I have a personal passion for leveraging technology to innovate communication, productivity, and interaction. As a junior at NYU Tandon, I’m pursuing an undergraduate degree in Integrated Digital Media, with a supplementary minor in Computer Science and a concentration in Interaction Design & Human-Computer Interaction. My background is in graphic design, brand marketing, product development, prototyping, and front-end web development. I’m currently continuing work with user experience, immersive technology, social impact and empowerment.
My involvements include serving as the 2016-17 Senator for the NYU Chapter of National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and co-founding NYU Women of Entrepreneurship (WoE). I also serve on the core organizing team for the annual NYU Entrepreneurs Festival as the 2016 & 2017 Creative Director. As an intern at the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute, I specialized in diversity and community to increase inclusion through innovation within the entrepreneurial ecosystem of NYU and New York. Upon graduating from Tandon in 2018, I hope to join ITP at NYU Tisch.
- Why did you choose to attend Graduate School?
- Do you think a Higher Education is necessary today or in the future?
- Now that you have stated some reasons why you are pursuing a degree at a traditional school, investigate and write about other ways to obtain this knowledge in alternative learning experiences.
I come from two grandparents who are professors. They installed in our family a very deep admiration and importance in education. Of their children, however, only my mother completed higher education (interrupted when she became a single mother). Yet, they have all grown to be successful in their respective fields. Despite their varied paths, they all continued to learn, even after leaving higher education. For myself, my family never introduced college as a choice. It was never “elementary school, middle school, high school – then work or college.” It was “elementary school, middle school, high school, undergrad – then work or more college.” The burden wasn’t necessarily in going to college. I recognized the need to stay focused and get it done better than my family did/could previously.
The difference for those that decide to pursue and complete a track through traditional, institutional education is not initiative. It’s possibly certification, structure, community engagement, or other aspects of developing beyond that of tradition.
Generally, 10 years of employed experience equates to a degree. For those in my family that didn’t complete higher education, the alternative was intensive self-development to compensate for the loss of certification. This includes freelancing, community mentorship, topical trial-and-error, independent research, etc.
What helped you define your passion?
I don’t know that I’ve completely defined my passion. My career interests have developed to be an intersection of the industries that my mother and her siblings work in. My family includes a graphic designer, software engineer, Marine, two professors, and a businesswoman. I found interest in interaction design and the crossover between design and technology for those using it.