Growing up, I always had a passion for both art and math, two passions that seemed worlds apart. As a 10-year-old, recreating brightly colored Lisa Frank drawings was just as exhilarating as figuring out that the prime factorization of 147 is 3 x 7 x 7. In high school, these two realms seemed to grow further apart, as my passion for each intensified. If I wasn’t tutoring friends in Calculus, I was pulling all-nighters perfecting my drawings for art contests.
It wasn’t until college that my two separate passions began to collide, but not in an obvious way. I majored in architecture, which was an incredible learning experience, in which I studied form, function, and how people experience and inhabit spaces. I began to understand the beauty of “the process” of design and creation, and how to design for the user.
I also studied mathematics as a double-major, increasing my appreciation for numbers, patterns, geometry, etc. While writing proofs, I realized the similarities between math, art, and design. Each involves an understanding of the rules and materials you are working with and then using your creativity to figure out how to achieve your goal. A perfect combination of problem solving and imagination! I learned you also have to think about the audience though because you wouldn’t want to write a proof that no other mathematician can follow, or design a building in which people cannot find the entrance.
After college, I was eager to start working, to share my knowledge with the world, and to help others. I took the first job I was offered, an administrative role for a consulting company. This job helped me develop my professional communication skills, balance numerous projects, and work across functional teams; however, I strived for a career with the ability to continue to learn, grow, and impact others.
I knew I needed to do something more meaningful, that would continue to challenge me. Enrolling in Bloc’s UX Design program has been instrumental in my immersion into the tech world. Amongst other things, it has provided me with valuable techniques and resources to research, design, test, and code. I’m thrilled to apply these processes along with all my past experiences to help improve the day-to-day experiences of others.