My Story

Let's keep it real!

It's 2025, where do things stand for you today?

I took an enormous leap in 2024. After 3 years of working on BMO's Business Banking Enterprise Software, I decided it was time to invest in my professional growth and make an impact in my community. Besides the freelance web design work, which has truly pushed me into new design territory, I've been proud to contribute to my community as a Substitute Teacher at Chicago Public Schools. I believe that my experience as a UX'er has contributed to my ability to facilitate, empower, and provide creative solutions within a classroom setting. From this experience, it's been super interesting to solve problems for students across all ages and demographics, which has pushed me to create engaging experiences for a diverse range of students. Whether it's with a client or a group of students, I care deeply about creating an environment that is collaborative, fun, and rewarding.

Where do you see yourself going?

I continue to strive for being a designer who can bring stellar visual design and be a designer who can lead like the best of em...but I have a bigger dream. I want to work on a product experience that has a tremendous impact on people. I think the only thing I'm missing from my journey right now is being able to truly measure design impact, for both a business and a user base. I'm a huge fan of celebrating wins, and I want to celebrate the impact of good design with others.

What do you enjoy most about design?

I love those "a-ha!" moments after rounds of iteration and collaboration. Being able to push through rounds of iteration to reach that polished state is a good feeling. And that comes with collaboration, input, feedback, different perspectives - which can be super fun and mind-bending. Lastly, I really enjoy this work because sometimes it doesn't always come down to the subjective (how pretty it is). Being able to produce a solution that solves a problem or provides real value to a user is very fulfilling to me. But I will say, balancing function and form is always my ultimate goal because I love when things look good too.

Lastly, can you share a design experience that continues to stick with you?

I'm going to nerd out on trains real hard here, so buckle up. I recently adventured to Japan with a couple buddies of mine and it felt like the most design-forward country in the world. Their public transportation system is super advanced, especially the train system - makes Chicago feel ancient. What was most impressive about their train system was the amount of focus on rider experience. All the train cars have digital maps and displays, which provide clear guidance on which car is closest to the exit when you get off, there is a time estimate for each stop, and there was even a car dedicated to women in an effort to keep them safe from recent issues. I love taking inspiration from design experiences in the real world, because they solve problems with a diverse audience in mind.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me.

If you'd like to get in touch, you can shoot me an email, connect with me on LinkedIn, or simply give me a call.

Design Superpowers

CRAFT

My design work is grounded in psychology, data, and strong fundamentals. There's always intention, with a big douse of taste & style.

COLLABORATION

I create comfortable environments for real collaboration by understanding my audience, injecting the right amount of play, and leveling the playing field.

LEADERSHIP

I use my coaching and teaching abilities to help others learn and grow, always focusing on their skillsets or mentality to overcome certain roadblocks.

OWNERSHIP

No matter the conditions or constraints, I always aim to meet expectations. There will always be a level of quality that is fundamentally solid and is acceptable from all perspectives.

COMMUNICATION

I strive to have genuine conversations about how we are going to solve problems or achieve our goals, going beyond the pixels and into the world of human understanding.

STRATEGY

My work starts with understanding how design will impact the team, creating a focus on outcomes that will move the needle both quantitatively and qualitatively.