When I first arrived to college, I had thought design was an activity that required a large amount of artistic ability, like sketching or painting, which have never been my strengths. I had bounced between majors during my first couple of semesters at Rice, taking classes in a wide variety of subjects to see what stuck out to me the most. It was only after I randomly signed up to participate in my first hackathon with some friends that I was introduced to the world of design.

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Because I didn’t have enough knowledge to contribute to the actual coding of our project, I instead interviewed users and drew up wireframes. I found that I really enjoyed the process—envisioning our project from the user’s perspective and trying to create as seamless of an experience as possible.

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At that point, I still didn’t know how these skills came together to comprise the role of a designer. After becoming a member of Rice Design the following semester, talking to other students who were pursuing design at Rice, and doing some online research myself, I realized that design includes elements that I have always valued, both in myself and in the life I want to live: empathy, problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration.

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Now, after changing my major about 4 times (😅), I can happily say that I have discovered my passion for human-centered design.