Katie launches into a story. By the light in her eyes and the tone of her voice, you get the impression it's a familiar and well-loved one.
"I began as a creative writing and filmmaking double major at Johns Hopkins University," she starts. "And in my first year of working as a designer, I also completed my MFA in Creative Writing at University at the University of Southern Maine."
She opens up her backpack to show you a collection of photos from her life.
Katie's Stonecoast MFA squad, 2019.
"I love storytelling. What originally drew me to writing and films was the fact that I could create something enjoyable for others — that I was putting something positive into the world." She spreads her arms at the beauty around her. "I wanted to be certain I was making the world a little better, even if it was just in the feelings my work evoked in other people."
She tells you a little more about how writing and filmmaking required her to be well-versed in workshop and production settings that were often fast-paced, volatile, and adaptive, changing directions depending on feedback, resources, and other constraints.
Helping on set in Sydney, Australia for a MCDonald's commercial, 2018.
"I was always confident in my ability to collaborate and adapt," Katie finishes. "There's nothing more empowering than working with a team that you really believe in, where people uplift each other."
Her eyes sparkle a bit as she talks about finding the field of user experience design. "It's creative, but also analytical, and intensely collaborative," Katie begins. "I've always enjoyed making things people can take positive things away from; now, with the tools that design thinking gives me, I can know for a fact when I've built something that helps people."
She points to some of her friends along the trail behind her, stopping to take photos, or laughing amongst each other as they explore the scene around them. Her voice is soft and accompanied by a grin. "It's a bonus that I get to meet so many awesome people along the way, too."
Katie and friends during a hike in upstate New York, 2022.
Katie and friends during a hike in New Jersey, 2023.
Katie and friends coming back from a hike in Banff National Park, 2024.
Katie and friends before a kayaking trip, 2021.
Katie and friends on a glacier, 2022.
The two of you stand in companionable silence for a bit. If you wished to ask her about anything else, or to learn more about her, there's still plenty of time.