10/31/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/31/2024 11:00
I grew up in Massachusetts to a multi-racial immigrant family that has navigated cultural assimilation, the criminal legal system, and housing, financial, and food assistance programs. I wasn't the best student growing up so following grade school I took on two jobs and went to community college and then transferred to the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. There, I studied industrial design where I learned how to design tangible products that fulfill the needs of an end-user. I also learned how to listen to people and create solutions to their problems. The purpose of this major was to create material items and capitalistic gains, but the design process can be used in any context.
Despite the economic and social challenges, I became a first-generation college graduate and have used my education to work to design and implement community-centered public programming to combat systemic and racial inequities. I most recently delivered this work as a Design Researcher at small non-profit in Boston, Massachusetts. I was responsible for planning, conducting user research, and co-designing with families, caregivers, victims of violence, community organizations, and city workers to design social impact programs and provide insight to improve public services.
The PHL Service Design Studio shares my values and philosophies on design. I'm impressed with the work they've done. They're a well-organized studio with a team of expert designers who I am excited to learn from.
Coming from the consulting world, where all the work is ultimately handed off to a client, I was looking for a position where service insights come from within the organization that has decision-making power to effectuate change. To me, co-design is about sharing the design process with people and communities so that they may use their experience and expertise to participate in how institutions that drive their life deliver services. Ideally communities would own their solutions through the support of government. It is true to democracy; power is vested in the people.
Oh, that very much depends on the vibes. I love to draw and paint, play video games on my PC or play Dungeon and Dragons, and cook for/go out to eat with friends. I also enjoy kayaking, skiing, and camping! I also love a good cocktail bar, but I'm not a stranger to karaoke spots, dives, and pool bars. More than anything I enjoy being home on a rainy day listening to vinyl records while I water plants and paint abstractly colorful paintings.