Hey there! I am a design strategist, researcher, visual designer, and 2019 Master of Design (MDes) graduate from the IIT Institute of Design in Chicago. I’d love to work with you on some awesome projects.

I have always been a people person, striking up conversations with anyone—on airplanes, in stores, even at the DMV. This is what draws me to design research & strategy—at its core, this field encourages a dialogue. Design empowers me to lean into my curiosity, ask questions, and hear peoples’ stories, all with the intent to use my creativity to make their world a better place.

Food I could eat everyday for the rest of my life:

• My mom’s turkey burgers, one-pan “Julie” pasta, puff pastry napoleons, and our so-terribly-nicknamed “chicken loaf”

• The Beef Rendang at Rickshaw Republic in Lincoln Park, Chicago

• Fresh sushi from the semi-sketchy little alley restaurant in the old Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo

• That one wine and cheese pairing I ate at Bar Pastoral in Lakeview, Chicago (still kicking myself for not remembering the names of either item…)

• Fried conch balls from a tiny shack called “Crabs & Tings” on Junkanoo Beach in the Bahamas

• A nice big scoop of Jeni’s Gooey Butter Cake ice cream, especially with the waffle cone wedge on top

• Everything I ate at Moto restaurant—known for its molecular gastronomy wonders—in Chicago’s West Loop during my company holiday party in 2014

• Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chip Dunkers

• Freshly made jalapeño cheddar sausages from the Farmer’s Rail in Bath, Ohio

• Almost everything I consumed in Taiwan… especially the oolong milk tea with tapioca bubbles from Yearning Tea, right down the street from my office

my most memorable travel experiences:

• Crying tears of genuine joy while real-life Mario Karting through the streets of Tokyo, Japan dressed as Luigi

• Staring out over the breathtaking Lake Pehoe in Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile (see photo above)

• Thinking my friend Caroline would never speak to me again while doing a grueling 14-mile hike on the Great Wall of China

• Sitting on the back of a rotating cruise ship in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska peacefully reading a book with my mom

• Sharing a jug of homemade rum punch with college friends while on a spring break day tour of St. Lucia

• Soaking up the views when visiting Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany in a gorgeous idyllic snowfall

• Getting semi-stranded for 2 hours because our van broke down by the side of the road somewhere between Gulu and Kampala, Uganda

• Sleeping (well, kind of) in the Iceland airport by myself after my flight from Germany was delayed and all of my luggage was lost

• Standing by the sidelines of the Paralympic marathon in London, England during the Summer 2012 games