I would describe myself as a person/individual/adult who never stopped dreaming! The excitement, passion, and joy I have for continuous learning, self-growth, technology, employee networks, and giving back to the community—especially women in STEM and underprivileged youth—is what you usually find in someone with their head in the clouds or a lot younger. I know I cannot change the world, but I have the capacity to impact a few people in my local circles and community—and maybe a few more with Teams and Zoom. Impacting one person can get them thinking about a new idea, make them smile, brighten their day or maybe change their life!

I find ways to change lives at Avanade through my work as a data engineer and my passion for advocating for inclusion and awareness. My current project is changing the way a healthcare company monitors and tracks its data movement. I’m helping to give executives a high-level view into the overall status of where their data is and what we will be working on next. Mid-level for directors gain visibility into the successes and failures of each data migration stage, and operational teams will be able to see where errors are and know what to prioritize and fix first. Before it would take them eight hours to fix a bug and now perhaps only two, that’s a huge gain! To see the client's face light up with excitement at what we are making everything easy to read and understand is why I am excited to come to work!

I joined Avanade as an intern, then returned after graduation as an analyst, and now I am a senior analyst. Yet at Avanade, your title is just a title and I am living proof. As an analyst I started the Jewish Employee Network. We are involved in sharing the Jewish perspective on inclusion and diversity topics, including with our Inclusion & Diversity Officer after violent attacks on Jewish people. We have support from leadership to effect change like building an alternative work week around religious observances like shabbat and having a washing cup and kosher food in the NYC office (expanding to others soon). We’ve hosted the International Holocaust Remembrance Day event and led the intentionality candle lighting ceremony.

The support Avanade has around inclusion and diversity is not just for numbers and looks. It is real and makes me feel comfortable to bring my whole self to work. I feel like I can express myself freely as a Jewish modern orthodox woman! With what I eat, how I observe Jewish holiday observances and other cultural and traditional practices, I never feel like I need to hide anything, and I feel supported by my colleagues. Now, after making the Jewish Employee Network, I am so grateful and humbled to be in that position and work for a company that celebrates me, the whole me!

If you’re like me—passionate about technology and also looking for ways to bring positive change into the community where you work and live, I recommend you give Avanade a closer look. Find someone who does what you want to do and chat with them over coffee to see if this might be a good fit for you. Most of all, don’t be afraid to stretch and try something new. You might be amazed at what you can do.