• With an innate explorative nature, I’ve always sought opportunities through intentional immersion in novel experiences.

• My international adventures, entrepreneurial projects, and academic experience at UCLA has equipped me with a unique vision of how I want to build my future.

• Pursuing an individual field of concentration allowed me to take active, intentional control over my educational experience. The ability to be intellectually interdisciplinary feels expansive. It encourages value creation through building holistic knowledge across concepts that might not typically intersect in academic settings, but inevitably intersect in the real world.

• Designing my own major has not only made me a stronger student, it has reconnected me to my love for learning.

• I always struggled with the narrative that we have to choose one thing. My diversified interests extend in different directions, requiring a more interdisciplinary approach to education.

• I wanted active control over my academic experience and a skill-based education.

• Legendary architect Buckminster Fuller once said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” With designing my own major, my goal is to feel aligned with my area of study while pursuing a degree that will provide well-rounded, intellectual freedom.

• I will reframe my problem of having too many interests into an opportunity to reconnect with the dynamic multidisciplinary nature of life.

• As an artist and a scientist, I am excited to bridge the gap between artistic thinking and scientific methods, through exploring the intersection of human behavior and cultural design.

• Cognitive Design is an interdisciplinary field of study, synthesizing insights from neuroscience, psychology, and cognitive science and connecting them with design thinking principles to create human centered solutions.

• Rooted in deep analysis of human behavior and perceptual experience, Cognitive Design actively approaches the innovation of products, systems, and experiences that align with our biological cognitive biases.

• The fusion of scientific method with creative design, encourages the exploration of emotionally resonant technological solutions, enhancing our approach towards innovation.

• See the proposal.

• Read my thesis.

• View my portfolio.

• A minor that perfectly complements the major.

• DH takes a humanistic approach to understanding innovation and modern evolutions in digital culture.

• Blending interdisciplinary research methods with data application, DH explores how digital atmospheres shape human behavior, social relationships, and personal identity.

Rhea's team of UCLA Faculty Advisors

• Dr. Andrew Wikenheiser - Neural representative decision making, cognitive behavioral science

• Dr. Victoria Vesna - Communicative impact of technology and scientific innovation on collective behavior and identity.

• Dr. Jamie Krems - Social neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, affective behavioral analysis.

• Angel Perez - Honors Department individual major advising