My path to learning design wasn’t linear…

…and the way I got here shapes how I work.

Across the phases of my journey, four threads emerged:

Understanding People

Considering people’s needs, perspectives, and contexts.

Solving Problems

Focusing on what genuinely needs to change and how to get there.

Creating Clarity

Making information accessible and breaking down complex skills.

Supporting Progress

Helping people practice, take ownership, and build momentum.

Phase 1: Exploring

2010–2016

At Winona State, studying travel and intercultural communication and working with international students showed me how much I enjoyed learning about different perspectives and helping people navigate the unfamiliar. I graduated with more curiosity than a career plan.

A week later, I moved to Australia. Working in hospitality, traveling, and building a life somewhere new taught me to adapt, take risks, and find my own way. Obtaining an English-language teaching certification gave those cross-cultural interests a direction and led me to Vietnam next.

Phase 2: Learning by Doing

2016–2021

Teaching English in Hanoi was supposed to last one year…I stayed for two. I loved the relationships, cultural exchange, and taking on unique challenges. I learned to make lessons practical enough to matter outside the classroom.

Back in the the U.S., I taught multilingual learners navigating interrupted schooling, displacement, and challenges far beyond the school walls. They taught me that learning begins with understanding someone’s reality. I learned to scaffold complex material and create meaningful practice. Obtaining my master’s in Multilingual Education deepened my approach. Eventually, I began looking for a more sustainable way to contribute to learning.

Phase 3: Choosing

2021–2024

Leaving the classroom opened a period of experimentation. I continued teaching learners around the world through U.S. Department of State programs, while moving into education sales at ThinkCERCA. There, I learned how businesses make decisions and how to connect a product to a real need. I also realized I wanted to stay with the problem longer and help people apply the solution effectively.

Peck Consulting became the bridge. Helping others transition into instructional design required understanding their goals, helping them navigate a new field, and guiding them toward next steps. ThinkCERCA customer deliverables and an end-to-end project for Pawsitive Friendships let me practice learning design myself.

Learning design began to feel like where I belonged.

Phase 4: Building

2025–Present

When I began my current role, I remember thinking, finally. After years of circling learning design, I had found work that felt like mine.

I realized my whole journey had prepared me:

Teaching taught me to start with learners, make complex learning manageable, and help people invest in their progress.
Sales taught me to ask the right questions to solve the real problem.
Living and working across cultures taught me to seek different perspectives and adapt my approach.

Now I bring those instincts together as I design across modalities, partner with clients, and collaborate with teammates to produce high-quality solutions.

What I’m Working Toward

After years of living, learning, and adventuring around the country and world, I’ve returned to Chicago, the place I’ve always called home. I’m excited to be building a community here and to have found what I’ve been searching for all along.

Professionally, I want to stay close to the design and development work I love while expanding how I contribute: earlier, as the problem and strategy are shaped, and later, as we evaluate what changed and use those insights to improve what comes next.

I do my best work with teams that value creativity, thoughtful experimentation, collaboration, and honest feedback. That’s the kind of environment I’m looking for, and one I actively help create.

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