Biography

The begining

Like many young people I started college feeling lost, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. So, I set out to take many different classes. I took Biology thinking I might want to be a physical therapist. I played clarinet and saxophone in the symphonic band thinking I might want to be a musician. And I took art, knowing that I loved it, and had talent, but had no interest in being a starving artist. In that art class, I met a classmate who lived across the hall from me in the freshman dorm. She invited me over to see her portfolio. It was filled with graphic design work that she created over the summer in a commercial art school. I had never heard of this before. So, the next semester I let go of music and science and took design courses instead. I fell in love with design. I could be the creative problem solver I enjoyed being, but also have a career doing this.

A life of learning

Since then, I never looked back. For the past 20+ years I set out on a life of continual learning. My first professional role was to design and test instructional graphics for Xerox’s line of small office machines. This was my first introduction to Human Factors and usability testing. Shortly after this I began exploring web design where I learned about how to make websites more user friendly with my graphic design skills. I taught myself how to code in HTML and CSS in order to bring my custom designs to life. This is where I felt most at home- melding technical knowledge with my creative side. I worked as a web designer for about 15 years before I discovered UX. This would become the next stage of my career.

Finding UX

Knowing this would be the future, I set out to achieve a master’s degree in UX, and found an online program at AAU that would be flexible enough where I could still work and raise my family. It was quite honestly the most stressful time of my life. I really did not expect that it would be so hard to balance everything on my plate. But, I was more ambitious and determined than ever. So, I would work 8 to 5, care for my kids all evening, then spend half the night on my computer attending grad school. I continued to do this for 5 years until I finished the 23 courses it took to earn my MFA. Since then, I’ve been building an app here and there, but mainly teaching my new found skills to the next generation of designers at Bloc/Thinkful.

Making it

Today I’m enjoying the fruits of my labor, being a digital nomad, and shuttling my teenagers to and from high school, (who have become amazing students themselves having watched me work so hard in grad school.) Deciding to become a UX designer has been the best decision I could have made for myself and my family. I truly enjoy the work I do.

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Recomendations

Brian Tanner

I worked directly for Becky during my first year at Thinkful!

Becky is a connector, facilitator, mentor, and leader. She is able to sift through the noise and focus on the actions that foster an environment of iterative forward momentum.

As a result, she has led her teams to operate at their highest potential.

I wouldn't hesitate to work for, or alongside Becky again

Brian Tanner, UX educator, Thinkful

Inna Beltcova

Becky was my mentor at Bloc, she supervised my work and guided me through the program. Becky is a well-rounded professional with experience in UI/UX Design as well as in web development. Her feedback on my work was priceless as it always was constructive and allowed me to grow professionally. It was a pleasure to work with Becky.

Inna Beltcova, UX mentee, Bloc

Chris Courtney

Hiring talent that was willing to exhibit an ample amount of patience while delivering expert advice was crucial to the success of our design bootcamp. Becky was among the best at the task and grew to become an integral part of the team, always willing to step up when the shifty nature of our startup environment would present itself.
Chris Courtney, Design Director, Bloc

Paul Colucci

I am pleased to recommend Becky as an extremely organized and competent design professional. During her time at The DiMarco Group, I had the pleasure of working with Becky on several branding programs for our corporate and real estate portfolio. Becky's persistent hard work resulted in a roll out of a new corporate logo that unified our vertically integrated organization. I can think of no one more qualified to collaborate with on the creative aspects of marketing our companies and properties. It is therefore without reservation that I endorse Becky and her unique skill set.
Paul Colucci, VP DiMarco Group

Kathy Palokoff

It's hard to find talent who combine creativity and pragmatism. Becky is one of them. Her website and graphic design work is always top-notch. She listens carefully to client needs and exceeds their expectations. You will not be disappointed working with Becky. You will be delighted.
Kathy Palokoff, Firestarter

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