Professional Identity

My life has always revolved around inclusion, neurodiversity, and resourcefulness in one way or another. Coming from a neurodivergent family with ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, and more, I’ve seen firsthand how the way something is designed can make or break the learning experience. I have ADHD, anxiety, and some autistic traits myself, and even before my formal diagnosis in my 30s, I instinctively knew which teaching methods worked for me—and which didn’t. When I became a teacher, I quickly fell in love with adapting curriculum to meet each student’s unique needs, realizing that thinking outside the box was my superpower. Learning can truly be accessible to everyone—when it’s designed in a way that actually works for them. Now, as a mom to neurodiverse kids, I see the full picture—how thoughtful learning design impacts not just comprehension, but also the joy of learning.

That passion for engaging, accessible learning experiences is what drives me as an instructional designer. No one wants to sit through boring, forgettable training, and they shouldn’t have to. I use a mix of creativity, technology, and instructional strategy to create interactive, meaningful learning experiences that help people truly connect with the content.

I’ve also learned how powerful connection is when it comes to engagement. Every Saturday, I play the piano in the lobby of a hospital. It’s something I love doing, and it’s also helped me work through my performance anxiety. At first, when I played unfamiliar pieces, people barely noticed. But when I added Beatles songs to the lineup, the response was completely different. People stopped, sang along, and even requested encores. Just last Saturday, I played Let It Be, and a man started singing at the top of his lungs as he walked across the lobby—continuing even as the elevator doors shut. The difference? Familiarity and connection. That’s exactly what I aim to create in learning design—experiences that resonate, engage, and stick with people long after the lesson is over.

My portfolio reflects this approach, with projects ranging from a business plan and training proposal to a fully developed eLearning course with a nautical theme. I believe learning doesn’t have to be boring—even compliance training can be engaging with the right mix of themes, music, and gamification. When people feel a connection to what they’re learning, they retain it better, complete their training faster, and apply it more effectively. At its core, great instructional design is about making that connection between content and learners—and that’s exactly what I love to do.