My Academic Advisor

As a UX design major, I get the pleasure of having Heather Ford as my advisor and professor. She is one of the first people I talked to when I was first introduced to Bradley and her dedication to my growth and development as a designer has never wavered. From the moment I met her, I knew that Bradley would be a great fit if people like her would be educating the students. She is one of the kindest people I have met on Bradley’s campus and I’m so grateful to have her as an advisor. 

This semester I actually have her as my professor for the first time! She’s teaching my class, IM 360, or Advanced Interaction Design. In this class, we have three projects. The first was creating an app design for an Apple Watch, any app I want! I decided on an emotional support animal that’s a dragon. Throughout the project, Heather gave so much insightful advice. Little things like colors of buttons as well as conceptual ideas were all totally covered. Right now in her class, we’re working on a project with the UX team at CAT for World Usability Day. It’s been amazing getting to work with real clients and understanding exactly how a project in teams would work in the real world. 

Advising is coming up next week for next semester’s classes. While I feel that I could easily be really nervous about the whole thing, knowing Heather will be there to guide me and make sure that my schedule is all on track is a huge relief. Heather always makes sure that you know where she is at all times. On her office door is a schedule of where she is each day of the week, so you never have to be confused about when you are able to meet. Her office is covered in Wonder Woman memorabilia and holds tons of books on UX design and overall how to be a great designer. Heather is the easiest person in the world to reach. She is always super prompt when I message her on Slack so I know I never have to wait too long to get my questions answered. I remember one time when I needed to meet with her for something and I hadn’t been able to find time to meet during the week. Heather was kind enough to let me call her on her cell phone over the weekend to answer any questions that I had. 

What makes Bradley special to me are the people that are there to guide and nurture you and your education. If the rest of the people at Bradley are as attentive and kind as Heather Ford of the Interactive Media department, I know all you incoming freshman are in for a real treat. Heather is one of the main reasons that I chose Bradley, so I strongly recommend you start emailing your future department heads and start building that relationship. It’ll really help you in the long run, and get you excited about your new journey. Have a great day Braves.