Originally a curious psychology researcher with a drive for building solutions, I worked in applied psychology research, customer service, and international education programs before discovering the work I love has a concise name: UX Research.

My formal education began at Binghamton University, where I studied Integrative Neuroscience and learned about human and animal behavior from discourse within classroom walls, as well as from books, several research labs, and various social groups I interacted with. I was interested in how people think, learn, and behave, and desired to help people improve their mental health, happiness, and general outcomes.

After graduation, I craved more real-world experience and exposure to different contexts and cultures. I spent 3 years working on educational programs abroad in Italy, Bali, and the Western US, where I learned about people, and their lifestyles and tool use across cultures. I found how similar humans are at our cores, yet differ in meaningful ways, too.

I returned to the US feeling fueled with knowledge and a new interest in being more involved in designing solutions - specifically digital ones. In 2016 I completed a certificate program in sustainable system design through the University of Massachusetts, which strengthened my systems and design thinking.

While designing, I felt like the puzzle to my solutions-building was starting to come together. But a connection was missing. One can build something, it can be grounded in evidence, be filling a human need, but what if it’s not really useable or digestible? I wanted to ensure the products I was helping to design would work best with how humans interact with them. I wanted to make sure the execution of the design complemented, rather than conflicted with, how our minds work.

In 2017 I enrolled in master’s degree in Cognitive Science in Education at Columbia University, and graduated with a richer understanding of mental processes such as attention, perception, memory, language, thinking, problem solving, and creativity, and their involvement in Human Computer Interaction. I also developed strength and rigor in my research techniques.

Since then I’ve worked for several companies in tech and non-profit, leading UX and CX research and supporting builds and optimizations of products to be intuitive, satisfying, and successful — building products that serve users and improve their lives.