I didn’t land a traditional internship last summer, so I treated it as a pivot. I pitched myself as a freelancer, stepped into MAX, and grew into the UX lead. That transition taught me how to set a clear vision, make sharp calls, and turn boardroom ambiguity into user flows the team could rally around. I balanced outcomes and people, protected scope, kept a consistent component system, and gave interns direction without hovering. The result was confidence earned in motion: less perfectionism, more accountable design that serves donors, artists, and students.