What's Next??

As for what's next for me: one month from now, I'll head to orientation in Chicago, then on to Buenos Aires, before finally landing in Montevideo, Uruguay, where I'll spend the next year serving with the ELCA's Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program, in partnership with the IELU (based in Argentina/Uruguay).

This year's cohort is about 25 young adults heading to four different countries — Mexico, Cambodia, the UK, and Argentina/Uruguay — and I'm one of four headed to the Argentina/Uruguay program.

This picture is from DIP weekend where we got to meet each other and learn where we were heading.

Aside from my life in design, faith has been a huge part of who I am as an individual. Being in youth group. Several years working at Camp Lutheridge. Involvement with NC State's Lutheran Campus Ministry during school. A part-time role leading the Young Adults group at my church. And now, leading my church's high school Bible study to pay it forward, along with serving as the Young Adult representative for NC at the national ELCA level.

I first learned about YAGM in college, after meeting incredible people whose lives had been shaped by the experience, and following along as others I knew took their own year away. It caught my attention, but at the time I felt called to finish school and pursue a career in industrial design. Looking back, I'm grateful I did — the past three years at Laut Design challenged me, grew me, and gave me experiences I'll carry for the rest of my life. Most of all, it gave me an incredibly strong baseline of varied experience that's prepared me for whatever comes next, whether or not it looks like a standard design job.

Over the next year, I'll be living in Montevideo, speaking Spanish, serving alongside local churches and community organizations, and immersing myself in Uruguayan life, language, and culture. One of the things that drew me to YAGM is that it isn't about showing up with all the answers. It's about accompaniment: building relationships, listening well, and learning from the people around me while seeing the ways God is already at work in the world. That's worth calling out directly, because it stands in real contrast to the more historical, often harmful model of mission work.

As a designer, I've always loved understanding people — their stories, cultures, and perspectives. This year will look very different from product design, but I think it's a continuation of that same curiosity, just expressed in a different way.
I'm excited, humbled, and just the right amount of nervous. I know this year will challenge me in ways I can't predict, and I can't wait to see how I'm shaped by it.

I'll be sharing pieces of the journey along the way — plenty of photography, making, and adventure mixed in with life in Uruguay.

If you're curious about YAGM or what this next year will look like, I'd love to hear from you. And if you'd be interested in supporting me during this year of service, please reach out — I'd be happy to share more about the program and how you can be part of it.

Here's to the next chapter!
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Poster made by me for all of us going this year!