For a busy doctoral student, B. April Eom, better known online as Eprahhl, has a surprisingly neat desk. At least that’s what we thought when she sent us her Deskie via Twitter a few weeks ago. Curious to know more about her (and how she manages to keep her desk so clean!) we interviewed Eprahhl as part of our Deskie series.

Growing up in Los Angeles on Sunset Blvd., Eprahhl always took an interest in science and technology. When it came time for college, she contemplated majoring in design and web development. Knowing her love of science, however, her family encouraged her to at least give the health profession a try. Between spectrophotometers, petri dishes and microscopes, she soon discovered that she loved working in the lab and learning about the mechanics of the human body. So she decided to major in Biological Sciences. This past May she graduated with her bachelors from University of Illinois at Chicago and is in school once again, now studying for her doctorate in Pharmacy at Midwestern University.

We discovered from her Backstory, that there’s more to Eprahhl than just her science studies though. She also has a creative side. What started as just a hobby, posting pictures on Instagram, transformed into something more as she roamed the city of Chicago snapping beautifully framed shots like the ones below. Some time later she was approached by Totems to partner with them to help brands market themselves on Instagram. How does it work? A brand usually reaches out to her with requirements and deadlines for their upcoming product or promotion and Eprahhl’s creative mind kicks into gear to meet their criteria with her own unique style. As she says, it’s how she keeps in touch with her creative side when she’s not in “school mode”.

Eprahhl captures her travels to New York city

Eprahhl also loves to travel, which she defines as not just out of state or out of the country, but around the city of Chicago. While she moved here in middle school, as she says, “just because I reside in Chicago doesn’t make me an expert of this place.” So she makes it a point to constantly discover new things, attend different events and activities and just be spontaneous. But visiting old favorites is also important. “The best thing about Chicago is Lollapalooza and Taste of Chicago, you can’t go wrong with the countless restaurants in the city.”

Eprahhl’s super neat deskie

How did you hear of about.me and what made you sign up for it?

Being an active user of profound social media sites, I’ve ran into about.me on Twitter, those retweets really work. Initially I thought it was just another site like Google’s Circle that not most users associate with but have an account anyways. I must say after signing up, I thoroughly enjoyed the customization and how relevant it can be made out for me. For example, the user interface is very minimal yet right to the point. The ability to pronounce both my professional career and freelancing work, it suited me perfectly

What’s your favorite feature on the platform?

My favorite feature on the platform is the connectivity feature. It shows who ‘viewed me’ and with that I can read their about.me section one click away. It complements both users who have a common ground.

Eprahhl and the Chicago skyline

How are you using the platform on other digital mediums?

I am using about.me in my email signature and it’s my website for most of my social sites. The reason being is that it exposes me to those I’ve come into contact with. Back when I contacted one of the Social Media Marketing Agent of Chicago, they wanted my website but I didn’t have “the one”. Now, I feel a lot more comfortable expressing myself in the most elegant way possible: clear, concise and all about.me.

Have you used about.me to connect with others on the platform?

Just getting started on about.me, I haven’t officially connected with anyone one the platform just yet. I did view some people with the same interests as me and I believe about.me does a fantastic job personalizing others for me. Rather than having to nitpick on my own, I have a consistent feed of those I can connect with easily.

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Eliana Arredondo is the Community Manager for about.me. She is a graduate of Stanford University.