Life Design Lab Staff

Matthew, a native Connecticuter (some would say “Nutmegger”), is a problem-solving creative who loves collaborative efforts, healthy competition and finding ways to support and serve others.  Having spent time as a professional musician while leading a team of marketing and communications professionals, as well as a multimedia producer while serving former NFL players in their transition to life after football, Matthew has lived and continues to love the principles of design thinking and exploring wildly varied opportunities. He has guided teams in higher education through organizational change and experienced success developing brand identities across industries.  If Matthew could tell his college-self anything, he would encourage him to pay less attention to which doors are open and which are closed down the hallway, and more to the quality and direction of the immediate next step.

Connect with Matthew on Twitter: @matthewagolden

Karen is obsessed with all things pop culture, and as a proud Buffalonian, is a big fan of sponge candy. With an undergraduate degree in English and Theater and a master’s degree in Emerging Media, Karen has an eclectic background with over twenty-five years of experience. Nine years ago, she discovered that what peaks her energy is helping students obtain the network, tools, and confidence necessary to design their lives. If Karen could tell her college-self anything, she would say take in as much as you can. Do things. Talk to people. Have experiences. Know that all of this will help shape who you grow into.

Focus: all financial processing and measures within the Life Design Lab. Supports staff as they work across departments and schools to provide the best services for students.

First Job: Cold Stone Creamery

Favorite: Grown Ups, Grown Ups 2, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Vegas Vacation

Huge Nerd: A/V, mainly Audio Engineering

Background: Darryl has worked at JHU since 2011, starting in the Levering Student Life Office as an Administrative Assistant. He most recently worked at the budget specialist in the Department of German & Romance Languages & Literatures. He was born and raised in Baltimore and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Ciara is a bona fide Marylander who loves crab legs and judges anyone who doesn’t – including her amazing husband, whom she has traveled the world with (eight countries and counting)! Before joining JHU, Ciara facilitated workforce development training for 14 to 24-year olds. Though her previous charges were different from JHU students, the pressure they felt to succeed is similar. If Ciara could tell her college-self anything, she would say not to let fear limit you. You are braver, stronger, and more resilient than you can ever imagine.

Kelly is an avid reader and crafter who enjoys spending time with her old pug, Dover, and her kitten, Bandit. She is passionate about civic engagement, history, and trivia. She became interested in working in higher education after falling in love with her student job at UMBC, and she absolutely loves working with the JHU community. If Kelly could tell her college self anything, she would tell her that it is okay to take a non-traditional path towards her future goals.

Ashley Schantz is teacher, university administrator, and Life Design Educator with over a decade of experience in mental health and higher education. She is currently a Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Education at the Johns Hopkins University Life Design Lab. In this capacity, she works with educators to support students studying Brain Sciences & Environmental Sciences in their professional, academic, and life pursuits, connecting them with alumni, employers, and experiential opportunities.

Prior to her work in Life Design, Ashley served as the Assistant Director of Transition and Discernment Programs at Loyola University Maryland, where she constructed meaningful engagement opportunities for students to developed more self-actualized life pathways and foster a sense of belonging amongst a diverse population. She has directed co-curricular learning programs and initiatives designed to encourage students to capitalize on and make meaning of their academic pursuits for students throughout each undergraduate transition, including directing orientation and peer mentor initiatives at the University of Saint Francis and the Life After Loyola docuseries for graduating seniors.

Ashley earned a BA in Psychology from Bowling Green State University, a MS in Clinical Psychology from the University of Dayton, and a MA in College Student Personnel from Western Illinois University. Her combined academic training centers in personal development and self-authorship. Her master’s thesis, Betrayal characteristics and self-forgiveness: The mediating and moderating roles of social-cognitive variables, examined the impact of self-empathy, rumination, and attributions on one’s ability to self-forgive across various transgression severity levels and relational dynamics. She has taught courses on topics related to the college transition, senior seminars, and positive psychology.

More recently, Ashley’s teaching and programming have focused on Life/Design Thinking, career pathways in psychology, brain sciences, & environmental sciences, and the intersection of discernment practices to promote self-actualization and the self-authored life design.

Ashley is an outdoor enthusiast with a hunger to learn strategies to live in better harmony with the earth and our communities. She is a new student to meditation and somatic mindfulness practices.

Recent Courses:

Life Design Summer Institute (Summer 2022)

Intro to Hopkins: Arrive & Thrive (Fall 2022)

Environmental Science Senior Seminar (Fall 2022)

Networking Resources

Authentic Introduction Guide

Guide to Curiosity Conversations

Brain Science Resources

Neuroscience Employers & American Neurological Association Career Center

Psychology Employers & American Psychological Association Career Guide

Cognitive Science Employers

Environmental Science Resources

Environmental Students Employers

Earth Science Employers

National Association of Environmental Professionals Career Center

Current CV

Justin Lorts is an historian, teacher, university administrator, and Life Design Educator with over 20 years of experience in higher education. He is currently the Director of Undergraduate Education at the Johns Hopkins University Life Design Lab. In this role, he works with educators across Hopkins to support undergraduate students in their career and life pursuits and connect them to alumni, employers, and experiential learning opportunities. 

Prior to joining Hopkins, Justin worked in several roles in academic affairs and advising at The Gallatin School of Individualized Study and the College of Arts and Science at New York University and at Princeton University, where he served as the Director of Studies at Whitman College. He has directed and designed programs and initiatives to educate and support students from pre-college through doctoral study. He has extensive experience working with first-generation and limited income (FLI) college students, including serving as program adviser to NYU’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program and as a member of Princeton’s Presidential Working Group on Undergraduate Socioeconomic Diversity. 

Justin earned a BA in History from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. in History from Rutgers University, New Brunswick. His academic training was focused in the areas of African American History and 20th Century United States Political and Cultural History.  His dissertation, Black Laugher / Black Protest: civil rights, respectability, and the cultural politics of African American comedy, 1934-1968 explores the relationship between comedy and the modern civil rights movement. He has taught courses on race, popular culture, and civil rights at Rutgers, New York, and Princeton University, and was an NEH Fellow at Harvard University’s W.E.B. DuBois Research Institute in 2008.  

More recently, Justin’s teaching and research activities have focused on design thinking, career pathways in the humanities, and the relationship between Life Design and a liberal arts education. As a past participant of the Stanford Life Design Studio and a Life Design Ambassador for Johns Hopkins, he regularly leads Life Design workshops and training for students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni. He teaches career and Life Design courses at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown University and has delivered talks and workshops for institutions and organizations including Rutgers University, the American Society for Cell Biology, and the Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Humanities Research Symposium.  You can see more of his work on design thinking and higher education on his website, Education*Designed.  

Justin is a proud resident of Charles Village, where he lives with his wife and two children. In his spare time, he enjoys learning about and making coffee, serving as a leader for the local Cub Scout Pack, and exploring the city.  

RECENT COURSES: 

Finding Your “Why” in Medicine (Intersession 2021) 

Intro to Hopkins: Arrive and Thrive (Fall 2020 and 2021) 

SELECT WRITINGS: 

Performing a Premortem on Your Current Life Path 

Six Benefits of Using Miro in the Classroom (and One Drawback) 

How PhDs Can Use Life Design to Build a Fulfilling Life and Career (Part I) 

“Hollywood, the NAACP, and the Cultural Politics of the Early Civil Rights Movement” in Danielle McGuire and John Dittmer, eds., Freedom Rights: New Perspectives on the Civil Rights Movement (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2011):  39-69. 

SELECT RESOURCES: 

Life Design Resources for Students Interested in Graduate School (esp. in the Humanities) 

Keira (she/her) grew up in the Pennsylvania mountain town of Bellefonte, home to many governors and a spring that feeds the entire community. She attended Guilford College and later the University of North Carolina – Greensboro, where the city and its residents taught her the value of historical context and understanding where you are. You can often find her volunteering with community-led organizations connecting folks with their environment through free gardens, biking, and outdoor activities. As a celebration enthusiast, she love parades and holds memberships in community-based parades groups such as the Vaudevillians New Years Brigade and the Krewe of Red Beans hailing from New Orleans.

Lauren has found that her life’s purpose orbits around a few central concepts: exploring the wilderness, helping others, creative expression through writing and persistent curiosity. In her role as a Life Design Educator, she has explored the broad, dynamic field of public health and all of the possibilities it holds for her students. Lauren’s background in outdoor education, counseling, emerging media and neurodiversity have helped her cultivate a unique relationship with the Public Health Studies Undergraduate Advising Program. Additionally, her highly collaborative nature drives her to pursue interesting methods of connecting people, places and ideas. If Lauren could tell her college-self anything, she’d say that the path is far from linear. In fact, a winding pathway full of unexpected insights and remarkable views makes a much more exciting adventure to take.

Lauren is a scholar, a writer, and a mother to one human (Robbie) and one fur (Rocky) child. She holds a Ph.D. in German and Romance Languages from Johns Hopkins as well as dual masters’ degrees from George Washington (International Affairs) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (Comparative Literature). Having worked in a variety of fields from financial services to academia, Lauren is passionately committed to helping students from all walks of life transition classroom knowledge and training to professional environments. Lauren credits extensive experiential learning opportunities–internships, study abroad, model UN, and academic simulations–with giving her the skills and opportunities to link students to global careers. If Lauren could tell her college-self anything, it would be to pay attention to which activities recharge you which don’t. When professional and personal paths get windy (and the most interesting ones always will!), that quiet knowing will always help you make the best decision.

Mike’s academic background is in urban and architectural theory, poverty and social inequality. In his spare time, he loves working on his Olympic lifting form and kettlebell routines. Before joining the Life Design Lab in fall 2019, Mike was faculty and an administrator at two liberal arts colleges in New England. He supported students interested in linking their academic pursuits with their internship goals. He is thrilled to be supporting First Year-FLI KSAS students and committed to redesigning undergraduate experiential learning via a social equity and inclusion framework. If Mike could tell his college-self anything, he would say to consider reframing aspirations and challenges, not as an individualistic and isolating experience, but as one that can be meaningfully supported by community and resources on campus and beyond.

Andrea has completed 3 marathons and a half-Ironman, knows all the free/cheap activities in Baltimore with tiny humans, has traveled to 30 states and 30 countries, and is a Boston sports fan.

Andrea has worked for Semester at Sea, taught English abroad and has worked with college students since 2002. Andrea has spent the last 10 years working with Hopkins freshmen and student leaders in leadership development, project management, communication skills and life decision-making. She is excited to continue challenging students to use their skills, experiences and interests to pursue their dreams.

If Andrea could tell her college-self anything, she would say to think outside the box and don’t do only what you were told you “should” be doing.

Emily is a native Upstate New Yorker, an outdoor enthusiast, a member of three book clubs, and an animal lover with three rescues of her own. As a JHU alum, she understands firsthand how challenging and busy a Hopkins undergrad career can be, but promises you that time spent on Life Design is not wasted time. Emily has spent the last 5 years working with tech/startup companies and STEM employers and is ready to share everything she’s learned with students. If Emily could tell her college-self anything, she would say that there is not a single way or right way to define success. Do the work to figure out what success looks like for you.

Kara (she/her) has spent time all over the East Coast, but now calls Baltimore home. She spent time during her educational career at both The Ohio State University and North Carolina State University for her undergraduate and graduate degrees, respectively. Most recently, Kara spent time working at Loyola University Maryland as the Assistant Director of Competitive Sports.

Kara is so excited to join the LDL team and work closely with students to help them explore new opportunities they never expected to interest them, and find value in all undergraduate life experiences. If Kara could tell her undergraduate-self one thing, it would be to lean into the journey of getting to know yourself through every opportunity you can get your hands on. Make all the mistakes, learn from them, and be better because of them.

Fun Fact: Kara is a big sports fanatic and loves to travel around the country visiting various professional sports venues. She is also committed to traveling somewhere new every year and is looking forward to crossing more destinations off her list in the coming years.

Leah is a cancer biologist, mentor and a big foodie. Ask her about the best brunch spots in town! Prior to joining JHU, Leah was a cancer research scientist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory where she did her postdoctoral. Outside of conducting research, Leah realized that she had a niche for building relationships and connecting students and postdocs to opportunities as they navigate through their respective career paths. The fulfillment that came from this, led to Leah making an audacious and rewarding career change to join the Life Design Lab. If Leah could tell her college-self anything, she would say that comparison is the biggest thief of joy. Focus on your own journey and embrace your failures. You’re doing better than you think you are.

Paul (he/him) hails from Rockville, MD, but spent seven years in Wisconsin between attending University of Wisconsin-Madison to achieve his undergraduate degree in Economics and Environmental Studies, serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer with City Year, and going on to earn his Master’s degree in Urban Studies at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Helping students realize how personal and academic passions can be combined in creative ways reflects his own non-traditional career path and he enjoys creating pathways for individuals and organizations to connect with one another, specifically in the higher-ed environment. In his free time, Paul loves traveling, spending time with friends and family, and checking out parks and trails.

If Paul could tell his undergraduate self anything it would be that it is ok to pursue career opportunities that may not seem connected to your majors because there are so many opportunities out there!

Sarah (she/her) is originally from upstate New York and has been living in Baltimore for 3 years. She earned her undergraduate degree from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY and her master’s degree from Binghamton University in Binghamton, NY. Before joining the LDL team, she worked in Residence Life at The University of Scranton for 2 years and in the Office of Student Engagement at Loyola University Maryland for 3 years. She is excited to support students as they pursue their passions and work alongside such a talented and knowledgeable team of professionals. Her hobbies include reading, working out, walking around the neighborhood while listening to a podcast or audiobook, and trying new flavors of tea.

If Sarah could tell her undergraduate self anything, it would be to be patient with herself and that it’s okay to not have all the answers right away.

Fun Fact about Sarah – She swam competitively growing up and was on her college’s NCAA swim team!

Hailing from Elkhart, Indiana, Sonjala loves bringing people together, water aerobics, and her friendly poodle, Midnight! Sonjala works to connect students to opportunities that enhance and broaden their skills. She also works with employers to help connect them to the top notch talent at JHU! Sonjala’s path has been a lesson itself in Life Design and she loves being able to combine all the skills and experiences she gathered to help others find their life’s purpose!

Sonjala holds a M.S from Indiana State University in Student Affairs and Higher Education and a B.A. from Purdue University in Sociology with a teaching certification in Secondary Sociology, Psychology and History. Prior to coming to Johns Hopkins, Sonjala served as an Assistant director in the Career and Professional Development Center at Carnegie Mellon for 15 years. Before CMU, she worked as an Assistant Director in the Career Center at Indiana State. If Sonjala could tell her college-self anything, she would say to invest in yourself. Keep your eyes open, be curious, take risks, explore and experience life!

Aiyana (she/her) is originally from Cleveland, OH and worked at Cleveland State University prior to joining Johns Hopkins University. She holds a B.S. in Healthcare Administration from Eastern Michigan University and M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Northern Illinois University and she is active in many organizations, such as, NASPA, National Black MBA Association and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Aiyana is excited to join the LDL team and be part of an ecosystem that will support students as they navigate their collegiate journey and help students achieve their personal and professional aspirations. If there is one thing she would tell her undergraduate self, she would encourage her to take time choosing a major.

Fun Facts: Aiyana loves to play volleyball, enjoys the arts, attend concerts, play boardgames (Taboo, Bingo, Scrabble, Monopoly, etc.) travel, and is a foodie!

Mark is a native upstate New Yorker who has many years of experience assisting engineering students with career issues at Cornell and JHU. He has visited many employer sites representing various technical industries and participated in training employer recruitment teams. Accordingly, he loves to travel, make new industry connections and learning the interesting stories that define our master’s students. Those stories are great inroads to starting your Life Design initiatives. Previously an English major in college and now working with engineers, Mark enjoys editing content, whether drafting articles for publication or supporting students to perfect their job search materials. He is also a published co-author of an online textbook for a career course he co-developed for the State University of New York System. Mark would tell his college-self to be more open to new experiences, to make more real-world connections, and to not fear the life-after-college journey.

Clifton (he/him) is a FLI college graduate raised on the east coast. He attended 13 different schools in 5 states and the District of Columbia, spending most of his years in New Jersey. Clifton enjoys playing card and board games (especially spades), singing at church and finding spots in Baltimore to sit and relax.

Clifton looks forward to helping students think about their identities and how they shape their life’s journey in his role as a life design educator. After 5 years of helping student organization leaders here at Hopkins, he felt this role complimented his interest in giving back to some of his previous experience building affinity space for men of color, while mentoring and advising students of varying identity groups. Clifton loves to discuss how all of your identities have an impact on your life’s experience. If Clifton could tell his college-self anything, he’d say be bold, be curious and be you to the fullest.

Chloe (she/her) was born in Southern California and grew up in North Texas. She did her undergrad at Texas Woman’s University where she majored in Psychology, and completed her Master’s in Higher Education, Student Affairs at the University of North Texas. She moved to Maryland in 2018 to start her career at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County as the Transfer Student Success Coordinator where she created a mentor program for new transfer students.

Chloe is an avid runner, and has done a handful of half-marathons. She is also in A Tribe Called Run, a Baltimore-based run club. She loves hiking with her corgi, Ramsay, travelling, and exploring the East Coast. If Chloe could tell her undergraduate-self anything it would be that grasping the material and really learning it is more important than getting straight A’s. She is very excited to help students along their own life paths.

Fun Facts: Chloe is a part-time Trivia Host, has 12 tattoos and is a BIG Taylor Swift fan (#Swifties)

Tessa, a proud Pittsburgher at heart, can likely be found in a local coffee shop, knitting, reading and connecting with new friends regarding topics including wellness, social justice and faith. She is a strong proponent of Life Design because she loves to speak with people about life as a non-linear journey. Fortunate to have gotten her start in refugee resettlement with AmeriCorps, Tessa has worked in immigrant advocacy and nonprofit capacity building. She has ultimately channeled those skills into empowering the change-makers of tomorrow. If Tessa could tell her college-self anything, she would say don’t be afraid to make mistakes. There’s no syllabus to life, so try things out and trust that your mess, will be a big part of the message you share with the world. Also, date Tim McKenzie when he asks you out the first time.

Yasir (He/Him) is originally from Turkey. He lived in San Antonio, Texas for about 10 years and received his master’s and doctoral degrees there respectively from The University of Texas at San Antonio and St. Mary’s University. Then, he started his professional career services journey at Texas A&M University San Antonio. After working 2 years at A&M, he joined Purdue University-Krannert School of Management (Krannert Professional Development Center). At Purdue, he was an Associate Director of Graduate Programs between August 2021-2022. He is excited to help students embrace their innovative and entrepreneurial spirit and use the LD/DT  concepts in their lives and decisions. If Yasir could tell his university-self anything it would be to go and seek for great mentors to guide you in your journey!

In his spare time, Yasir likes to go to parks, trails, and playgrounds with his family as much as possible and enjoys reading books and playing table tennis.

Fun fact: Yasir  started learning English at the age of 26 after moving to the States!

Chris was born and raised in Southeast Missouri, and now resides in Missouri’s State Capitol, Jefferson City.  He attended Seminary in Springfield, Missouri and completed internship at Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church (PEPC). Then, in 2015, Chris shifted focus from Theological studies to Managing Technology in Primary and Secondary Education. Most recently, Chris championed the use of Integrated Technology for Business within a Business platforms, combining AI components to produce accurate methods of reporting for stakeholders; helping them tell a story of where they started vs where they are going. He is very excited to be joining the LDL team and help continue to positively impact students.

If Chris could tell his undergrad self anything, it would be not to focus so much on the destination, that you neglect to learn from the journey. The destination changes; the journey will change you.

Fun facts about Chris:

• Avid College Football Enthusiast.
• Nominated for the Parent Advisory Council for Central Missouri Autism Project by the University of Missouri Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
• He has 5 kids and his daily driver is a kid hauling 12 passenger Transit Van.

Keisha was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. She is a wife and mother of 2 daughters. Keisha joined the JHU family in 2007 and has been a part of 4 different departments which include The Wilmer Eye Institute, IGTC, Student Housing, and now the Life Design Lab.

Outside of work, Keisha is also the owner of “Keisha’s Krafty Kreations.” She is an avid crafter and loves to create through a wide variety of services including graphic design, sign making, apparel decorating, laser engraving, and lots more! If she could her undergrad-self anything, it would be to stay focused through all the derailments of life.

Amailie is a proud Puerto Rican woman who is passionate about people and communities and committed to helping support student decisions through informed resources, arts, and health. Through her academic background at the University of Puerto Rico, she has a bachelor’s degree in Preschool Education from the Rio Piedras Campus and a master’s degree in Public Health Education from the Medical Sciences Campus. Now in her doctoral studies, Amailie is acquiring a Doctor of Public Health major at Walden University. Previously, she worked with developing and managing educational efforts on research-based projects on pregnant women’s chemical exposures and community health promoters on her island. 

If Amailie could tell her undergraduate self anything it would be to be consistent, maintain your values, and be open to having adventures that will get you to what life has planned for you. 

When not linking students to opportunities and helping them thrive, Amailie loves spending time with family, exploring nature, salsa dancing, going to the gym, and engaging in community work.