When I was a kid there was a cartoon I used to watch on VHS when I would visit my grandparents’ small ranch in south Texas during the summers. One of the cartoons was called, “Little Johnny Everything,” and it was about a boy that would make believe his way into being whatever was relevant to a task ahead of him. This would be a huge inspiration for the rest of my life.

After attending something like 14 schools when I finished high school I was set on becoming a famous psychologist that would write large books about the human condition while smoking hand carved tobacco pipes.

But I decided that during college and graduate school I would spend my time pursuing & exploring every single interest I had full force; I did research on PTSD and epigenetics, I was the president of a fraternity, I volunteered with latinx kids that had witnessed or experienced domestic violence, I ran a Chicano street food popup at bars and clubs on the weekends, I developed a statewide mentor program for latinx high school students, I supported myself by working in kitchens, I bought classic muscle cars and motorcycles, and I taught myself how to work on them.

I became a therapist for a few years after I finished graduate school and it was fulfilling and humbling. It taught me a lot about who I am and how best I could practice empathy for myself and others to solve complex and difficult problems. It also taught me that for my own personal happiness, I need to have a real and dynamic experience with the world around me, and I spent time exploring that further as a chef after I decided to leave the world of psychotherapy.

Returning to kitchens helped me recenter myself in my element as a leader, a problem solver, a communicator and a hard worker that will always see a project through to the end no matter the circumstances or level of difficulty. It also taught me about dedication to process and the inherent value in consistency and countless iterations.

During my limited free time running my kitchen and buying my first two rental properties, I would explore how someone like me would fit into the world of technology. I was eager to develop new skills and see if I could find a career that suited my desire to be challenged to learn and grow daily more than I could within the confines of a kitchen.

When I found out about the field of UX Design, I was enamored. A field dedicated wholly to solving problems through the processes of discovery and development at every possible scale imaginable with limited resources and a strong need to advocate for research and process. It sounded perfect.

In December 2019, after years of research and having Bloc’s UX Design course budgeted into my time and my finances I decided I was moving forward no matter what and that I would leave my position as an executive chef to focus completely on the program and fully utilizing my unique background in a new career.

I couldn’t have made a better decision, starting the UX design program has reconnected me to the boundless possibilities I imagined for myself as a child with the person centered and dynamic work I have explored as an adult. UX design makes the impossible possible through empathy, understanding and dedication to process and I’ve devoted my life to those precepts.

I’m thrilled to be on this journey to discover new ways of solving complex problems and helping people to better navigate the rapidly evolving world around them.