated browser console networks, payloads, and API queries via Chrome DevTools to

JiraPostmanChrome DevTools

Overview

Urban Routes Web App & API Testing
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Chrome DevTools UI/UX & Module Validation

Utilized White Box methods to evaluate pre-release source architectures and validate core product updates. Audited raw network responses and console scripts to isolate, test, and verify unreleased modules before production. Pinpointed Javascript runtime errors to deliver detailed technical execution

Chrome DevTools

Overview

Chrome DevTools UI/UX & Module Validation
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Python Automated Document Engine & Chatbot Testing

Developed comprehensive test variations in Python to ensure edge-case validation across target system logic. Built text processing structures ensuring strict output parameters matched desired JSON/XML structures.

Python

Overview

Python Automated Document Engine & Chatbot Testing
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