Meet Stefan UX/UI Designer
Stefan lends a hand at the Lanier Community Garden Project.
February 28, 2017 - When you meet Stefan, you immediately get a jolt of energy. He always has a smile and brings a positive attitude to work every day. Stefan is a designer at Banyan Hills Technologies. He’s creativity is endless, and he’s always willing to learn new things and never backs down from a challenge. He designs and maintains our website, sketches interface designs to support development projects for customers, and UI for our IoT platform Canopy. He’s always willing and able to jump in when a design is needed. When asked what he likes best about working at Banyan, he said “I admire the passion and dedication to succeed most at Banyan. They motivate me to give my best at all times”.
I knew Stefan was the perfect fit for Banyan’s design team early on. I find all designers are very much alike, and we all see the world a differently than others. Over lunch one day, Stefan told me about how he first started studying architecture and quickly realized how he didn’t enjoy the math as much as he did the drawing. He took a visual design course and was hooked. I could relate, in college, my computer science class was my least favorite, and my book design course was my most.
Stefan’s passions go beyond design. He loves to cook. Some of his favorite dishes to make are paella and roast beef. Stefan comes from a Haitian family and given his colonial past, Haitians have adopted a few French traditions. One of these traditions is making “beignets” or donuts, filled with mashed bananas and topped with sprinkles of granulated sugar, during Carnival. He’s also very health conscious and likes to be active as much as possible. He enjoys working out and playing soccer. He follows many sports teams, but his number one is FC Barcelona, he’s been a fan since he was little. And if you’re not already impressed by Stefan, he’s also fluent in French.
I asked Stefan a few questions, ones completely unrelated to design and working at Banyan. These were just for fun because after all, having fun is one of our core values. Here’s what he had to say.
What’s your favorite movie?
I’m a psychological thriller junky, and one of my favorites is, most definitely, Christopher Nolan’s brilliant “Memento.”
What’s your favorite song, band or album?
My favorite album is probably “Late Registration” by Kanye West. I also think it’s his best album. He did a great job at covering sensitive social and political topics in a purely artistic manner.
Do you have favorite technology or gadget?
I’d have to say, my iPhone. I use it from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to sleep.
When you were a kid, what did you dream of becoming when you grew up?
Well, it’s every little boy’s dream to become a soccer player where I’m from; however, my parents weren’t too fond of that idea. Over time, I wanted to become an architect since I enjoyed drawing a lot and especially the fact that my uncle was one. But, when I got to college, I quickly realized that it wasn’t quite what I expected.
What do you want to do when you retire?
When I retire, I want to travel the world, spend time with my family and friends, and volunteer whenever possible.
If you were stranded, would you rather it be on an island all by yourself, or in an unknown city filled with other people?
I love to learn about other cultures and languages, so, in that case, I’d much rather be in an unknown city, hands down.
That’s our Stefan, and he’s what makes Banyan so unique and special. We’re lucky to have him on our team.
