Layers, Lenses, and Learning: How My Portfolio Speaks for Me

When I started building this portfolio, I knew I wanted it to be more than just a digital resume. I wanted it to feel like me. Not just Hope, the instructional designer, but Hope, the creative thinker, the lifelong learner, the Nigerian-American woman who knows firsthand what it’s like to be in rooms where learning doesn’t always reflect you, see you, or empower you.

Animated GIF image symbolizing perspective, insight, and ongoing growth.

So I approached my portfolio like I approach learning design: with layers. Each artifact you see here is doing more than just demonstrating technical skill, it’s a lens into how I think, how I adapt, and how I show up with intention.

Let’s talk about that intention for a second.

Each artifact in my portfolio wasn’t just chosen because it looks good (though let’s be real, we do love a clean aesthetic). The work you see isn’t randomly selected. These are projects that stretched me. That taught me something. That asked me to pause and say, “How can I make this more accessible? More human? More real for someone who’s not usually centered?” It’s there because it represents a moment where I pushed myself to create something that meant something to learners, to stakeholders, and to me.

Take my Annual Review redesign course, for example. Sure, it’s about performance reviews and manager feedback workflows. But beneath that, it’s a blueprint for what equity in corporate learning can look like. It's where I fought to keep a “Managing Bias” section in the curriculum because silence, especially in those moments, is never neutral. It challenged me to integrate bias management into a process that often feels cold and procedural. That’s my design philosophy in action: Lead with empathy. Design with purpose. Fight for inclusion.

My other artifacts (from scenario-based guides to multimedia explorations) each serve as small case studies in what I care about most:

• Using tech tools to actually support learners, not just check a box.

• Designing with empathy, especially for those who are often on the margins.

• Bridging the gap between content and connection.

And the truth? I’m still learning what it means to fully live out my DEI principles through instructional design. Accessibility is more familiar ground for me. I know how to apply the guidelines, test for compliance, and make things work for all learners. But equity and inclusion? That’s deeper. That’s personal. That’s reflective. It’s asking hard questions like:

• Who is missing from this experience?

• Who can’t see themselves in this learning?

• What assumptions are being made, and who do they benefit?

My portfolio doesn’t have all the answers, but it does tell the story of someone willing to ask the questions. Of someone who designs with both head and heart. And of someone who believes that learning should feel like a place you belong.

This portfolio showcases my professional identity. Not just what I’ve done, but who I am becoming. And honestly? I’m proud of that. Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s rooted in growth.

So if you’re here exploring these pages, welcome. You’re seeing the journey in progress. You’re seeing the layers, the lenses, and the learning.