30 Years of Impact Generational Change Support Inspiration
UDIE CHIMA
TTIP | Class of 2004
Senior Product Designer
Founder of Sound Dialect
Finding a Place in Technology
When Udie Chima joined TAF's Technical Teens Internship Program as a high school student in Seattle, he already knew he was curious about computers. Friends and family often came to him for help troubleshooting technology, but until TAF, he had never really imagined technology as a career.
TAF introduced him to a community where being smart, creative, and technically minded was something to celebrate. That experience changed the way he saw his future.
Exploring the Possibilities
As one of the early TTIP participants, Udie gained hands-on experience through multiple technology internships, including work in multimedia production, data entry at BECU, and server administration at Safeco Insurance. Each opportunity exposed him to a different side of the technology industry and helped him understand that there was no single path to success.
Rather than seeing technology as one specific job, he discovered a field filled with possibilities.
I saw that there was a lot of room to find your place and a lot of different personalities to be celebrated, not just what I had assumed was possible before.
These internship experiences not only helped him build technical skills but also gave him the confidence to keep exploring his own path to a successful career and finding his place in the world.
Building a Career Through Curiosity
After TAF, Udie attended Oberlin College and continued developing the technology skills he had gained through TTIP. His experience helped him secure technology support roles during college, leading to jobs working with computers and technology after graduation.
Over the years, he explored multiple career paths in the technology industry—from computer sales and product management at notable companies like Honeywell and Zillow and eventually landed in user experience design and entrepreneurship. Each experience helped him better understand where his strengths and interests aligned.
Today, Udie works as a Senior UX Designer, helping create thoughtful experiences for complex technology products. He currently works at Honeycomb, where he designs tools that help developers understand and improve software systems.
Embracing Your Unique Perspective
One lesson that has stayed with Udie throughout his career came from a mentor early in his design journey. As he watched more experienced colleagues and wondered if he would ever reach their level, a manager reminded him:
You'll get far by focusing on what you do that no one else can do.
That advice helped him stop comparing himself to others and focus on developing his own strengths and perspective instead.
Today, he believes some of his greatest professional strengths come from curiosity, adaptability, and the ability to see both the details and the larger systems at work.
Looking Ahead
In this current chapter of life, Udie's focus is expanding beyond career achievement and toward creativity, community, and personal fulfillment.
Outside of his work in technology, he is a music producer and founder of Sound Dialect, a music collective and creative education initiative that helps people discover their artistic voice through music introducing young aspiring artists to music creation and collaborative expression.
It really lights me up to bring the arts to new people that don't see themselves as artists.
For students entering a rapidly changing world, Udie encourages curiosity and openness.
Use your inexperience to your advantage. You can see things for what they are, and it's all possibility.
Technology will continue to evolve, but the ability to learn, adapt, and think critically will remain valuable. Rather than focusing only on job titles or technical tasks, he encourages students to focus on the impact they want to make and stay open to unexpected opportunities along the way.
Generational Change in Action
Udie's journey demonstrates how exposure can change a student's trajectory. What began as curiosity about computers became a career in technology, entrepreneurship, design, and community leadership. Through TAF, he discovered not only technology, but the confidence to continually reinvent himself, explore new paths, and help others find their own creative voice.
