Prior to UX, I worked as a Financial Aid Specialist at UC Davis Financial Aid Office, where I advised students on their financial aid package and managed their funds. Updating these funds was a tedious, manual process, which led my department to explore tools to improve efficiency. During this time, I began learning UX design and applying its principles to streamline our internal workload processes. I was identifying user pain points, redesigning user flows, and collaborating with our developer to implement those changes. That experience opened my understanding of how human-centered designs can improve any experience—even in a financial aid office :)