Hello IDEO team!
My name is Yvonne Yeh and I’m a designer committed to reimagining learning and teaching people ways to teach themselves how to become successful, engaged, and well-rounded humans.
I am a creative strategist, instructional designer, educator, and advocate for design’s ability to create a prosperous life for everyone. Currently, I am the learning program lead at CorePower Yoga and a curriculum designer at San Jose Strong.
What makes me an effective educator is that I have a genuine and self-motivated thirst for learning and for sharing that information with others. My superpowers are carefully studying people’s lives, translating research into new ideas and ways of thinking, designing thoughtful learning experiences, and crafting a compassionate team culture.
My desire for design thinking and doing was inspired by my deep interest in developing and understanding people, challenging assumptions, and redefining problems. I discovered design thinking through my graphic design teacher in high school, who believed in me and encouraged me to apply to art schools because of my passion for design. This led me to receive a Bachelor's degree in Strategic Design and Management from the Parsons School of Design. From this education, I learned that diversifying our experiences allows us to think more expansively about our resources, leading to more creative ways of approaching and solving problems using design thinking practices. I see design thinking as applicable to any role in any industry and I have brought this mindset to every job I have held. The impact my teacher had on me is something I want to give back – I aim to be a mentee willing to learn enough to become a mentor in everything I do.
My work experience has included designing digital graphics for multinational advertising campaigns, teaching and designing curricula K-12, developing community outreach programs, managing volunteer programs, and assisting in research at higher educational institutions. In my most recent role at CorePower Yoga, I rebuilt our studio’s outreach strategy and data tracking process to analyze our impact within the community. I was later promoted to own our 200-hour Teacher Training program, which included two main objectives: working with community SMEs to facilitate our program content, and mentoring our program participants to support their journey to becoming teachers. In less than 2 years, I helped graduate 80+ new teachers. Besides formal programs, I volunteer with the company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Council to increase racial/ethnic diversity, strengthen community, redefine CorePower Yoga’s core values.
Professionally, I am most proud of my efforts to foster Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in and outside of schools. My master’s capstone thesis project at the University of Southern California’s M.Ed. Learning Design and Technology program was a 2-year study of “Pro-Social Behavior & Mindfulness for Elementary Students.” This project introduced the concept of meditation to elementary school students as a coping mechanism for young learners. The teachers I partnered with shared how essential the tool of meditation was in expanding the students’ learning and growth in and outside of the classroom. I brought this knowledge to the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD), as a volunteer SEL curriculum committee member, where I helped recommend a framework, learning targets, curricula, and a plan for developing the social and emotional competencies of all 12,000+ PAUSD students. From this experience, I realized the joy of empowering fellow learners.
Furthermore, my passion to cultivate critical thinking through diversity and inclusion is reflective in my teaching and mentoring students of diverse backgrounds. In my role as a teaching fellow at the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), I contributed to developing multidisciplinary curricular materials on international topics, creating high school history lessons that aimed to spotlight East Asian studies. The students I worked with shared that they had never realized how Eurocentric their history classes were until taking these seminars which sparked a new-found appreciation and curiosity for their own cultural backgrounds. In my role as an instructional designer and special education aide, I have gained experience teaching and learning from special needs students on the autism spectrum. I may have taught them basic math and writing, but they taught me how important patience and empathy are in becoming a human who teaches and cultivates thoughtful reflection rather than impulsive reaction. In reflection, these experiences have prepared me well for the diverse population and learning at IDEO U.
Lastly, I have both international and domestic teaching experience: I taught English at a high school in Japan and volunteered at a children’s robotics summer camp in Taiwan. In these classrooms, I integrated innovative technology into existing curriculum and created new lesson plans to encompass new games and technology. I integrated 3D printing and Arduinos in the STEM curriculum to encourage enthusiasm in technology as a tool for creativity. Students expressed that my innovative lesson plans helped them stay engaged and trust my teaching style. I have continued to keep in touch with some of my international students, occasionally teaching distance-learning courses over video chat.
My education and work experience are proof of my diligence, but my teaching experience demonstrates that I am committed to helping others become successful and well-rounded humans, too. I would love to see if there is room for me at IDEO U to spark more curiosity in learning. Thank you for your time and consideration!
