• MPS in UX Design, Maryland Institute College of Art

• Graduate Cert Transdisciplinary Studies, The New Centre for Research & Practice

• MFA Poetry and CNF, Warren Wilson Program for Writers

• MSED Special Education / MA TESOL, MIIS and CUNY City College

• BA English, Brigham Young University

“Ms. Hoppe has achieved what the NYCDOE claims to be impossible.” — Valerie, CEO and lawyer

Hello Friends,

I transform systems of harm into structures of care through research, design, and art. My approach is rooted in justice, shaped by global experience, and tempered with humor and self-awareness.

As a UX designer, educator, and researcher, I specialize in translating complex ideas across disciplines and cultures. Currently pursuing an MPS in UX Design at the Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA at Warren Wilson Program for Writers, I draw on more than a decade of teaching and consulting across seven countries—from Brazil and Thailand to Saudi Arabia and England.

My interdisciplinary work bridges design, disability justice, and harm reduction. I lecture nationally, and I’ve helped secure legal victories for disabled students against the NYC Department of Education. As a former Professor of English and NYC Teaching Fellow, I earned a perfect evaluation from the U.S. State Department for my pedagogical practice.

When I am not reforming systems, I am learning the harp, painting abstract art, and writing lyric essays and poems. I’m a former Walt Disney World performer, which taught me that even the most magical experiences require serious behind-the-scenes work. I have swum with the Naval Academy, been a distance runner and a springboard diver, too.

Today, I mostly do Zumba.

Shelli Hoppe translates between worlds; she’s been translating her whole life.