Rebekah Gallop is demonstrating how meaningful innovation in educational technology begins with empathy, thoughtful design, and a deep understanding of the people who use digital tools every day. As a UX Designer at Turnitin, she combines her background as an educator with expertise in user experience design to create intuitive, accessible, and trustworthy digital experiences that support both instructors and learners. Her career journey from the classroom to the technology sector illustrates how transferable skills, continuous learning, and a passion for education can drive meaningful change across an entire industry.
Based in Austin, Texas, Rebekah specializes in creating human-centered digital experiences for education technology products serving learners from early education through higher education and professional development. Her expertise spans user experience design, product design, user research, interface design, information architecture, and accessibility, allowing her to simplify complex systems into intuitive workflows that help educators and students accomplish their goals with confidence.
Today, Rebekah plays a key role in designing the instructor experience for Turnitin’s Clarity platform, helping educators better understand student writing while supporting responsible uses of artificial intelligence. Beyond product development, she has contributed to company-wide responsible AI initiatives and design system standardization, helping improve collaboration across teams while ensuring educational technology remains ethical, transparent, and user-focused.
Before entering the technology industry, Rebekah built a successful career in education.
She began as a humanities teacher with Seattle Public Schools, where she spent several years designing curriculum, leading classroom instruction, and supporting students with diverse learning needs. Those experiences provided her with firsthand insight into the everyday realities educators face, from lesson planning and classroom management to creating engaging learning experiences for students with different backgrounds and abilities.
The shift to remote learning became a defining moment in her professional journey. As classrooms rapidly transitioned online, Rebekah witnessed both teachers and students struggling to navigate fragmented digital platforms that often complicated, rather than enhanced, the learning experience. Instead of accepting those challenges as inevitable, she recognized an opportunity to help create better educational technology.
Motivated to improve the digital learning experience, Rebekah taught herself industry-standard design tools such as Figma while completing formal UX design training. Making the transition into technology required determination and resilience, particularly while entering a field that often appears heavily STEM-focused and historically male-dominated.
Her first professional design role came at SchooLinks, where she progressed through junior and mid-level product design positions. During her time there, she contributed to both B2B and B2C platforms, participating in user research, product strategy, design systems, and cross-functional collaboration with engineering and product teams. The experience strengthened both her technical abilities and her understanding of how thoughtful design can improve educational outcomes.
At Turnitin, Rebekah has continued expanding her influence by helping design the instructor experience for Clarity, a writing process platform that enables educators to better understand student writing behavior while supporting responsible AI integration. Her work focuses on creating features that empower instructors without adding unnecessary complexity, ensuring technology serves as a meaningful educational resource rather than a distraction.
She has also helped develop AI customization features grounded in extensive user research while contributing to responsible AI principles that guide product development across the organization. In addition, she has been recognized for helping standardize design systems and improving collaboration between design, engineering, and product teams, creating more consistent user experiences across Turnitin’s growing portfolio of educational products.
Throughout her career, Rebekah has remained committed to building technology that reflects authentic classroom needs rather than theoretical assumptions.
One of the defining moments in her professional development came when she realized that her years as an educator were not something she needed to leave behind in order to succeed in technology. Instead, they became her greatest professional advantage.
Like many professionals changing industries, Rebekah initially experienced imposter syndrome as she entered a field that appeared dominated by engineering and technical expertise. Over time, however, she discovered that successful UX design depends just as much on empathy, communication, creativity, and problem-solving as it does on technical knowledge.
That realization completely reshaped her perspective.
Her teaching experience gave her the ability to understand how instructors think, anticipate their challenges, and design products that genuinely address their needs. Rather than viewing education as unrelated experience, hiring managers recognized it as an asset. During her interview with SchooLinks, Rebekah’s classroom background immediately distinguished her from other candidates. Today, as the only former teacher on Turnitin’s UX design team, she continues to provide valuable insights that help ensure products are built with educators’ real-world experiences in mind.
Her unique perspective has become one of her greatest strengths, allowing her to bridge the gap between educational practice and technology development.
Rebekah credits another important aspect of her professional growth to embracing the philosophy of failing forward.
She believes some of her greatest academic and career development has come from mistakes that became opportunities to learn, reflect, and improve. That mindset aligns naturally with user experience design, where early concepts are frequently refined, tested, revised, or even discarded before the best solution emerges.
Rather than avoiding criticism, she actively seeks feedback throughout the design process because it strengthens ideas and improves outcomes. At the same time, Rebekah has learned that professional growth requires discernment. Becoming a successful designer involves understanding which feedback should be incorporated, which suggestions deserve further examination, and when thoughtful design decisions should be confidently defended.
Developing that level of judgment has strengthened her collaboration skills, improved her efficiency, and helped elevate the quality of her work.
As someone who successfully transitioned into technology, Rebekah also encourages other women considering career changes to recognize the value of the experience they already possess.
She believes many professionals underestimate the transferable skills they bring from previous careers, particularly when entering unfamiliar industries. According to Rebekah, securing an initial opportunity is often the greatest challenge, making it essential to leverage existing expertise rather than attempting to start from scratch.
Her own transition into educational technology succeeded because she combined years of classroom experience with newly acquired design skills, creating a unique professional background that distinguished her throughout the hiring process. She encourages others to identify the strengths that make them different and use those qualities to build meaningful careers.
Although technology remains a male-dominated field in many organizations, Rebekah believes diverse perspectives create stronger products. Former educators, in particular, bring valuable insight into the everyday realities of teaching and learning, helping technology companies better understand the people they serve.
Looking toward the future of education technology, Rebekah believes artificial intelligence represents both one of the industry’s greatest opportunities and one of its most significant responsibilities.
She emphasizes that AI should enhance authentic learning rather than replace foundational academic skills. Students still need opportunities to develop writing, critical thinking, and communication abilities independently, while educators need confidence that submitted work accurately reflects student learning.
Rebekah believes platforms such as Clarity can help establish trust by creating greater transparency between instructors and students, allowing AI to function as an educational resource while preserving academic integrity. Achieving that balance requires thoughtful product design, ongoing user research, and a commitment to ethical development practices.
For Rebekah, responsible AI extends beyond technological innovation. It represents an obligation to build systems that maintain fairness, transparency, and trust for educators and learners alike. Her work supporting responsible AI frameworks reflects that commitment while reinforcing Turnitin’s longstanding leadership in academic integrity.
Empathy remains the foundation of everything Rebekah does, both professionally and personally.
Her years as a teacher taught her to view every challenge through the perspective of the people she serves, a mindset that continues to guide every design decision she makes. Whether simplifying complex workflows or improving accessibility, she believes successful products begin with understanding users’ experiences and responding to their needs with care and intention.
Outside of her professional responsibilities, Rebekah volunteers with Austin Pets Alive, where she fosters cats and kittens in need of temporary homes. One particularly memorable experience involved caring for a frightened mother cat and her five kittens. Through patience, consistency, and compassion, the once-timid cat gradually became affectionate and trusting before finding a permanent home. The experience reinforced the value of creating positive change, even during relatively short periods of time.
Rebekah is also collaborating with a close friend to develop a stress management and wellness application that explores how thoughtful digital design can support emotional well-being. The project reflects her broader belief that technology should improve people’s lives in practical, meaningful ways by addressing real human needs.
Whether designing educational platforms, helping shape responsible AI practices, mentoring professionals considering career transitions, or volunteering within her community, Rebekah Gallop approaches every opportunity with empathy, curiosity, and a commitment to making a lasting difference. By bringing the perspective of an educator into the world of technology, she continues to demonstrate that the most impactful innovations are created by people who understand both the challenges and the aspirations of those they serve.
Learn More about Rebekah Gallop:
Through her Influential Women profile, https://influentialwomen.com/connect/Rebekah-Gallop
Influential Women
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