“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."
Words by Kurt Vonnegut that I’ve lived by since the first day I read them. A brilliant, kind soul.
Climber, art therapist, UX Designer in training.
I’m passionate to help the elderly find meaning and independence in their lives. Often, I worry this group of people are overlooked or forgotten, so I want to help change that as their advocate. Art therapy provides a creative and empathic way to fulfill that goal.
Recently, I’ve sparked an interest in UX Design as well. Another career path grounded in empathy, I’ve found it to be a natural way to incorporate my experience with graphic design in a more purposeful direction.
In my spare time, you can often find me playing with any dog I can find - especially my dear pup, Ridley! I’ve always loved dogs but a more recent endeavor has been a newfound passion in rock climbing, which has helped me grow immensely. It provides me with a supportive community of like-minded individuals who encourage each other to succeed.
Education
Masters of Art, Art Therapy
Lesley University
Graduated 2020
Bachelors of Science, Communications Media
Fitchburg State University
Graduated 2015
Experience
UX/Product Design Intern
Facilitated user research and validation techniques such as usability studies and observation studies in an effort alongside the Principal Designer to improve designer efficiency within our zone.
Synthesized and communicated findings for our team as well as to Athena's central design library team, critical for organization-wide scaling.
Maintained current design library while implementing new components and properties, as well as implementation of a formalized structure and navigation within the design file.
athenaHealth
June 2022 - PRESENT
UX/Product Designer
Practice to date includes:
Building design libraries from the ground up, as well as creation of UI and design guidelines.
Communication with project leads to ensure realistic timelines and timely delivery of assets.
Create & contribute to roadmaps and customer journeys.
Responsive design with usability ensured at every device type.
Freelance
December 2021 - PRESENT
Goddard House Assisted Living
Sep. 2019 - August 2020
Art Therapy Intern
Leading and co-leading expressive groups on both the Traditional Unit and Memory Care.
Working one-on-one with several individuals on a multitude of therapeutic methods such as planning goals, foster social inclusion, and creating space for expressive arts.
Facilitated a weekly literature group session, promoting a leadership role for residents and encouraging confidence and connection to their strongest skills or interests.
Practiced in both leadership and assisting roles for Opening Minds through the Arts (OMA), a program dedicated to leading individuals with memory loss with step-by-step instructions to create unique pieces of abstract art.
Curated the OMA Gallery Show, co-leading a last-minute change to a virtual exhibit during the pandemic start.
Kit Clark Senior Services
Sep. 2018 - May 2019
Art Therapy Intern
Leading and co-leading art therapy groups with clients in both the Adult Day Health Center and in the Memory Loss Unit. Helping participants engage in self expression, memory recall, and sharing culture through the arts.
Lead therapeutic sessions focusing on fine motor skills and personal expression through painting, paper crafting, and drawing.
Assist in dance, music, and art based therapy sessions, facilitating the participation and understanding of the activities for the clients and enhancing their enjoyment of the session.
Personal direction with clients to help advance their personal skills of memory through conversational advice as well as gamification, providing a quality one-on-one experience in direction and retention.
While providing mental care, advising behavioral and social understanding to live comfortably among peers and employees of the Senior Service.
Idea Agency
Jan. 2015 - Oct. 2015
Junior Designer
Promoted from intern to Junior Designer after 4 months, while fulfilling visual design needs.
Brainstormed, iterated, and produced materials and assets in the rebranding of Smith & Jones to The Idea Agency while focusing on brand development, highlighting integrated marketing and idea generation.
Responsible for the digital design of case studies as well as photo manipulation and graphics creation. Editing and enhancements of portraits for employee pages.
Creative Intern
Responsible for daily brainstorms with the Creative Director to produce visual solutions through conceptual thinking, design planning and review.
Weekly projects included layout design, illustration, typographic structuring and design, as well as photo editing and enhancement.
Simultaneously managed workloads for production of internal and client specific assets and design.