Ellie Hetrick

Ellie Hetrick

ehetrick@uwm.edu

Bio

I live under the belief that normality has never made a difference. I strive to stand out, spreading my optimism to the people around me and embracing my weird ideas. Creativity and art have always been passions of mine; a current design student at UW-Milwaukee, I’ve learned many skills and have become proficient in Adobe programs (as well as dabbling in web design). I value collaboration, leadership, humor, and work to solve problems in unexpected ways. When I’m not designing I’m probably at the beach, playing volleyball, or listening to Billy Joel (big fan). I am also an adrenaline junkie, as I enjoy skydiving and cliff jumping.

Design Team

Tim Hetrick – Vietnam army veteran, ideas and user testing

Dylan Banks – Marine Corps veteran, ideas and user testing

Adam Zinger – designer, UIUX layout and design elements

High School

Homestead High School

Description

Fortify is a service tailored for veterans who have recently returned from serving. Through us, they can connect with other veterans in the area and take part in community-based activities that help them reintegrate. We believe that anyone who served for our country deserves recognition and inclusivity upon returning, and we strive to make that as easy and welcoming as possible.

Fortify focuses on reducing the amount of isolation and loneliness in returning veterans, which is an issue that is relatively unexplored by other facilities (even though it is one of the biggest causes of depression and anxiety). We hope that by doing this there will be an increase in productivity and wellness among veterans. We also open the programs to families and friends of the veteran to help them rekindle bonds that may have been lost while they were gone.

Mission

To help veterans successfully reintegrate back into society and to decrease the amount of social isolation and loneliness that’s commonly felt upon returning.

Vision

Veterans and their families will grow together and with the community, and experience an overall increase in happiness and productivity.

Video

Infographic

infographic

Personas

Gallery