Hello again!
Thanks for trying to get to know me better.

My name is Meziah Ruby, but you can call me Meziah (mee-sha). I’m a proud Filipino American: born in Manila and naturalized as a US citizen. I feel immense gratitude for both my parents and grandparents for setting me up for success as a citizen.

I work as a Senior UX Engineer at Cisco. Basically, I’m a software (frontend) engineer with a huge passion for design and UI/UX — so much so that I’ve literally made it my job to combine the two!

I live in the Bay Area with my husband and our 7-year-old Pomeranian rescue, Poppy.

In my spare time, I make YouTube videos and wonky pottery.

I have a BS in Computer Science with a minor in Communications from UC Davis,

(September 2013 to June 2017)

Between classes and homework, I practiced design thinking with Design for America and co-created HackDavis (UC Davis’ first hackathon and one of the first in the nation to be dedicated to social good).

During undergrad, I also studied Japanese and human-centered design thinking. I practice both as much as I possibly can.

and an MS in Integrated Design, Business, and Technology from USC.

(August 2021 to August 2023)

I loved cross-disciplinary thinking and collaboration so much that I pursued a graduate program to pave the way for more of these in my future.

Working full-time and attending school part-time was exhausting, but it was well worth it. I was able to flex my entrepreneurial spirit and product design skills through industry projects while working with some of the most talented people I know. (Shoutout to the BOLDR project team: Edward Fu, Justin Ivey, and Minh Ton!)

I’m applying to PhD programs for Fall 2025!

To this end, I’m supported by the NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (CSGrad4US), through which I’m also advised by Dr. Colin M. Gray (Indiana University Bloomington).

I’m also currently part of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at Santa Clara University, directed by Dr. Kai Lukoff. Together with the FocusMode project team, we study user experiences in adaptive interfaces to support digital wellbeing. I contribute via literature reviews, study design, and feedback on UI/UX.

If you’re curious about the UX Engineering role or the NSF CSGrad4US application/program, feel free to reach out!

meziahcristobal { @ } gmail { . } com