Curiosity drives discovery — 3yearstalesfromthepandemic

3 years tales from the pandemic

Explore new ways to support creators by testing community programming, retail partnerships, and sustainable revenue opportunities.
The project began by expanding its focus from my own pandemic story to the experiences of other creators. I had long wanted to find meaningful ways to support creative individuals, but I did not begin with a fixed model for what that support should look like. Through the 3 Years community, I have treated that question as an ongoing process of discovery—speaking with creators, learning what challenges they face, and experimenting with different ways the community can provide value. This exploration has included educational town halls, creator resources, retail opportunities, community events, and new approaches to generating revenue. Each initiative provides new insight into what creators need and helps shape how the community can continue to evolve.

my creative wander

Build a hands-on social media project to explore modern platforms, test new content formats, and develop current digital marketing skills through experimentation.
Before beginning my master’s program in Communication Leadership, I recognized that my previous experience as a YouTube creator no longer reflected how modern social media operates. I created My Creative Wander as a practical learning space where I could explore modern social media platforms, experiment with social commerce, and understand how analytics shape content decisions. Through the project, I tested different video formats, posting styles, audience strategies, and storytelling approaches to learn what creates engagement. What began as an experiment in updating my skills continued to evolve through that process of discovery, eventually transforming My Creative Wander from a social media channel into an independent media studio.

university of washington

Turn an unfamiliar accessibility requirement into a new area of expertise, then help establish consistent WCAG practices across the instructional design team.

While developing online learning for the Alliance in partnership with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families and the University of Washington, I was required to ensure that course content met WCAG AA accessibility standards. Although I was familiar with some accessibility practices, I had not yet worked with the full range of requirements expected by our stakeholders. I researched the standards, learned how they applied to instructional content, and incorporated them into the courses I created. As my knowledge grew, I became the team lead for implementing these practices and training other instructional designers, helping accessibility become a consistent part of our course-development process rather than a final compliance check.

microsoft

Use job shadowing and firsthand observation to better understand the environments lobby hosts worked in and continuously improve the training program.

As the Training Facilitator for Microsoft’s lobby host program, I made job shadowing and direct observation a regular part of improving the training experience. I spent time with training coaches and worked alongside lobby hosts in buildings across the Microsoft campus, allowing me to experience the different environments, visitor needs, workflows, and expectations they encountered. These observations helped me identify where classroom instruction aligned with the realities of the role and where additional guidance or practice was needed. By remaining curious about the day-to-day employee experience, I could make more informed improvements to the training program and better prepare lobby hosts for the specific environments in which they would work.

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