Alumni Feature: Lynne Adams

My Career Journey
by Lynne Adams

This is my JPHB-101 photo one class picture. I am located in the circle. September 2008

Nine years ago (wait what?), I took my first steps onto the quarter mile and began my exciting, yet scary journey at Rochester Institute of Technology. Being young, uncertain, and even naive at times was challenging, especially while adjusting to a university environment with new expectations and much greater responsibilities. It was all real, very real. I was enrolled in the Biomedical Photographic Communications(BPC) program and RIT was on the quarter system at that time. Now, nine years later, RIT is on a semester curriculum and my program has been renamed, photographic sciences.

I delved into the curriculum and projects immediately. I quickly discovered that the opportunities within the program for current students and the jobs many graduates secured really appeared to be limitless. I fondly reflect on feeling so inspired by several alumni speakers and wished that one day I would be lucky enough to find my own path and passions just like the graduates who spoke in the survey of biomed class.

The BPC program really pushed me to be my best “self” and provided unique opportunities that I did not expect. Through the diversity of classes, student body, and coop opportunities, I began to learn more and more about myself, my interests, and even took a leap of faith to travel abroad for a multi-disciplinary co-op experience.

During my first co-op at the University Hospital of Wales in the United Kingdom, I really saw it all, to say the least. I was exposed to a medical design experience and got to observe a forensic photographer capture autopsies in the morgue. I encountered new experiences on a personal and career level after being exposed to such a variety of exposure to various departments. Connecting with the needs of not only the staff, but also many patients was life changing for me. At this moment in time, I felt strongly about my passion for the health care field. Regardless of specific role within the industry, the work performed in health care seemed to play a meaningful part in helping people when they are in need of the most help.

During my second work experience(co-op), I followed this newly founded passion and landed a summer internship in the marketing department at Rochester General Health System. During this experience, I found my “niche” and fell in love with the world of the web in Health Care. This ranged from the user experience, working in web management, and digital marketing. My internship was extended and I continued to work at the hospital throughout my senior year while juggling the coursework of a full time student.

The many Java’s coffee fueled all-nighters at Wallace Memorial library eventually paid off and I was offered a full time job in the marketing department before graduation. Walking onto the stage at graduation and waving a final goodbye to “Brick City” (my home away from home), felt incredibly surreal.  The realization that your college years have passed by in a blink of an eye had never felt more prominent.

After honing my web user experiences and design capabilities at the hospital for several years, the stage was set for me to step into my first corporate role at Carestream Health in Rochester as a UX designer. At Carestream, I developed valuable skills and a vision for my career under the guidance of a mentor. I also grew my confidence and stepped outside of my comfort zones by leading meetings and managing web based projects.

Every single step of my journey from student to professional has led me to now be on a new exciting and sunny path and working for Johnson & Johnson in Tampa, Florida. I work as a UX Service Analyst and I help manage a team of designers who create websites and mobile applications for consumer products, pharmaceuticals and medical research. I’m currently working on a mobile application designed forAlzheimer’s research that measures cognitive performance, including verbal memory, using speech recognition technology. It’s extremely humbling to know the work I do influences the lives of customers and patients around the world every single day. Trading the snow for palm trees and beaches has been a great perk also!

My journey of a thousand miles began with a single step and I’m thankful that first step was at RIT.  To quote Steve Jobs, “If you work on something you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”

While sharing and reflecting back on my experiences, I’d like to conclude with some final advice to encourage those who are at different steps of their journeys.

• Take every chance, drop every fear. Step out of your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to try new things. Take the courses that interest you, network, and make connections. Apply for the internship or job you don’t think you’ll have a chance at. You’ll never know if you don’t try.
• Sort out what is a hobby versus what is a passion. Ask people how they found their passion, find a mentor or someone that inspires you. Michael Peres guided me as a mentor at RIT and my parents have been the biggest cheerleaders in my journey while always pushing me to better myself.
• Don’t feel discouraged that you do not have it “all figured out” Explore. Discover. Learn. Don’t think you’ve lost time, it will take every experience and situation you encounter that will bring you to “the now.”

Lynne Adams
UX Service Analyst at Johnson & Johnson

RIT 2013
Biomedical Photographic Communications