Working with mission-driven organizations fuels me to become a better designer and global citizen.

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Seattle Organizations

Washington Afghan Resource Center Website

2022- Current • Design Volunteer
I worked with MAPS-AMEN, an outreach and advocacy organization that seeks to empower the Afghan community, to develop a Washington resource hub for Afghan refugees seeking asylum. This initiative was activated by the growing number of Afghan families seeking refuge in Washington after the Fall of Kabul. . This initiative involved weekly collaboration with researchers, developers, and program manager to deliver a working Wordpress website.

Tacoma Citizenship Day

April 2018 • Day Volunteer
I volunteered with OneAmerica at Citizenship Day, a full day event that provides free immigration attorneys, paralegals, and interpreters for those applying to become naturalized citizenship. I assisted with booth way finding, answered questions, and hosted daycare with children waiting for their parents.

Seattle Mini MakerFaire

August 2017 • Artefact Lead
I organized and ran an interactive booth at Seattle Mini Maker Faire to showcase the virtual reality prototyping tool we created at Artefact. No matter the age, makers could draw a design on a template and after scanning, they could instantly see their drawing added into a virtual world.

Using Storyboard VR, a VR creation tool I helped create at Artefact, they could quickly manipulate. place and copy their drawings into an underwater world, or even on Mars.

Gates Innovation Day

Oct 2014 • Day Volunteer
Every year the Gates Innovation Day is an event to help inspire young makers to create solutions that will improve outcomes for low-income communities. I co-led Artefact's Designing with Empathy activity that teaches kids the importance of understanding the user's perspective when problem solving the best solutions.

Our design challenge required kids to consider the conditions and emotions of 3 year old Skarla, who was sick with rotavirus. Within minutes, kids prototyped several thoughtful devices and gifts that they thought would help the Skarla feel less scared at the doctor's office.

Tutoring

International Refugee Committee

Summer 2021 • Virtual Tutor
I helped a 2nd grade refugee student practice her reading and math skills and worked with her to build academic confidence.

Seattle Techbridge

Jan-Mar 2017 • Program Mentor
Techbridge is an after school program that inspires girls to discover a passion for technology, science and engineering. As a mentor, I supported the girls with any help they needed for their projects during the ideation process, soldering and arduino programming. The girls' showcased their designs at their highschool MakerFaire and projects ranged from a dancing stuffed animal bear to LED light up dresses, to LED cityscapes. 

Girl Scouts of Western Washington: Lego League

Fall 2014 • Mentor
Over the course of 10 weeks, I mentored a group of ten 5th grade girls during their first team Lego League competition. I saw their perseverance when they were programming their robot to complete an obstacle course, but also saw their passion for impacting positive change during the design challenge 'to teach someone something in a new way.  I shared design and project managing skills with them, but most importantly learned about what was important to them when solving technological problems. This experience with the Terrific Techbots inspired me to write an article on EdTech about my experience. 

Global Service

Cistern & Stove Building

Spring 2008 • Antigua, Guatemala
I worked with a team of designers, architects, engineers, marketers to construct an 10-foot cement water cistern for an elementary school.  I also built stoves with Margarito, the designer and engineer of these creations.  Margarito explained the dangers of the standard household open fire pit that most women in the community used: significant breathing problems, houses burning down, and burning hazards for children. I learned from Margarito how to build a stove that would filter the smoke out, cook food much more efficiently, and improve safety for the family.

Margarito’s creativity and resilience have inspired me to approach design problems beyond aesthetic and function. My collaborative experiences with Margarito have drawn me to a philosophy that human centered design relies on, empathy and understanding of people’s circumstances and stories. 

Repairing Katrina Flooded Homes

Spring 2010 • New Orleans
Even five years after the storm, residents of New Orleans were still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. I co-lead a group of 18 University of Cincinnati students to reconstruct the interior structure and finish of houses that were previously flooded. As one of the trip leaders, I organized fundraising events to finance our trip, planned accommodations, arranged partnership with AmeriCorps and scheduled trip events. 

Concrete Foundation

Winter 2009 • El Salvador
After the 2001 Earthquake in El Salvador,  utilities and roads were damaged by more than 16,000 landslides.  In collaboration with UC's service group (Habitat for Humanity) & UCLA, I helped build a structural cement foundation for six houses and renovate a neighborhood that was badly damaged from destruction.