Argyler Spotlight: Selena Garzio
Hi Selena! Can you share a bit about your role at Red Argyle and what your day-to-day looks like?
Yes! I am one of the UX designers here (woohoo!!). I basically listen to businesses and their users talk about their pain points with their current sites, take very very detailed notes (because my brain will not allow me to remember something if it’s not written down! yay!) and mock up some really cool interfaces that address their pain points & more! I’m also chatting with my awesome team almost every second of the day to brainstorm ideas, check-in on projects, and make sure we’re always on the same page!
What inspired you to pursue a career in UX?
Gosh I LOVE this question. So, fun fact, I graduated with a nursing degree from the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a nurse for 3 years at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and Childrens in Denver as a PICU nurse. Although it was an extremely fulfilling job and I will be forever grateful for the kiddos and their families and everything that job taught me, a large part of me still felt empty; like I wasn’t answering to the girlie in the back of my head screaming to be seen (my creative side). One day I just decided I was so over ignoring that part of me and took the leap of faith into a new career which just so happened to be UX! My brother-in-law was the one who put me on to UX since he is a computer engineer and saw my talent in UX way before I ever did, and suggested I look into a career in UX. And BOOM here we are! Literally the most incredible thing I could have ever done for myself and still can’t believe this is my life! Ahh!!
What do you find most rewarding about your job?
I think the thing that I find most rewarding about my job is being able to bring people’s ideas that they have in their heads to life and give them an extra sprinkle more. I find such fulfillment from making people happy and thankfully we get to do that here almost every day! Yay!
What’s your go-to productivity trick?
Definitely taking a 20-30 min walk and getting out in nature to reset myself! Incorporating walks into my day, especially when I’m in creativity jail, has been SUCH a significant game changer.
Outside of work, what are your passions or hobbies?
Gosh I have so many hobbies haha I love spending time outside with my family. My partner and I often like to go quadding & for rides on the Harley (my partner has a Harley Davidson bike… this is what I named my doggo after!). I also love walking, paddleboarding, weight-training, baking, drawing, photography, and binge watching every single episode of any reality TV show (shhh plz dont tell anyone). I also just love being as creative as I can! I have many different hyperfixations – my current one is baking cookie cakes and my previous one was crocheting! I also absolutely love nothing more than spending time with my sweet niece Ellie! She just turned 6 months old and is just the cutest honey there is!!
Do you have pets? Tell us about them!
EEK boy would I LOVE to tell you about them!! All of my animals are naturally my children and they are my favorite part of my day. Harley is our border collie pupper. She is just such a ray of sunshine and is such an empath. She always makes sure the people around her feel loved and safe. Some of Harley’s nicknames are Show, Showbe, and Shabowbias, and her hobbies include throwing the ball, throwing the ball, and (you guessed it) throwing the ball. Mango and Simba are our two orange boys. They were found in my partner’s garage 3 years ago and he rehomed them into our home! They are just the sweetest, certified lover boys you will ever meet. Their nicknames are Mangomang, Sweet Mango Ray, Simbasim, and Sir-simbobalous.
If you weren’t working in your current field, what would you be doing?
In my next life, I think I’ll hit the lottery and have the most amount of land I could possibly purchase and adopt every single animal in every single shelter across the U.S. and give them the best life possible! I’m pretty certain this is going to happen 🙂
What’s something you’ve learned in the past year that changed your perspective?
Something that I’ve leaned into so much is to just keep trusting that screaming voice in the back of your head. You will never ever regret a decision that was made in favor of your gut. If it scares you, it’s the right thing to do as the outcome will have the most growth and impact on your life. And who knows, that screaming voice might just catapult you into the best life you could possibly imagine (thank u screaming voice 3 years ago)! :’)
