Our Alumni

An image of Vicky Chen wearing her green graduation garb.

Vicky Chen ('24)
2024 Experience Architecture Senior Award Winner

Hillary Hemry is a UX professional whose creative efforts foster collaborative teamwork. She is passionate about people-first design and content strategy. At MSU, she served as XA Club President and worked at MSU IT, the Broad College of Business, her own freelance art business, and The Cube.

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Emily Paterson ('24)
2024 Experience Architecture Senior Award Winner

Emma Riddering is a user experience professional with an interest in accessibility and a genuine passion for UX research. She finds process of discovery thrilling and facinating. Throughout her time at MSU, she founded the student organization Accessibility Professionals at MSU and had the pleasure of working for the ComArt’s Accessibility Team, MSU CAL, Best Buy and The Team W.

An image of Grace Turner smiling.

Grace Turner ('24)
2024 Experience Architecture Senior Award Winner

Grace Turner is a UX Professional who is passionate about working with cross-functional teams to improve business performance through a human-centered and accessible approach. Throughout her time at MSU, she has designed for users across the globe including Portugal and Tanzania. She also served as the XA Club President and XA Curriculum Committee Student Representative, striving to create a lasting impact on students within the XA major.

An image of Justin Lagman smiling.

Justin Lagman ('24)

Justin Lagman is a UX professional creative who aims to break ground in the ever-evolving design space. He wishes to be a pioneer in design forms such as virtual reality, pushing the boundaries of user experience by crafting immersive and interactive digital spaces to design a better world for all.

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Alicea Heady ('24)

Alicea Heady, is both a User Experience and Graphic Designer, integrates her dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and social justice into her design approach. A strong sense of purpose guides her work. Focusing on UX, she promotes the values of community, empathy, and compassion, fostering significant connections across digital and physical spaces. Alicea strives to craft inclusive experiences that speak to diverse audiences, enhancing their interactions and cultivating a feeling of belonging.

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Matthew Hernandez ('24)

Matthew Scott Hernandez is a dedicated UX Professional with a keen interest in the convergence of Artificial Intelligence and Human-Computer Interaction. Passionate about enhancing user experiences through innovative technology, Matthew explores how AI can intuitively integrate into daily life, simplifying and improving interactions. During his time at MSU, he conducted research in Generative AI with Dr. Caitlin K. Kirby and worked with the Instructional Technology and Development Team for 3 years.

Kate looking into the camera.

Kate Schleusener ('23)

2023 Experience Architecture Senior Award Winner

Kate Schleusener is a UX Professional who is interested in facilitating meaningful connections through shared experiences. Primarily interested in research and project management, she seeks to truly understand others in order to create positive experiences through design.

Emma looking into the camera.

Emma Riddering ('23)

2023 Experience Architecture Senior Award Winner

Emma Riddering is a user experience professional with an interest in accessibility and a genuine passion for UX research. She finds process of discovery thrilling and facinating. Throughout her time at MSU, she founded the student organization Accessibility Professionals at MSU and had the pleasure of working for the ComArt’s Accessibility Team, MSU CAL, Best Buy and The Team W.

Image of Hillary looking into the camera.

Hillary Hemry ('23)

2023 Experience Architecture Senior Award Winner

Hillary Hemry is a UX professional whose creative efforts foster collaborative teamwork. She is passionate about people-first design and content strategy. At MSU, she served as XA Club President and worked at MSU IT, the Broad College of Business, her own freelance art business, and The Cube.

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Emily Lin ('22)

2022 Experience Architecture Senior Award Winner
2022 College of Arts and Letters Outstanding Senior

Emily Lin is a UX professional who believes in building inclusive and accessible experiences. She is committed to designing positive experiences for both the users of her products and her workplace. She can wear many hats in the areas of research, design, development, and leadership.

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Ann Desrochers ('22)

2022 Experience Architecture Senior Award Winner

Ann Desrochers uses their expertise in UX/UI design and accessibility to create modern digital experiences. Their work in the higher ed, nonprofit, and research industries makes them a designer who is comfortable in any setting!

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Kaitlyn Nguyen ('22)

2022 Experience Architecture Senior Award Winner

Kaitlyn Nguyen is a UX Designer who specializes in visual design. With UX, she loves the challenge of leveraging design to drive user engagement. Her interests include disproving assumptions relating to problem spaces and choreographing interactions people have with experiences. During her time at MSU, she worked for the Content Studio, SEEN, and the UXPA Journal.

 

Ryda Sundila

Ryda Sundila ('21)

2021 Experience Architecture Student Award Winner

Ryda Sundila is a User Experience Designer with a passion for accessibility. Her passions surround creating and developing more inclusive and accessible digital experiences for users to enjoy through the human centered design process.

Joey Dearing

Joey Dearing ('21)

2021 Experience Architecture Student Award Winner

Joey Dearing has extensive experience as a UX Researcher and Front End Developer. She strives to create products that are easier and more effective to use.  Her background in  entrepreneurial and corporate settings makes her highly adaptable and passionate about building accessible and usable spaces.

Madison O'Connor

Madison O'Connor ('21)

2021 Experience Architecture Student Award Winner

Madison O’Connor was the Editor-in-Chief of MSU’s The State News. She connects UX and reporting: both require in-depth research, synthesizing an abundance of information and using those insights to craft a narrative that meets audiences where they are. When it comes to UX, she believes in curiosity, compassion + empathy, empowering others, inclusive design, and the power of community.

 

Sam Bloch

Sam Bloch ('20)

2020 Experience Architecture Student Award Winner

Sam Bloch is a UX Designer who believes his responsibility is to support users as well as to assist his team members. His specialties include digital media, consumer behavior, brand awareness, graphic design, aesthetic enhancement, and many forms of hard and software troubleshooting.

Rebecca Meyer

Rebecca Meyer ('20)

2020 Experience Architecture Student Award Winner

Rebecca Meyer is an Experience Designer working to create empathetic and meaningful experiences that connect people across digital and physical spaces. She also looks to explore what the intersection of lifestyle branding, environmental sustainability, and the human experience can look like.

Tanvi Prabhakar

Tanvi Prabhakar ('21)

Tanvi Prabhakar is a UX Designer who is passionate about improving the lives of others through design. She uses her experience to support accessibility, usability, and sustainability regardless of medium.

Alexis Sanders

Alexis Sanders ('20)

Alexis Sanders graduated from the Experience Architecture program in 2020. She is a user experience designer and a web designer who values usability and accessibility.

Krubel Habteyes

Krubel Habteyes ('20)

Krubel Habteyes is currently working as an accessibility expert. He is very passionate about mental health in the workplace and strives to foster and support such positive industry spaces.

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Zach Bohenick ('20)

Zach Bohenick has a degree in Experience Architecture and is a Product Designer at Ford X. He is interested in developing a more intuitive, usable, and accessible world.

Anderson Day

Anderson Day ('19)

Anderson Day graduated with a degree in Experience Architecture in 2019. He has presented at the Accessible Learning Conference and IgniteUX MI. He currently is a software engineer at Target where he focuses on issues related to accessibility.

Alexia Kienitz

Alexia Kienitz ('19)

Alexia Kienitz believes in using empathy to connect and deliver the best product possible for users and stakeholders. She does this through strategic design and agile workflow while also focusing on  accessibility and designing what is best for all users.

Erin Campbell

Erin Campbell ('19)

2019 Experience Architecture Student Award Winner

Erin Campbell was selected as the 2019 Experience Architecture Student of the Year. She is passionate about empowering people through accessible and inclusive design. Her work explores the use of digital tools to help communities visualize others’ lived experiences in an attempt to cultivate empathy and enact systemic change.

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Valeria Obando ('19)

Valeria Obando works as a web developer for the College of Education at Michigan State University. She works with the communications team to create accessible and seamless digital environments based on User Experience principles.

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Kate Whalen ('19)

Kate Whalen is a Product Designer on the Human Centered Design team at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, MI. She has a strong passion for accessibility, design thinking, and ethnographic research.

man in floral bomber jacket smiling in front of tree

Ashton Keys ('18)

2018 Experience Architecture Student Award Winner

Ashton Keys was selected as the 2018 Experience Architecture Student of the Year. During his time at MSU, Keys was involved in many impressive projects, working on content strategy with MSU Hatch, user research with the MSU Libraries, and user interface with Ninety6, a clothing company which he founded.

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Hannah Countryman ('18)

Hannah Countryman is an experience and interaction designer with degrees in Experience Architecture and Professional Writing. She believes in a flexible approach to design thinking that is conscious of each project’s unique context.

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Linda Lay ('18)

Linda Lay has degrees in Experience Architecture and Biosystems Engineering. She is a Technical Services Analyst with a background centered in Design for America and The MSU Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology.

Darrell Williams

Darrell Williams ('18)

Darrell Williams graduated from Experience Architecture on 2018. He is passionate about usability and accessibility. He is also the co-founder and president of the non-profit Lawson Porter Scholarship Foundation.

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Tommy Truong ('17)

Tommy Truong has a long history in computer science and user experience and he enjoys applying those technological skills into his current engagements in user research and the humanities. 

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Ryan Schroder ('17)

Ryan Schroder is interested in the website and app development part of Experience Architecture. He has experience coding websites and his long term goal is to be a project manager or website manager that oversees distributed groups.

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Meg Richardson ('16)

Meg Richardson credits her time in the MSU XA program as giving her the skills in research, writing, design, and more that allow her to craft experiences that are usable, accessible, and fun. She is currently located in Chicago and working as a Product Designer where she is responsible for UX and visual elements. 

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Shell Little ('16)

Shell Little is a Digital Accessibility Specialist at Wells Fargo DS4B on their Accessible User Experience (AUx) team. She is the Mobile Accessibility Lead along with the SME of the screen reader NVDA on her team. Thanks to XA, she is passionate about User Centered Design, Disability Rights, and Interaction Design.

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Emily Dallaire ('16)

Emily Dallaire is an Experience Architect who is passionate about information design, interaction design, and usability. Not only does she bring a strong passion for experience design and creative interactions, but she also believes in sharing and telling users’ stories through their impact and participation in digital and physical spaces.

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Ian Clark ('16)

Ian Clark was born and raised in metro Detroit. He is an avid traveller but still loves his home in Michigan. Ian is a proud owner of five spoiled cats and when he’s not busy he enjoys playing ultimate frisbee or browsing Reddit.