Editor-in-Chief, Ambidextrous Magazine

Growing up, Amal's summers consisted of travels across the world, learning to appreciate different peoples and cultures, and delving into math and art exercises with her younger brother. While their engineer father insisted the Aziz children spend their summers learning math topics they would be covering the following school year so they could really learn all the nuances of different topics, their artistic mother would take them to art shows and artists' workshops, both inspiring them (and convincing them, as parents often do) that they could do the same. It was with these experiences -- as a traveller interested in understanding people, an engineer with an enthusiasm to create unusual things, and an artist drawing from the world around her -- that an interest in design and how technology fits in our everyday world emerged.

Her love for strong coffee, rustic breads, rain, and greenery marks her as a true Oregonian, even as she finds herself gaining the traits of a Californian. Amal's interest in the complex elegance of technology and linear algebra led her to pursue her Bachelor's degree in Computer Science at Stanford. Her interest in art, empathy for people's trying relationships with technology, and love for Stanford brought her back to Stanford for her Master's degree in Computer Science, specializing in Human-Computer Interaction. As a graduate student, she found her home in the d.school, especially with the amazing group of people that drive Ambidextrous, Stanford's Design Journal. Amal recently graduated and is now working as an Interaction Designer at Luidia, based in San Carlos. When she isn't working on the next Ambidextrous issue, coding, or mocking up new designs, Amal is iterating to find the perfect mango laasi recipe.