Kara Pearson

Planning to work as a designer at Microsoft, building simple, intuitive product experiences while working closely with engineers, PMs, and researchers.

 

Purdue Polytechnic gave me strong real-world experience by having us work with real companies on real projects, which helped me get comfortable collaborating with teams and solving practical problems in professional settings. I always went into internships feeling really well prepared, honestly a step ahead, because I already had experience working in team-based, real-world environments.

 

The UX design professors at Purdue consistently pushed me to think more critically about my work and go beyond surface-level solutions. Their feedback and expectations helped me grow as a designer and better prepare for my career goals. At the same time, my peers in the major were a huge part of that too, they were supportive, collaborative, and always pushed me to do better.

 

The UX Learning and Experience Studio courses really prepared me well because they built on each other and focused heavily on hands-on work. A lot of what I learned in those classes came up during interviews and my internships, and it was something I could actually speak to and show. The learning felt natural and engaging, but still pushed me to grow. They also taught me how to be both a mentor and a mentee, which helped me develop a stronger growth mindset.

 

My favorite experience was being part of the UX community at Purdue. It's a really supportive group where you get to know people across different years, and everyone is always willing to help with projects, job searches, and advice. I always felt like I had someone to lean on, and even now that I'm graduating, I still have a strong network of peers at Purdue and others who are a few years ahead of me professionally. It's the kind of community that creates long-term connections.