The beginning of my journey into community-based research and design was through entering the world of marketing as an untrained administrator in the motorcycle industry. My experiences in life; moving around to different areas of the U.S., being a new person in so many different settings, being a single mother, always somehow being a part of and apart from every group, and interacting with so many different and awesome communities of people led me to pursue a degree as a social scientist an adult. I achieved a Master's of Science in Applied Anthropology from UNT in 2019 and through that educational track, I have been participating in, designing, educating , and managing community-based research projects, both personally and on teams, for over eight (8) years.​ As a person interested in how we as common citizens can reframe the world around us, I believe that implementing a user-based approach to understanding and conducting research is critical to not only grasp the context of a goal or barrier, but to developing sustainable solutions.