Being a new UX Designer in the time of 2016 in Los Angeles, when the information was sparse and the industry still new, was challenging. Majority of us didn’t have mentors or Seniors to guide us (most of them were in SF). We were often the Junior and the Manager of our department. My generation had to convince companies that UX mattered, and teach businesses the value and meaning of Good UX. Then, after convincing the Executives, Managers, and our peers, we had to figure out how to make it happen.

Meanwhile, after hours, when people asked us what we did for a living, our answers would get blank stares, and we got used to having to explain what UX means. Workshops, books, Bootcamps for some, online communities, in-person meetups, podcasts, Jared Spool, NNG, Medium posts, Industry leaders on Twitter, and Google made up the salad of our education. Much of our collective knowledge was scattered in bits and pieces around the internet and IRL Meetups. I often drove after work from the OC to Santa Monica during rush hour (a 2.5 hour drive), just to maybe learn something I could bring back from the UX Meetup. I learned how to do UX Research from a UX Researcher at Intuit that taught the workshop on a weekday after work, because it was too valuable to miss. That workshop taught me the foundation of UX Research that I still follow today. It was worth it.

Things are much easier for aspiring UX Designers now. You have Masters programs that condense all the information into a 1-3 year program. You have established authorities to look up to. And you don’t have to drive 2 hours after work to hear Jared Spool talk about what UX Maturity looks like (his talks are now neatly posted on his website).

I believe in setting up the next generation of UX Designers for success, as they will one day inherit our unsolved problems, and build upon our work. It’s why I regularly speak and teach workshops. I hope that in passing down knowledge to the next generation of UX Designers, I can also democratize the information and set them up for success. At work, you will often ask your Seniors “how.” I hope my community work can hold space for you to start thinking critically, and digging deeper to ask “why.”

I am currently open to doing talks at Universities and in the education sector. If you would like to book me, please get in touch with me via Linkedin or Email with details of your event, why you chose me for your event, details on who your audience is, and what you are hoping I will add to your event (goals, perspectives, subjects, etc.).

I know there are many options, so thank you for your consideration, and giving me a platform to share a little about what I love ♥️

I do occasionally offer my time to mentor new grads trying to break into UX, but due to the limits of my time (and because I refuse to take money from a broke college student), I can only respond to so many. However, you may of course shoot your shot. Depending on my availability, I may say yes if I think I am the right person to help you. Check out this guide on how best to ask the question so potential mentors will respond (it works for everyone, not just me!): How to Find a UX Mentor. Lastly, know that if I have mentored you in the past, you may always reach out in the future with any additional questions / advice (unless you were a massive jerk, which has yet to happen).