When I was 7 years old I was hit in the head by car resulting in paralysis of the entire left side of my body. At first I was told I was never going to walk normally again. Then I was told I would have to walk with a cane. Then I was told I would always walk with a limp. I’m proud to say that none of that happened and that I recovered everything except the full use of my left hand. Unbeknownst to me at the time….the accident kicked off my life long passion around experience design.
From that day forward I looked at the world very differently. Whenever everyday experiences required the use of both my hands I had to take a moment, observe the interaction and find another way.
I still managed to have a fairly typically childhood. I’m thankful for the support of my family and friends throughout the years who looked out for me, helped me and pushed me to never give up. Thanks to my Dad I learned to play baseball throwing and catching with the same hand and played up until high school. My dad and I still try to make time for a catch when we see each other. I also joined the Boy Scouts and fell in love with the outdoors going hiking, camping and backpacking whenever possible. I have continued to nurture this passion to this day, and I strive to share my experiences with friends and family.
After studying Psychology in college, I worked as a Job Coach in New York City finding jobs for mentally challenged adults and providing training to them. What I loved most about this job was that I had to observe the person, understand the job needed and create a better way to get the job done.
As I grew in my career I found the Human Computer Interaction program at DePaul University in Chicago. To this day I am grateful to my advisor for leading me down this path. I have had the privilege of working for some great companies and even greater teams in the User Experience space for so many years. But there were times of doubt.
A few years back I was having ‘virtual drinks’ with my dearest childhood friend, Jim who lives in San Diego. As we talked late into the night we both shared our frustration with our jobs and our career. I expressed how I have been fighting for UX for so many years and I’ve been doubting if I chose the right career. Jim stopped me by saying “Are you kidding me? You are the only person I know who is in the perfect career.” He went on to share how he has seen me struggle all these years learning to do things differently just to be able to get through the day. “Who better to listen and to help others get through their day?”
So here I am.