I started my career waist-deep in freezing cold water, plucking eelgrass (Zostera marina) from a smelly mudflat at dawn as the tide rose around me. A few months before, you might have found me Googling pictures of eelgrass at my desk, far away from any ocean, as I applied to work at a small laboratory on the sea.

Working with thousands of volunteers, students, and community members on habitat restoration and water quality monitoring projects set me on the path to a career in design, though I didn’t realize it at the time. I loved counting phytoplankton, running bacteria samples, and collecting water samples on the tide’s schedule, but most of all I loved creating visuals showing the work we were doing.

I expanded my visual communication skills while coordinating a five-year, two-state project on drinking water contamination, developing materials for teaching students about data literacy and community action. I learned about iterating, listening to the people you were designing with, and putting yourself in other people’s shoes.

This science translation work made me hungry to learn more about design, so I earned a certificate in graphic and web design. I used my newly acquired skills to craft data-supported stories and co-create print and digital communication strategies the same small, independent biomedical research lab where I began my career. I learned how to take better photos, produce short videos, and work with international stakeholders.

After ten years of professional work, I returned to school to pursue a Master's at Aalto University in Finland. The Creative Sustainability program helped me cultivate competencies across design, business, and engineering to contribute innovative solutions to sustainability challenges. Most importantly, it pushed me to grow my skills in cross-cultural collaboration and project management.