Alejandra Sanchez has been a part of the Page Design team for three years and counting, making her mark as a UX/UI Designer. And while she’s always been an important part of our team, this month she’s taking a starring role as the newest feature in our Employee Spotlight Series.
(Almost) Always a Designer at Heart
When Alejandra started college at UC Davis, a career in graphic design wasn’t even on her radar. Instead, her focus was on studying architecture and interior design — still a designer, but of a distinctly different sort. During college, she started working for a small design group, where she began learning more about graphic design and utilizing tools like Illustrator. It was as if an entirely new world had opened up for Alejandra, inspiring her to shift her studies to graphic design and start working towards her new dream job.
Although it was her college job that sparked her interest in graphic design, the firm was one primarily focused on IT. But Alejandra envisioned a future with a team that shared her passion for design — and luckily for her (and us!), she found exactly that at Page Design.
Truth be told, Alejandra didn’t exactly have childhood dreams of working as a designer (interior, graphic, or otherwise). When she recalls what her younger self aspired to be, she can’t help but laugh: Little Alejandra wanted nothing more than to have her very own cash register and work as a cashier. While her present-day career is far from her early dreams of being the master of buttons at a register, we can say that she certainly works some serious design magic with a keyboard and mouse at hand.
Proving that Your Everyday Job Can Double as Your Passion Project
Several years ago, Alejandra would never have guessed that her daily work would revolve around graphic design. But today, she can confidently say that she gets to spend every day doing something she’s enthusiastically passionate about. Alejandra loves taking a project from its earliest beginnings as a rough idea and transforming it into a polished final product, incorporating her clients’ needs every step of the way. For her, having the opportunity to create designs that combine a definite cool factor with a sense of purpose is incredibly rewarding. And when she gets to see the client’s excited reaction? That’s one of the best parts of her job.
During her three years at Page Design, Alejandra says she’s had no shortage of incredible learning opportunities and career milestones. She’s discovered that her favorite projects are those that involve websites because she enjoys the creative freedom that they offer. One of her most memorable accomplishments at Page Design was her work on the QuestTechnology Management website. It was a project of massive proportions, requiring her to figure out how to effectively organize a large amount of content — but once she pulled it off, she couldn’t have been more proud.
Part-Time Martial Arts Master, Part-Time Beach Lover
Ask Alejandra who her favorite fictional character is, and her answer reveals quite a bit about Alejandra herself. She says that if she had to be any character, her first choice would absolutely be Buttercup from “The Powerpuff Girls.” Even though Buttercup’s sugar-sweet bob and bright green eyes suggest that she’s harmless, she’s actually an all-action fighter with more than her fair share of spice. For those who know Alejandra well, the connection to Buttercup is obvious — like Buttercup, Alejandra loves surprising people with her impressive martial arts skills and feisty personality.
When Alejandra isn’t practicing muay-thai and other martial arts forms, you can often find her winding down with a nap and a cuddle with her cat, Soli. Or, you might see her grabbing a bite at her favorite restaurant, Mikuni, a local Japanese spot famous for their sushi. When she’s in need of a refreshing escape, Alejandra’s favorite place to be is the beach. Santa Cruz is one of her go-to California destinations, serving as her favorite scenic retreat.
Looking Forward to a Beautifully-Designed Future
As Alejandra considers what the future might hold in store, it’s obvious that this designer already has her own well-laid plans. She hopes to tackle more web work and app design at Page Design, as well as learn to snow ski or snowboard in her off time. If Alejandra happens to hit it big with a million-dollar lottery prize, she says you can expect to see her behind the wheel of a gorgeous luxury car — but no amount of money could make her ever stop pursuing her goals to consistently learn and grow.
As she wisely says, “Seek any opportunity to learn and expand on your knowledge… the more experience you have, the more you’ll know what you want to do.” In work and life as a whole, that’s Alejandra’s motto, and it’s clear that it’s served her very well.