Who is Dawson?

I'm a creative who specializes in product design and UX/UI, but I don't like staying in one lane. I edit videos, design brands, 3D print, create content, and I'm always learning something new. Whenever I discover something that excites me, I naturally want to share it with others. That's what ultimately led me into education.

Growing up between New York City and North Carolina gave me two very different perspectives on opportunity. Seeing the gaps in my own education shaped the way I think about design. It taught me that good design isn't just about making something look better—it's about making experiences more accessible, intuitive, and equitable for the people who need them most.

That's why I'm drawn to educational technology. If design can remove barriers, spark curiosity, and create opportunities for people who may have been overlooked, then that's the kind of work I want to dedicate my career to.

My foundation is visual art. My passion is people. My goal is to keep creating products and experiences that make a meaningful difference.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

“I want to be someone who loves what they do every day.

One of the toughest challenges as a creative, is finding your creative identity. For me, it happened in 2019.

Growing up, I was always curious about how things were made. Shows like How It’s Made and Unwrapped fascinated me in to wanting to know how thing are created. That curiosity sparked my desire to learn how to create things myself.
Along the way, I discovered the art of graphic design and its ability to impact and influence environments, communities, and products. Graphic design is the bridge that connects ideas to tangible products that provide real-world solutions. My goal in life is simple: to live everyday doing something I love. That’s why I chose design.
I joined a group of talented designers to compete in the AIGA Recycle Runway competition in Miami, FL. The challenge was to create sustainable fashion inspired by a specific era in design history. Together, we designed a Bauhaus-themed collection—and we won 1st place and had our work featured in Riverside Times magazine. That experience exposed me to love fashion design.
In 2020 during my sophomore year in college, I created a Pop Smoke Tribute Sweatshirt on Tik-Tok after the rapper passing. While working on this project my social media blew up! Over 600k views. Users left and right requested if they could purchase my product. While the clout was fun, a question sparked in my head, How could I reproduces this sweatshirt for someone to purchase? And this question is what exposed me to my passion, printing designs on clothing.
In 2022, I had the opportunity to teach computer science and graphic design to high school students at CSH. Helping them develop digital literacy skills sparked my love for teaching design. This experience inspired me to pursue a master’s degree so I could teach at the college level. For me, design is all about adaptability and being dynamic. Environments like education challenge designers to keep learning and refining their skills, which is what makes it so rewarding.
Completed my master’s degree at Touro University in UX/UI and Interaction Design, driven by a desire to grow within the technology field and support my professional goal of teaching at the collegiate level.
Thesis Project - Foodfeed