I’ve always been a thinker.

I remember when I was in grade 5, having a chat with my friends about whether or not we were all seeing the same colour red in the leaves on a tree. Questions of perception and subjective experience have always fascinated me. It wasn’t until later on in a high school elective I took that I realized what I had been engaging in had a name – Philosophy.

At the same time, video games have always been a significant part of my life. My parents both met as computer scientists in Waterloo before computers were a household item. Having video game consoles and computers around the house as I was growing up wasn’t surprising. I have vivid memories of playing Final Fantasy IV on a Super Nintendo and watching subtitled anime before I could even read. This has led to a sustained interest in multimedia entertainment and storytelling that has only grown in recent years.

After high school, and briefly courting the idea of a degree in Mathematics, I went on to pursue a degree in Philosophy. This broadened and deepened my interest in understanding people and the world. Now questions surrounding interpretation, experience and art took on new significance. After my degree was finished, I worked at Apple for a year and a half. Being on the front lines helping people use, understand and fix devices that have become a staple in our lives was an eye-opening experience. This is where my interests started to turn towards technology itself – how people use it and how it changes our behaviour.

All of these factors together are what led me to pursue a Masters of Information, focusing on User Experience Design and Human-Centred Data Science. Combining my interest in perception and experience, multimedia art and storytelling, alongside the use of technology and interfaces; user experience design was the perfect fit. I look forward to applying my knowledge in all these areas towards practical ends by designing products and software with an eye towards the human who is experiencing them. My background in philosophy, games and technology has furnished me with the ability to think differently and I will be an asset for any team looking to find creative design solutions.