More On the why

I was born 3 months pre-mature. My mom had already been in the US a few years, had my brother and experienced a failed marriage. By the time she was pregnant with me my father decided he didn't want to be a part of our lives and she was left to fend for herself. Throughout her pregnancy she eventually ended up with on set diabetes and I was born in June. Growing up I've always experienced my mom making my clothes and she still does this for me today.  I guess that was my first exposure to the creative side. Fast forward to college - I studied industrial design and product development and I understood it then as "making cool stuff". However, the older I get, the more my mother's struggle affects me. I often wonder, had Haiti became more of a developing country, would she have stayed there. Or if she was able to build a business using her sewing skills would she have stayed. Currently I'm reading Creative Confidence by Tom and David Kelly, founders of IDEO. I came across a story of a team of people from different backgrounds coming together in designing a blanket. This blanket was created to preserve the lives of premature infants in India. This hit home for me.  Although I was born in the US, and my mom had access to healthcare, if my mom weren't in Haiti I'd probably not be here. My beliefs and personal values also play a huge role in this decision of wanting to work for a company like this. I'd like to be a part of something bigger than myself. I'd like to develop and use my design skills for good. Life's too short to continue to do things in a mediocre way. While I know it will take time to develop and get there, I'm more than willing to put in the time, work and dedication to get there. I believe that we are all called to do things greater than ourselves. I enjoy helping people, and it would be that much greater to do that while using my design skills. My premature birth made me fragile and prone to illness. I was born with a lot of odds against me, but I made it out strong. I perceviered over and over and I'm perceviering again in my latest struggle. Getting into IDEO. I won't stop until I get there.