I've always been a good student, so picking up some Photoshop skills in middle school mostly enabled me to go all out on creative aspects of my assignments. Sophomore year, my church asked if I would use those skills to create print and digital graphics. It didn't take long to know graphic design was the right balance of creativity and problem solving for me. I started school at The Modern College of Design in Dayton, Ohio two years later. In 2019, I graduated with my Associate Degree of Applied Business in Design as Co-Valedictorian, a Graphic Design USA Student to Watch, and with GDUSA awards for portfolio projects. I will graduate from The Modern with my Bachelor's Degree of Design Leadership in spring of 2021.
Today, I still create graphics and help manage the website, among other responsibilities, for Legacy Church in Pickerington, Ohio. Throughout this experience, I've developed a deep commitment to using design to make individuals' lives better.
User experience requires a design eye like any other discipline, but nothing excites me about design like using it to solve a problem instead of just aesthetics, and that's user experience in a nutshell. Taking the time to deeply understand and internalize others' problems and develop solutions that solve them at their root is what I love to do. Digital interfaces are an important part of our everyday, so UI/UX is the best way for me to apply my knack for problem solving and transform real people's everyday lives.
I stubbornly pursue depth of understanding—a habit formed from the belief that excellence and hard work honor God. I constantly ask questions like, "Why does the user think this is the problem?" and, "What is the context surrounding the problem?" I seek to understand "why" so I can fully address the problems presented to me through user research, empathy, user testing, and design. Transforming data to usable insights enables me to design solutions that meet the real and felt needs of stakeholders.
Solid leadership and positive collaboration are key to the success of design projects, so I strive to continually evolve, adapt, and grow interpersonally with every project. Self reflection, team retrospectives, and mentor relationships are all important ways that I push myself as a design leader throughout the design process.
Flexible design abilities and commitment to excellence, deep understanding, and servant leadership are some of the things that set me apart. Contact me below to talk more about my work experience.
