Welcome to the March edition of the DIA Design Guild Newsletter! As spring begins to emerge, our community continues to grow and evolve. We're excited to share updates about new opportunities, upcoming events, and the values that guide our work.

#1: Welcome to Our New Cohort!

We're thrilled to welcome a new cohort of apprentices and mentors to the DIA community this March! As our program continues to expand, we're seeing more talented individuals making the leap into UX design careers with the support of experienced professionals who genuinely care about nurturing new talent.

Meet our newest cohort of UX apprentices who are already diving into learning experiences and projects: Welcome to the 2025 DIA Design Guild UX Apprentices!

We're also excited to welcome three new mentors to our community:

• Emma O'Sullivan
• Karli Woods
• Teresa Nguyen

#2: Authentic Mentorship: The DIA approach since 2017

Recent discussions surrounding ADPList have brought mentorship quality into the spotlight across the industry. This presents an opportunity to share DIA's longstanding approach to meaningful design mentorship.

Since our founding in 2017, DIA has built an alternative mentorship model focused on depth rather than breadth:

• We offer long-term mentorships (nearly a year and beyond) rather than one-off sessions
• Mentors work closely with apprentices on personal or community projects
• We embrace a "slow learning" approach with regular check-ins (weekly or bi-weekly)
• Each mentor-apprentice relationship is carefully curated through applications and 1:1 interviews
• Our program is intentionally small-scale (5-12 people per year) to maintain quality

This approach has helped many of our apprentices successfully transition into UX and UX-adjacent careers, individuals who had no prior design experience but found the guidance and community they needed to thrive. We're proud to be an established California charity (with 501c3 status pending) that remains completely free and run by volunteers passionate about helping others.

#3: Our Community Values: Beyond Technical Skills

The people we select for our cohorts year after year have always been chosen with intention, but perhaps not in the way you might assume. While technical potential matters, we place particular emphasis on cultural chemistry and values. You might even say, personal life philosophy.

We look for individuals who embody a "pay it forward" mentality and demonstrate a genuine desire to support others. Are you looking for a community too? Are you figuring your way forward, eager to both learn and contribute? These qualities matter deeply to us.

This approach creates a space where people can be authentic, ask questions without judgment, and find others who understand the journey they're on. It's how we've built relationships that extend far beyond the formal program duration.

#4: Standing by our Human-Centered Approach

In a time when many organizations are scaling back their community programs or replacing human interaction with AI solutions, DIA Design Guild remains committed to our core belief: that genuine human connection is irreplaceable for learning and growth.

While the current administration's policies have led many institutions to "evolve" their approach by dismantling their programs, we stand firmly by the people who have joined our community. We believe in the power of one-to-one, intentional learning experiences that technology alone cannot replicate. Sure, we say that we focus on underrepresented and marginalized groups. But, essentially, our philosophy and approach attracts a certain demographic anyway. We don't make an extra effort to be diverse, inclusive, and accessible because these values are already rooted in our approach and woven into the very core of how we operate.

DIA began as an ad hoc group of passionate individuals and has evolved legally over the years, but our foundation remains unchanged – we genuinely care about each person who comes through our doors. This is why we intentionally keep our cohorts small rather than scaling exponentially. We remain true to our mission and ourselves, mindful of what we can effectively manage as a volunteer-run organization.

Quality over quantity. Human connection over scale. These principles guide us forward, regardless of change everywhere else.

#5: Upcoming Events for the Communities We Support

#6: Design Resources

Our Design Education Resources database contains valuable materials to support your growth. Here are a few free resources that might be worth exploring:

• Climate UX - A Rosenfeld community interest group dedicated for those who are interested in the intersection between UX and climate change.
• Curious Squid - A consulting firm that offers monthly events and webinars related to information architecture.

Interested in finding more? See the full list.

Want to work with DIA?

Projects give our apprentices the opportunity to work on real-world projects, partner with clients and stakeholders on their needs and goals, and provide a space for them to learn about the intricacies of understanding how to balance information, needs, and intention.

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