Three full letters, three different situations.

Dear Hiring Manager,

Six years of teaching taught me something most design portfolios can't show: how to watch someone struggle with something confusing, and fix it before they give up. That's the instinct I want to bring to Fernwood's product team.

After completing a UX certification and redesigning my school district's parent portal as a capstone project, I've spent the last year freelancing on smaller design projects while building a portfolio focused on accessibility — a lens my classroom background gives me naturally.

I've used Fernwood's app for the past year as a parent myself, and the recent onboarding redesign is a big improvement, though I noticed a few friction points in the account-linking flow I'd love to talk through.

I'd welcome the chance to discuss how a nontraditional background could be an asset to your team.

Best,
Alex Rivera