My Story
Discover my journey from photography to UX design, highlighting the experiences and skills I've gained along the way. This section shares the pivotal moments and diverse projects that have shaped my career and fueled my passion for creating exceptional user experiences.
Photography and Publishing
For 15 years, I thrived as a professional photographer, specializing in creative beauty and fashion photoshoots. Additionally, I served as the publisher of Inspire Magazine for five years, producing nearly 30 issues that seamlessly blended my creative photography with thought-provoking articles and interviews.
Becoming a Father
In 2020, while running my photography business, my son arrived two months early. Just a week after bringing him home, the pandemic struck, and within a month, I lost my business. Faced with this challenge, I humbled myself, returned to retail work to support my family, and used my free time to dive into UX design. This transition marked a new chapter, where my passion for UX began to flourish alongside my commitment to providing for my family.
My journey to becoming a UX designer at Centene Corporation was fueled by persistence and passion for tech. I spent months studying UX design on YouTube, attended a UX bootcamp at General Assembly, but most importantly, actively participated in startup pitching events to gain real-world experience. While studying was valuable, I firmly believed that working on diverse projects accelerated my growth as a designer. This hands-on approach ultimately led me to secure my UX design role at Centene Corporation and still currently doing it today under The Inspire Agency.
Journey to Centene Corporation
2022 Startup Bus National Finalist
I was invited to participate in a national mobile hackathon/accelerator. I had to ride a bus with a group of strangers consisting of designers, developers, and business executives broken down into teams to create a working product within three days while traveling on a bus from Cincinnati to Austin, pitching in seven different cities across the Midwest. In just three days, my team created an original working product, reaching the finals and finishing top 5 against all the other teams across the nation.
The Inspire Agency
After a couple of years of working with a variety of startup clients on top of my day job at Centene Corp., my friend and I launched The Inspire Agency, a UX consultancy dedicated to empowering startups and small businesses. By working on a diverse range of projects, we strive to make a direct, positive impact, helping our clients’ entrepreneurial dreams flourish through thoughtful research and innovative design.
Caption: Speaking at a UX Conference. Atlanta, Georgia.
Coursera Instructor
I was consistently producing and uploading weekly videos on UX design to YouTube, covering everything from Figma basics to crafting compelling case studies. This dedication caught the attention of an agency from Coursera, who reached out to me to create a Figma project for aspiring designers. The course was designed to help them overcome their intimidation and gain confidence. Through hands-on projects like creating a weather app UI, I guided students in learning Figma basics and turning their design ideas into reality.
Caption: When I accepted my full-time offer from Centene, we celebrated by pooling our money together to create 200 care packages for students at local HBCUs. This initiative was inspired by my own college experience, where I met students who used all their resources just to attend school but struggled to afford food and other essentials.
What’s Next?
As I continue to grow as a UX designer, I'm eager to embrace new challenges and opportunities that push the boundaries of my creativity and expertise. I’m in the process of planning live tech events to help aspiring designers as people have helped me throughout my UX journey. I work to continue to use and share my gift to help others. I'm also looking forward to the next great opportunity where I can make a positive impact, leveraging my skills to create user-centric designs that inspire and innovate.
