People are always surprised that I have a degree in astronomy. Yes, that’s right. I was reading scientific papers, spending weeks staying up all night on top of a mountain, operating a 60cm-diameter Schmidt telescope, coding, and running data on my poor Ubuntu laptop.

After a while, I realized that I was passionate about communication. I changed my path, becoming an educator to share all of the fascinating stuff I learned about astronomy. I worked for a couple of popular-science websites as an intern editor, using SEO techniques to write humorous and educational articles. I taught K–12 and co-founded an NGO to train and connect astronomy instructors to institutions to promote astronomy education in Beijing.

After my first graduation, I ended up in a high school teaching physics. I didn’t see the career in front of me as attractive and I was seeking a change. An amazing friend of mine from my astronomy days who began studying design really inspired me, so I moved to Atlanta for the graphic design program at SCAD. With the outstanding training I got at SCAD, I became a qualified entry-level designer.

Design is a systematic and data driven process.
— Dr. Rosa I. Arriaga

UX design reminds me a lot of my training in natural science. I’m happy that I can apply my scientific training and my experience in communication and education to the product world.