Madison Whittle is a junior pursuing a BFA with a concentration in Graphic Design and a Certificate in User Experience. When a new extended reality (XR) lab opened on campus, WKU faculty encouraged Whittle to join. "WKU Art & Design Department Head Kristina Arnold approached me to ask if I would be interested in virtual reality (VR) research," Whittle said. "I didn't have any experience with extended reality, but I was eager to learn." In high school, Whittle gained valuable skills through coding and web design classes. It wasn't until her freshman year of college that Whittle learned about the field of user experience (UX) design. Utilizing her prior knowledge and gaining new skills in the WKU XR Research Lab has rekindled Whittle's interest in technology, which had faded in favor of her visual arts pathway. "Being able to develop components that will be used in VR and applying my UX background has been a really amazing experience. I am passionate about graphic design and I'm happy to see how it can be merged into technology, especially within a medium that is still being developed."