Empowering humans, not users.
I've been designing since I was 10 years old. Not products, not websites, but online communities and multi-player experiences for gamers.
I grew up creating Minecraft servers, Steam communities, and Discord servers. I was the often one writing player-permissions for hierarchal ranks, designing server lobbies, planning pathways and routes, planning in-game loyalty gift-packages, and greeting every new member with a welcome message.
Since then, I've chatted with and heard from over hundred thousands of people, across generations and around the world, and I never saw a single one of their faces. It became clear to me that when people can express themselves without embarrassment—beyond income, political beliefs, ethnicity, and upbringing—we all turn out to be the same. These communities have taught me more about the world than any book, classroom, or educator.
These communities—these individuals—are why I design. I use the digital world to exercise my purpose in serving the greater society. It's where I can be a tinkerer, artist, and the extroverted-introvert that I am, without having to use my face. People who have joined our communities were safe, expressive, and creative. That produced a feeling of pure fulfillment that I was lucky enough to experience from such a young age.
Today, I want to create the tools and environments where people can build what they've always wanted to build, connect with the people they've always want to meet, and express themselves without fear or judgement. These communities are the reason why I pursued a degree in Sociology instead of anything technical or design-related, because I want to understand people as humans, not as numbers and users.
Then, I want to empower them.
