Call me Sam.

I once wanted to become a cognitive ethologist and to study hippos. I ended up at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in the Animal Science program, concentrating in Biosciences (broader research counterpart to the medical Pre-Vet).

I realized it didn’t scratch the itch and pursued minor studies in Psychology and (cultural) Anthropology.

I ended up studying in the lab of Dr. Gordon Burghardt, the man who literally wrote the book on play and is in a direct lineage to one of the field’s 4 founders, Konrad Lorenz. My research even makes the acknowledgements in a few publications!

It was here I decided to no longer pursue a PhD in this type of research science.

I grew up very active and curious. I played many sports, but I started taking my drawing and painting interests online, moving from Microsoft Paint to Jase Paint Shop Pro 2003.

I began to study HTML 3 and build webpages, both from early CMS (like Freewebs) and .txt native PC app.

My first job was designing, creating, and administrating my younger brother’s traveling soccer club’s website at 11 in 2003! Even emailing with parents over photos from games and their browser’s technical constraints for viewing, troubleshooting.

There was a natural break with high school approaching, but by the end I had returned to a new markup landscape and digital design programs (remember SwishMax?).

I returned for a formal instruction in 2017 with Covalence’s post-graduate program, ultimately certifying a Full Stack programming knowledge with M*EAN (MySQL, Express.js, Angular, Node), even interning at a FinTech startup, both programming and early UX design work when it comes to spacing and task flows.

A younger kid in a large family meant for me 2 things: early cultivation of interests and independence. I gained a great eye to understanding from observing the older around me, yes, but from observing the many moving pieces. Enter empathy, enter friction, and enter problem-solving.

Most clearly observed is my minor studies at university, but it extends to campus activity. For example, I helped direct an organization that helped connect and acclimate students from highly contrasting backgrounds (ESL to international students). I began to involve myself in policy study and writing and early-organizing. I peer-programmed art and cultural activities on campus.

Where am I going with this?

I balanced research studies with lived human lives, trying to support and understand the world around me. What began with campus activities led to traveling to NYC for the United Nation’s inaugural International Day of the Girl, participating in events and even submitting a proposal with a team at the XX Summit (2012).

I end up designing and working on building my own civic tech in 2014, retiring it in 2016.

Then in 2015 I am interning at the Mayor’s Office in Chattanooga, turning into additionally liaising-to-serving on the inaugural Council of Women, Committee of Economic Opportunity, where I conducted and compiled raw research about childcare and access to transportation. I contributed to and helped write 2 whitepapers at this time. The council even managed bills passing to laws at the state level! (So proud)

Next thing I know, I fell into politics. I am proud of my work, but I dislike politicking and the inaction. It took me supporting campaigns for a number of years (progressive policy is scarce in the South, with worker bees to help efforts even scarcer) to step away.

Many accomplishments and personal wins, but the human interest, complex problem-solving, and project-based teams has an incredible overlap in design and politics. From copy, to websites, to print design, to optics of approach in the many meanings: an immense amount of valuable experience as relates to UX was had in this broader 9-year period.

*You may have picked up on a surprising theme of me as a male working in female policy and advocacy groups. Every time, it occurred naturally and not frictionless, but made sense, was appropriate, and was incredibly productive. Respecting spaces (not meant for you) is key. “Understanding how to communicate in diverse team settings” as a standard 2025+ ask? Absolutely instrumental and honed from long ago.