Engineering Design Innovationat the SEGAL DESIGN INSTITUTE, McCORMICK SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Q & A

When you started the EDI program, did you know what industry you wanted to work in?

I was drawn to tech and consumer products with the goal of combining my engineering background with my interest in psychology and human behavior.

Tell us about a course you took during the EDI program that made an impact on you (and perhaps helped point you towards the industry you're working in now).

Designing Product Interactions was one of my favorite classes that I took in EDI. It transformed the way I think about how we interact with the world around us, and how we design products to contain delight and emotion.

Is there anyone you worked with during the EDI program that you consider a mentor when you look back at the period?

Liz Gerber has been a standout mentor to me for years. She never hesitated to fit in a one-on-one meeting with me no matter how packed her schedule was. Liz is empowered, brilliant, kind, and charismatic and I look up to all that she has accomplished. She has the innate ability to access my strengths and to push me towards opportunities that would prove to be valuable in the future. I participated in Design for America, Delta Lab, taught Human-Centered Service Design, and enjoyed countless other experiences due to Liz.

Do you remember how you decided on your EDI thesis project?

Choosing the topic of my EDI thesis project was easier for me than most. When brainstorming topics I liked or enjoyed, such as food or dance, I felt that they wouldn't keep me passionate throughout three months. Since my dad's diagnosis, there is no topic in the world more important to me than Parkinson's disease. I appreciated the time to fully explore the disease and to honor him through my thesis project.

Now that you have graduated from the EDI program and your career is underway, what words of advice would you have for a prospective student interested in working in the industry you're in?

I would encourage EDI students to reach out to alumni and to fully understand what design-related careers are available to them. It is easy to get excited about each perspective role as we go through the EDI courses, but I would encourage students to not lose or replace the skills they gained in undergrad, but to merge them. Now that I am in industry, I see how well EDI prepared me for the intensity of the working world and the complexities of the design thinking process.