Njeri Omawahleh
My name is Njeri, pronounced “in-JEER-ee”. I am the woman behind NAZO Collective. Many hats have been worn prior to switching to the UX/UI design career path, as I also have been an avid knitter, crocheter, and track & field athlete all since I was 8 years old. This page is meant to let you explore the human side a bit more.
I’m open to full-time and embedded design roles on AI-native and healthcare product teams. I also run NAZO Collective, my independent practice, for freelance work.
The first personal branding decision I made for myself was in elementary school, around 5th grade. My name is pronounced “in-JEER-ee” now, because when people pronounced “in-JAIR-ee”, I got confused when others called out for my friend named Jerry. Everyone pronounced our names similarly in class. I had to establish a distinction. One major upside was that I did not know anyone else with my name (although there are other Njeris in the world) so I could go by one name in school!
Around the same time, the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games caught my attention. I hadn’t been interested in sports prior to 4th grade, but watching the grace and athleticism from the likes of Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards, Marion Jones, DeeDee Trotter, Cathy Freeman, and Veronica Campbell, made me want to run just like them. Honest attempts were given in softball, volleyball, basketball, soccer, etc. but running fast is what I was best at. I enjoyed the independence of track & field.
Sprinting was just a fun activity which I happened to be good at, until it got serious enough to earn a full-ride scholarship to California State University, Fresno. Click here if you’re curious about my collegiate athletic career! I obtained my degree in Healthcare Administration, with a minor in Business, and did continue to run semi-professionally post-graduation. I worked for a doctor’s office and a group home shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, then later basically as an Epidemiologist for the FCDPH to investigate and track COVID-19 outbreaks.
My athleticism did not punch my ticket to the 2020 Olympics during the pandemic, so I decided to move to Atlanta for a change of scenery and ceased training. Continued working in the healthcare field, and picked up cosplay as a hobby. I later relocated to the Dallas area, where I reunited with family members and began studying UX/UI design for AI experiences. My sweet fluffy dog, named Black Dynamite, (yes, after the character!) has been with me for 2.5 years. We both enjoy food and walking around town.
