USAF Veteran and Software Developer turned Interaction Designer

I studied Studio Art and Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine. Since then, I’ve served as a meteorologist in the United States Air Force, and worked as a technical support engineer at Microsoft. Currently, I’m pursuing a graduate degree in Human Experience Design at California State University, Long Beach.

Through these diverse roles, I’ve witnessed a consistent need for more thoughtful and purposeful design. Drawing on my artistic roots, anthropology background, and my wide-ranging professional career, I aim to create better ways for people to interact with their devices and environments—ultimately making everyday experiences more intuitive and meaningful.

Skills

UX Design & Research

AI Experimentation

Photography

Interaction Design

Motion Design

Art Direction

Project Management

Technical

Adobe Creative Suite

After Effects

Premiere Pro

Figma

Unreal Engine

Unity

Blender

Blender

Touch Designer

Arduino

Snap Studio

Webflow

C#, JS, HTML/CSS

Academics

MA Human Experience Design Interactions HXDI


California State University, Long Beach

California State University, Long Beach

Augmented & Virtual Reality Prototyping

Design Strategy

Project Management

User Experience Design

Design Workshop Facilitation


Cloud Application Development


Microsoft Software Systems Academy

Microsoft Software Systems Academy

Microsoft Software Systems Academy

Software development fundamentals

Cloud application development

C#, SQL, JS, HTML CSS


BA Studio Art, BA Anthropology


University of California, Irvine

University of California, Irvine

University of California, Irvine

Ethnography

Visual Design

Multimedia Design

Experience

Sama Portraits


Multimedia Designer

Designs and maintains client touchpoints (web, social media, print) aligned with overall business objectives.

Develops photography workflows to ensure consistency and streamline photo asset creation.

Collaborates with client relations and operations teams to deliver a cohesive brand identity and engaging client experiences.


Immersive Design Research Lab


Graduate Research Assistant

Lead workshops on creative technologies and immersive experiences, utilizing UX research and interaction design to develop and refine prototypes.

Conduct usability testing and gather user feedback to iterate on designs, improving user engagement and overall experience in immersive environments.

Collaborate with research teams to translate user needs into functional prototypes, focusing on improving user flow and interaction design.


Microsoft


Technical Support Engineer

Provided seamless technical solutions while leveraging user experience principles to improve product interactions and customer satisfaction.

Collaborated with cross-functional teams to enhance customer experience through user-centered problem-solving, consistently ranking in the top 10% for performance

Tech: Internet Information Services (IIS), ASP.NET & ASP.NET Core (and other related technologies)


US Air Force


Staff Sergeant, Meteorologist

Led a team to deliver critical weather analyses, emphasizing data-driven decision-making and effective communication.

Mentored team members and streamlined workflows to improve operational efficiency by 30%, while also ensuring clear user communication for senior leaders.

Produce meteorological analyses/forecasts and disseminate weather warnings for aircrews, ground forces, planners, and senior leaders to protect personnel and assets worth $50 billion dollars, across Africa and Europe.