LaMana Donadelle

Introductory Essay for WBL 110 World of Work

My education and professional experiences have taken me from Software Engineering to Vegan Chef and Educator to Web Developer and many things inbetween. From the outside looking in, my path might seem all over the place, but there’s a clear thread running through everything I have done: problem-solving, learning, and creating things that help people. My education has shaped that from the beginning. Studying Industrial Engineering at North Carolina A&T taught me how systems work, how to analyze processes, and how to make things more efficient. Later, completing a Full Stack Web Development Certification throught UNC’s Bootcamp helped me turn analytical thinking into practical technical skills with a logic and programming mindset. Now, as I continue taking AI-focused courses at Alamance Community College, I’m building the foundation I need to move confidently into the world of artificial intelligence.

In addition to my education, my professional experiences have reinforced the same themes. Working as an Information Architect focusing on User-Centered Design at IBM showed me how technology and human behavior intersect, and it taught me the importance of designing tools and experiences that truly work for people. Entrepreneurship extended those skills even further. Running Culinary Healing (a health and healing vegan food program) and Bull City Web (a web development company focused on small businesses) forced me to handle everything from client communication to project management, and helped me understand the full lifecycle of turning an idea into something real.

Today, in my role as a Web Developer at UNC, all of these lessons come together. I use technical, analytical, and creative skills every day, and I continue to build the communication and collaboration skills that matter in any workplace.

Altogether, my education and experiences have prepared me to step into new challenges with confidence, adapt quickly, and contribute in meaningful ways… especially as I work toward breaking into the AI field.