Payton Prentzas

Hello, my name is Payton Prentzas. I was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. I attended Appalachian State University for my undergraduate degree in Advertising and am currently at the University of Virginia earning my Masters in Commerce. In my free time, I enjoy photography, being outdoors, design, and spending time with my dog Wheezy. I also enjoy cheering for my favorite sports teams, the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, and of course the Mountaineers and Wahoos.

Art and design have been a key part of my story up to this point. My artistic journey has included everything from poster designing in my spare time to my undergrad minor, graphic communications management. However, my interest in business surfaced when I was taking advertising courses during my undergrad. I wanted to further explore the business world which led me to pursue my Masters in Commerce at the University of Virginia. In my fall semester as a graduate student, I took a project and product management course that introduced me to the world of User Experience. Between my experience in design and business, I found that UX skills such as prototyping, empathy interviews, and user stories came quite naturally to me. Based on my skillset and education, I would be an ideal candidate for a User Experience Designer. I am excited to see where the world of UX leads me to next!