What are the parallels between UX design and Mesoamerican culture? What's it like to switch from graphic design to UX design?

Learn from Itzy Ramirez, a New York City-based user experience designer with more than 10 years of design experience. She's worked in content marketing and publishing and has seen how user experience principles can be applied to graphic design. Itzy is also deeply connected to the culture of her ancestors in Mesoamerica, which inspires much of the art she creates.

We discuss switching from graphic design to user experience design and how the two are different. Itzy talks about how her appreciation for Mesoamerican culture has made her a better designer and the parallels between her culture and design.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• General Assembly UX Design Immersive: generalassemb.ly/education/user-experience-design-immersive
• Antropologist Dr. Dori Tunstall, Twitter: @dori_danthro
• Semillas Collective Instagram: @semillas_collective

Connect with Itzy:

Design Instagram: @itzy_designs
• Personal Instagram: @itzyra
• Shop: society6.com/itzybitsydesign

Follow Blossoming Technologist:

• Instagram @blossoming_tech
• Twitter @blossoming_tech
• LinkedIn /blossoming-technologist

Connect with Marisa:

• Twitter @marisahoenig
• LinkedIn /marisahoenig

Credits:

• Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig
• Social Media Marketing & Episode Cover Art by Lucy Zheng
• Podcast Logo by Kendal Goodell @goodelldesigns

How can your job impact your mental health? What can you do to make your mental health a priority? Today's episode features Mahmoud Khedr, the Co-Founder and CEO of FloraMind, an organization that develops tools to guide young people toward positive mental health.

Mahmoud is a proud Egyptian immigrant passionate about empowering underserved communities through mental health education. His career began in tech, with companies like Facebook and Google, which led to his focus on entrepreneurship and mental health. We discuss his experience working in tech and starting companies, with lessons on entrepreneurship and how to prioritize your well-being. We also dive into the inspiration behind FloraMind, stories from teaching mental health workshops to kids, and why toxic positivity is a problem. Get ready to be inspired!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Connect with Mahmoud:

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How do you map your skills and interests to a job you love? What careers exist with a computer science degree outside of software engineering? We tackle these questions and more in today’s interview with Madeline Helmstadter, an incoming product manager at Facebook and recent Georgia Tech graduate. After completing 4 software engineering internships, Madeline pursued a job that better fit her interests: product management. We discuss how she mapped her passions in theater and organization to product management and how she found a job during the COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s jump in!

Resources:

• INSPIRED by Marty Cagan
• How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith (quoted but not mentioned by name in episode)
• The Product Podcast by The Product School
• Associate Product Managers Club

Connect with Madeline:
LinkedIn: /mhelmstadter

Follow Blossoming Technologist:
Instagram: @blossoming_tech
Twitter: @blossoming_tech
LinkedIn: /blossoming-technologist

How do you start a side project? Learn from Benji Bear—the creator of Covidopoly, an online, multiplayer Monopoly-deal inspired game with over 600,000 plays worldwide. In our interview, we discuss how he started Covidopoly and balances it with his full-time job as a software engineer at YouTube. Benji’s start into computer science was anything but traditional; we talk about his journey from pre-med to computer science, getting into front-end development, his tips for learning new skills, and advice for starting your own side project. Oh, and you won’t want to miss Benji’s "secret to doing well in college."

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Covidopoly


• Leetcode

Connect with Benji on Instagram:

• Personal: @srrygoldilocks


• Photography: @benji_bear_photography


• Covidopoly: @thecovidopoly

How do you deal with imposter syndrome? How can you help others recognize their own microaggressions? Why is diversity crucial when building products? Katie Ho is a senior consultant software developer at ThoughtWorks and a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, where she founded HackHolyoke, the first 1:1 gender ratio hackathon, in 2014. Passionate about diversity and inclusivity, Katie describes how she's dealt with imposter syndrome and microaggressions from her time building robots in middle school to her job today.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• FIRST Tech Challenge


• HackHolyoke


• Pearl Hacks


• Algorithmic Justice League - Joy Buolamwini


• Untamed by Glennon Doyle


• Away - Netflix

Connect with Katie:

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