Design Your Life at JHU

The Life Design Lab has a nested structure–every department, major and key student-serving offices have a dedicated Life Design Educator (LDE) to assist students in finding inspiration and get connected with mentors and opportunities. Find your educator below!

What is Life Design?

Life Design applies design thinking to a student’s pursuit of inspiration and success. As Life Design Educators, we focus on connecting students to immersive experiences and mentoring relationships. Our goal is provide opportunities that will help students integrate curricular and co-curricular learning experiences, explore their life’s purpose, and make bold steps toward their desired career field.

Get curious, find inspiration, and follow it. Find out how life design and our educators work for you and with you.

Virtual Office Hours

Your Life Design Educator has virtual office hours every week via Zoom. Meet with yours, or any LDE. See them all by searching “office hours” on jhu.joinhandshake.com/events. Zoom links for specific Life Design Educators can be found in the event descriptions on Handshake.

We also hold general office hours every day from 11-2 over Zoom (Zoom link TBA).

Find Your Life Design Educator

Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Life Design Educators

: Smiti Nathan, Physical Sciences and Math

: Karen Mardock, Brain Sciences

: April Patty, Humanities

: Tessa McKenzie, International Studies and Policy

: Lauren Barrett, Public Health and Health

: Justin Lorts, Economics and Political Science

Whiting School of Engineering Life Design Educators

: Andrea Wiseman, Residence Life and Whiting First Years

: Emily Hogan, Computer Science, Electrical and Comp. Engineering

: Leah Banks, BME

: Louise Lasalle, ChemBE and Materials Science

: Luke Thorstenson, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Math & Statistics, Environmental Engineering, and Civil & Systems Engineering

: Sonjala Williams, FM, AMS, and Data Science Graduate Students

: Mark Savage, Engineering Masters Students

SOAR Life Design Educators

: Patrick Brugh, Athletics

: Michael Gonzales, Residence Life and Krieger First Years

: Andrea Wiseman, Residence Life and Whiting First Years

: Hope Burke, Student Life and Involvement

: Alayna Hayes, CSS

: Clifton E. Shambry Jr., Diversity and Inclusion

How we Work with Students

Every student’s first resource will continue to be handshake.jhu.edu. In person, students will be better able to reach career center staff for career support, workshops, employer sessions, alumni connections and more, as they will work with and be located in their department or program. Career fairs, including boutique fairs like the STEM Career Fair, Nonprofit Fair, and Internship Fair, will continue indefinitely.

Questions? Feedback?

If you have questions, comments or concerns about this process, please email us! We will be responding to questions and updating this site regularly with information throughout the process.