Tech, music, culture — I’d spot what was about to break before it did.

That instinct is what pulled me toward advertising at first — but I realized pretty quickly that advertising was about selling the wave. Design was about building it. So I switched to graphic design and never looked back.

“Advertising was about selling the wave. Design was about building it.”

As a first-generation Ethiopian kid, I also learned to teach early. I set up every new phone, every computer, every cable box for my parents. Translated at appointments. Explained apps. Basically became the family IT department before I hit high school.

That built empathy, patience, and a habit of breaking things down so they actually make sense. It also means I still end up teaching teammates and clients today. (If you just want it fixed and don't care how it works—I apologize in advance. I'm working on it.)

Design became my language for making sense of the world. Predicting what people want, understanding behavior, building things that feel one step ahead. Eventually, it became the foundation for everything I’d build.