My name is Mara. I was born and raised in the art district of Memphis TN, lending me the opportunity to familiarize myself with many different walks of life from an early age. I recently completed a B.F.A. in User Experience with a minor in Graphic Design at the Savannah, GA location of Savannah College of Art and Design.

My passions for UX derive from a deep empathy and respect for the user and a desire to find answers for human behavior. Originally coming to SCAD for Industrial Design, I had a passion for product and form, but more importantly an acute intrigue in how a minor–yet studied–change may vastly improve a user’s entire outlook on a task, activity, or if grand enough their outlook on life. After being gently nudged toward UX by one of my ID peers, I found a familiar comfort and a new zeal for problem solving within the expansive opportunity spaces a UX mindset provides. In our rapidly growing tech-centered world, it’s our responsibility as UX designers not only to create equal opportunities for users through user centered design, but also to implement technology in new areas to improve the pain points that already exist in their day to day lives.  

Outside of UX, I spend my time listening to too many podcasts (99% Invisible, Decoder Ring, & Invisibilia to name a few), slowly expanding my baking repertoire, and digging around for niche pockets of music. This past month I’ve been learning about the cloudy origin story of the word “mullet,” baking chocolate babka, and making my way through the psychedelic music that came out of Zambia in the 1970s, or Zam Rock. I’m a big fan of all things film, but have a real soft spot for 80s horror and practical effects (I'm bbmara on Letterboxd!). Since SCAD I’ve been designing my website on webflow, pivoting between reading House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski & Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, and volunteering with local teachers who are new to virtual learning.  
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