The following is a guest blog post from Thaddeus Castro, Avanade Software Engineering and UX Intern. 

Back in 2007, Avanade’s Chicago office hosted its first ever “Take Your Child to Work Day” (TYCTWD). The whole office was looking forward to bringing in their children and taking a break from day-to-day work, even if only for a couple hours. Of course, not everyone in the office had children just yet, including Sarah Castro (at the time). Sarah was, however, an aunt. So she asked me (her favorite nephew) if I wanted to come to her work for the day. Naturally, I accepted as the allure of the big city charmed my 11 year old mind. Little did I know that 10 years later I would be accepting a similar offer - not to stay for one day, but for three months as a summer intern.

The TYCTWD I attended was nine years ago, so I don’t recall all of the fine details, but what I do instinctively remember was being inundated by an overwhelming amount of orange. All over the walls, the furniture, the little pieces of swag they handed out; everything was a mixture of orange and white. I had never seen so much orange in one place in my life, and that still rings true to this day. I thought it was weird yet fun, so I figured the paint job was for the kids’ enjoyment since I wasn’t the only child intrigued by it. As the day went on I enjoyed coloring in the Avanade logo, playing games and meeting Sarah’s friends around the office, and (apparently) wearing a pirate hat. It was a nice little field trip for me at the time, so I didn’t think much of it.

Fast forward to 2016, and I was offered, and accepted, a position in the Chicago office. I was also lucky enough to be present for this year’s TYCTWD, where Sarah (my aunt) brought her son Abel to the office. We obviously had to get a picture of this fateful meeting, and it is fun to think that maybe he’ll be writing a similar blog someday. Although he’s much younger than I was when I came for the event, it was exciting to see my Avanade experience come full circle.

As I am writing this blog, I’m wrapping up my last week as an intern before I return to my little bubble at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana to finish my senior year. This internship provided me with more experience and knowledge than I had ever anticipated. I worked with an intelligent and fun project team, got a glimpse of the big city life with new friends, and created a foothold in a promising career path. From TYCTWD 2007 to today, I’m proud to be Avanade orange.

Thaddeus Castro is a Software Engineering and UX intern at Avanade’s Chicago office. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics at Wabash College, and he has aspirations of becoming a software developer once he graduates. He is the website administrator for his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, and during his free time he enjoys water sports, weightlifting, and snowmobiling.