Mentorship, Teaching & Community Impact
Throughout my career, I’ve thrived as both a mentee and mentor, constantly seeking opportunities to learn and give back. I’ve been invited to various academic institutions as a guest critic, mentor, and co-teacher, including leading an immersive design course at California College of the Arts, where I focused on cultural inclusivity in design.
In 2016, I joined Leap's roster of Teaching Artists, completing my first residency at an elementary school, where I taught 3rd to 5th graders about Design, Architecture, and the Built Environment. My approach is rooted in learning through observation, experience, and hands-on practice. Students don’t just study architecture—they discover that they are active users of design every day. Through this awareness, they begin to ask "why" and "how", learning to make informed, design-driven decisions.
Each student applied their newfound knowledge to an individual design project, which ultimately formed a city block. These blocks then came together to create a collaborative community/neighborhood, reinforcing lessons on urban planning, scale, and environmental impact.
In 2018, I expanded my curriculum to integrate responsive design for extreme climates and a team-based bridge-building exercise, further connecting design thinking to real-world applications.
In 2019, I helped develop and launch Leap’s first UX pilot program, introducing 5th graders to human-centered design, user research, testing, and ideation—all aimed at solving real-world problems through elegant design solutions. Beyond education, this program was designed to attract funding from the Bay Area’s tech industry, demonstrating how UX principles could inspire young minds while bridging the gap between tech and education.
These experiences have solidified my belief in design as a tool for empowerment—whether mentoring professionals, guiding students, or shaping inclusive and thoughtful user experiences.
