1. In just a few sentences, please tell us about your current job.
I’m a UI/UX designer specializing in building user experiences for digital products. Through internships, independent projects, and full-time roles, I’ve had the opportunity to design the user interface for various industries, including finance, healthcare, and insurance.
What captivates me about UI/UX design is its perfect blend of science and art—allowing me to ground my creative decisions with research and data. At the same time, I have the opportunity to collaborate and learn from cross-functional teammates, including software engineers, product managers, and business analysts. My experience has been interdisciplinary, dynamic, and deeply human-centered.
Currently, I’m an Associate UX Designer and Researcher at the Bentley User Experience Center, a global consulting firm in Waltham, MA. Additionally, I’m also a full-time graduate student at Bentley University.
2. How did your academic track and non-academic activities influence your career journey?
My SMFA/Tufts experience was a combination of design classes and self-driven UI/UX design exploration. My art classes helped me build a strong foundation in visual design, which has been critical in UI/UX. Through printmaking and self-publication courses, I developed a keen understanding of production, color, shapes, and typography—skills I now apply daily in digital product design.
On the other hand, getting involved in internships early in my undergraduate years helped me refine my career focus. My first internship in graphic design during freshman year made me realize it wasn’t the best fit, leading me to shift my focus to UI/UX. Throughout college, I consistently sought industry experience, whether through:
- Jumbo Code student club, where I volunteered to design a digital product for a nonprofit
- Client projects in Human Factors classes, where I often took on the role of team lead
- Internships, which helped me gain hands-on experience
- Independent projects, which allowed me to explore different design challenges on my own
These experiences not only reinforced my passion for design but also helped me steadily build a strong portfolio, preparing me for my job search.
3. What advice would you offer to a student who wants to pursue a career path like yours?
- Be proactive. SMFA allows you to design your own curriculum—take advantage of that. If you’re interested in product design, I recommend exploring Human Factors, Entrepreneurship, Printmaking, and Self-Publication classes.
- Attend networking events in the Boston area such as UXPA, and ADPList to connect with professionals, and get your resume and portfolio reviewed for free.
- Reach out to Tufts alumni for advice on shaping your academic and career roadmap, as well as potential job referrals.
- Join Jumbo Code or Product Studio to gain hands-on experience working with cross-functional team members on real products for nonprofit organizations.
- Get involved in career events on campus. I secured an internship at Pegasystems after a recruiter found my resume in the Tufts Women in Tech event database.
