Balancing Creativity With Research

Growing up, I moved constantly - both internationally and across the US. I learned about the world from a perspective no book or TED talk could teach you. Through that, I learned every person has their own problems, their own desires, and their own belief systems. However, each person’s problems boil down to very similar things: comfort, stability, and happiness.

Moving every few years drove me to focus my future on empathy and building things to improve all lives. In undergrad, I studied:

  • Theatre, concentrating in Theatre Studies (Playwriting/Directing)

  • Speech and Hearing Science, concentrating in Neuroscience of Communication

I was drawn to theatre because it focuses on how people interact with the world and neuroscience because it focuses on why people interact that way. Finding UX Design was incredible because it also seeks understanding of how and why humans behave certain ways.

Following that, I wanted to delve deeper into design so I pursued my Master’s in Product Design and Development Management from Northwestern University, where I graduated in 2025.

On my team, I am a lead of 3 designers where I work cross-functionally with PMs, POs, stakeholders, and engineers. I work in consulting and often lead workshops to help clients understand user needs.

I am currently very involved in the local AI scene, where we’re building a vibecoding group. The goal is to utilize my consulting background to help people understand what product they need to build, spin up a concept for them to digest, and then help them turn that concept into a business. More details to come on this, but through my work on this, I’ve become an AI SME at Cognizant. I have given multiple presentations on AI and Design while also creating my own custom GPT and a few vibe coded projects - I will link some here:

Design in Low Fidelity

AI in your workflow

My Custom GPT

Design Hub (vibecoded)

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions for me, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, view my resume (also listed below), or connect with me through the contact page. Looking forward to chatting!