Brief introduction

An unashamed introvert who dipped her toes in software development and grew into a designer within the civic tech space.

What I’m currently up to

I have 5+ years of experience in design and consulting for websites and responsive applications. I’ve worked shoulder-to-shoulder with federal agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) as a UX generalist leading teams from discovery through supporting engineers during design hand-off.

My work as a designer in the government sector sparked my interest in accessibility and inspired me to hone my skills in creating inclusive digital solutions. I have a Section 508 Trusted Tester certification through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and am familiar with conducting manual tests for compliance. Beyond automated and manual testing, I’m passionate about incorporating users, including folks who identify as having a disability, into the design and research processes.

My history

• I was first introduced to HTML and CSS while playing Neopets as a child. I spent many hours playing around with my profile because I was fascinated with how customizable webpages are!

• After graduating high school, I majored in Computer Science at the University of Arizona for a couple years before discovering that I enjoyed design more than development.

• I pivoted to majoring in Visual Communication with a Graphic Design emphasis at Northern Arizona University where I taught myself Adobe XD and began dabbling in User Experience.

• I spent some time after college working as a graphic designer for an agency before landing my first Junior User Experience Designer role. From 2018 to 2022 I worked as a UX generalist on various projects, including with VA, to grow my skills and discover the importance of accessibility and inclusivity in designing software.

• In June 2022, I joined Truss to work on a large scale project with the DoD. This is where I began advocating for accessibility best practices and leading project-wide initiatives to improve our processes.

Fun facts

• I was a competitive olympic weightlifter in college, but I now focus on training for long distance races and practicing yoga.

• I listened to 41,794 minutes of music on Spotify in 2023.

• I have two rescue cats, Ramona and Nori, who are mother and daughter.

• I would one day love to retire in a house with a garden and work with animals in my spare time.