As a New Yorker, I’ve found the last few years in the San Francisco Bay Area quite interesting. Professionally, I’ve led programs focused on fueling talent pipelines with underrepresented talent and helped companies build and scale their inclusive hiring strategies. Personally, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about different cultures, try new food, and meet some amazing people. However, in some cases, my experiences have been worse than at home. I’ve been called the N-word on the street. My partner and I have been called “pansies” on the way to
This post was initially published by Abstract! It highlights the career achievements and thoughts of Senior Front End Engineer Andrew McCloud. What personal passions bring you to Abstract? Design communities! I’ve been installing/building software for managing communities of designers since I was in high school. Shoutout phpBB, celerondude, Pixel2Life! In 2010, I attempted to create something similar to Abstract called Pixelcloud, inspired by Facebook’s internal design collaboration tool. What’s one childhood lesson that you still carry with you to this day? I can usually avoid the pain of finding out something on my
Whether you call it a discussion or a debate, there’s a long-standing conversation in business around culture. This debate is about when the right time is to invest in people and culture. Some camps feel the urgency to achieve product-market fit and prove themselves as a business before they start thinking about building an intentional culture (meaning, more than perks and ping-pong tables). Others believe that purpose drives performance and that teams that feel connected to the company’s culture — its mission, purpose, and impact — are more invested in seeing the
What personal passions bring you to Abstract? I’m very passionate about having diversity in my life. I love having friends and coworkers from different backgrounds and walks of life. I love working at Abstract because we all share these views and inclusion is a huge focus. What’s one childhood lesson that you still carry with you to this day? “What’s for you, is for you” is an idea that I truly believe in. Growing up, there were times that I looked at other people’s accomplishments and compared them to my own. More
A great career shouldn’t come at the expense of your identity, but this is a tradeoff many of us have to make. Written during Latinx Heritage Month, this article examines the role that remote work plays in preserving Latinx culture across the U.S. In life and in business, we talk a lot about trade-offs. We learn that we can’t have it all, that there are certain things we need to sacrifice to get ahead in life. And as a Latinx person, that often means trading off between two of the
As a technical recruiter, I love understanding the composition of a team, learning what skills are missing, and recruiting people who will round things out and help the team perform optimally. But most of all, I love being able to work for a company where I can cast a wide net to untapped communities that include underrepresented people because we truly value inclusion. As a woman and the daughter of Peruvian immigrants, I sit at the intersection of two groups who struggle to get into the recruiting pipeline. I know
This interview featuring LaShaun Williams was originally posted here via Abstract. What personal passions bring you to Abstract? I really love solving problems with design and technology, and that’s exactly what I get to do at Abstract. I’m also passionate about equal opportunity for underrepresented communities, and Abstract’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, willingness to have uncomfortable conversations and actually walk that talk is a refreshing rarity. What’s one childhood lesson that you still carry with you to this day? When you’re most uncomfortable, when you feel most challenged —
Tell us about your personal passions! I’m incredibly passionate about increasing diversity in tech and making sure minorities are equipped with the proper skills to excel in the space. Over the last ten years, I’ve only had the privilege of working with a handful of minorities. Diversity and inclusivity in tech is a problem, and we can no longer blame it on the hiring pipeline. We have to be intentional and create a space that works for everyone. What’s one childhood lesson that you still carry with you to this
As a native New Yorker, I’ve found the last four years in the San Francisco Bay Area to have been quite interesting. I’ve had the opportunity to learn about different cultures, try new food, and meet some amazing people. However, in some cases, my experiences have been worse than at home. I’ve also been called the N-word on the street. My partner and I have been called “pansies” on our way to dinner. And, because of my AfroLatinx features, I often have to explain to other Latinxs why I speak
