Vanessa Miller
Technology Integrator & Digital Arts Teacher (15 years) Instructional Designer
UCSF Health
ID Bootcamp (Now the Certification Program)
Vanessa spent 15 years working in independent schools as a technology integrator and digital arts teacher but she wanted new challenges.
She was looking for a career where she could work with adults and explore subjects in more meaningful ways, and instructional design was exactly what she was looking for. The challenge was navigating the uncertainty of leaving an established role in education.
“I'm not so fixed to this life of teaching and now have a life of flexibility while doing something that I'm actually really passionate about. It's just been such a game changer.”
— Vanessa Miller
A Portfolio Built on Visual Skill and Accessibility
Vanessa's portfolio is a reflection of her strong visual design skills and commitment to accessibility: a bright, cohesive color palette paired with a clean, intuitive interface makes her work both visually appealing and easy to navigate.
Her focus on usability and design consistency helped her stand out during the interview process, demonstrating her ability to deliver polished, professional learning experiences.
Apply NowInclusive Language for Successful Sales
One of her key projects centered on using inclusive language to create successful sales, a topic that aligns with her background in DEI training. For this project, Vanessa applied her visual design skills by creating custom characters and adapting backgrounds to fit the needs of the course.
In a supporting project, she prioritized accessibility by replacing drag-and-drop interactions with dropdown menus, making the learning experience more inclusive and user-friendly.
From the Classroom to UCSF Health
After joining the ID Bootcamp, Vanessa focused on mastering new tools and techniques, particularly Articulate Storyline, which aligned with her love for technology and visual skills. The community and collaborative feedback process helped her refine her portfolio and strengthen her design capabilities.
Within 12 months, Vanessa secured a position on the Learning and Organization Development team at UCSF Health, where she develops training programs focused on workforce development and supporting individuals from underserved communities in building professional skills.
“I was so impressed with the bootcamp package. I initially thought that I was going to teach myself all of this stuff on my own, but was very grateful that I ended up doing the bootcamp because it provided that scaffolding that I needed. When I started collaborating with my bootcamp pro to have that back and forth - the option to have somebody to run your ideas by - there's so much value in that.”
“When I first found out I got my job, it was just really exciting because when you take a bet on yourself of that level, especially somebody who works at independent schools when you have no real job lined up after a certain point, it was really scary to do that. And there was a couple of moments where I almost was close to just saying, 'I'll stay another year.' But it was nice to be able to get the job that I think was the right fit for myself and gave me everything I really wanted, which was to work remotely.”
“I'm not so fixed to this life of teaching and now have a life of flexibility while doing something that I'm actually really passionate about. It's just been such a game changer.”
