My Journey to UX Research

Hello, I believe that who I am and what I value always affects the work I do and the perspective I provide, so I thought I'd start there. I have always been interested in the plight of folks who are in positions of less privilege than I am and with less power than I hold. For that reason, all that I’ve pursued with passion in my life has been with the intent of improving life for others. From teaching English while living abroad, to pursuing a PhD so that first-gen students had better experiences in college writing courses than I did, I always wanted to contribute to others’ lives in meaningful ways. You’ll see that throughline in my work from the simple, small, everyday tasks to the complex, large, unique problems. 

After college, I taught English in Spain for 1.5 years. Upon returning to the US, I pursued a Master’s degree in Literature from Texas State University because I loved reading, particularly about the migrant farmworker experience, as I come from a family of migrant farmworkers myself. Next, I moved to Tucson, Arizona to complete a PhD in Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Arizona. The community I built with people in my program and in the local Tucson community forever changed my life. I volunteered to teach English to immigrants and refugees in Tucson and volunteered at an immigrant intake center for migrants awaiting their asylum hearings. I also became embedded with a group of community quilters who were doing the work to raise awareness about the plight of migrants moving through Arizona. 

My PhD then facilitated a job and a move to Orlando, Florida, where I worked at the University of Central Florida, until receiving tenure in 2023. While at UCF, I continued my work with the migrant quilt project, as well as with my peers in the field, and within the UCF community. I took on the role of program director (for graduate programs), which fulfilled my longtime passion for working in an administrative role to create change through policy and practice. 

Now I continue to work on multiple research projects and pursue my research agenda as an independent scholar. I am passionate about research, and I am trained in the art of rhetorical communication connecting audience and purpose. I am excited to move into UX research and work toward tangible outcomes for optimal user experiences.