Stewarding the Bag

Through this newsletter series, I want to break down the barriers that so many individuals put up, that block them from their next opportunity. We all have small beginnings. Here's mine:

"I want to work at Microsoft"

...is something that I continued regurgitating when anyone would ask me about future aspirations.

Due to the way my school (Drexel University) is set up, I came to the realization that my schedule wouldn't give me the opportunity to take on a summer internship, and therefore 'working at Microsoft' became my goal for post-graduation.

In this 3 year journey, I want to talk about how my background/thinking got me here, but before that I need to give credit and glory to God because it could only be through his grace and favour that I'm here (Galatians 6:9).

I didn't wait until I was a Microsoft employee to...

1. Follow its corporate mission

If you didn't already know, Microsoft's mission is “to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” As a second year in college, I realised that if I saw myself at this corporation in 3 years time, I needed to stay committed to its mission.

I didn't wait to be a Microsoft employee to follow its mission.

With the content that I would create through the #studentsoflinkedin hashtag on LinkedIn, I embarked on my own personal journey of empowering every person to achieve more.

With events that I created like the 'Women of LinkedIn' panel in Ohio (2018) and the Student Panel near Philly (2019), I created avenues to not only partner with Microsoft stores but to exercise my leadership with the help of Microsoft.

I was so pumped after reading Diego's article where he quoted Satya Nadella's encouragement to employees to "Use Microsoft as a platform to pursue your passion", and backed it up with his own realization that "instead of simply taking advantage of Microsoft as a platform to achieve my dreams, I could also find a way to make my dreams a platform that would make it easier for Microsoft to achieve its mission." I wanted that to be my reality.

2. Build a network of 'colleagues'

I didn't wait until I was graduating to start networking with Microsoft recruiters and employees. I was genuinely interested in building my network, not only so that I'm better set up come graduation, but if I was going to work at Microsoft in years to come, the people were what really mattered.

Last year I attended the National Society of Black Engineers annual conference in Detroit, in which I was able to meet a lot of Microsoft recruiters/employees that I had interacted with on LinkedIn. As much as someone can say that what they love about their employer is "the people", I needed to find out for myself.

I wasn't just hosting events at Microsoft stores, I was also volunteering alongside Microsoft employees. Last year I volunteered as a mentor for Microsoft's DigiGirlz day event at the Technology Center in Malvern, PA. This was another instance in which I was able to practice Microsoft's mission, by empowering and educating young girls about exploring STEM fields.

My goal wasn't to be recognised by and exposed to Microsoft employees, it just happened that a lot of employees could resonate, and well, they're human too. Earlier in this article, I talked about how my personal mission was to empower others to achieve more. The exposure wasn't necessarily the goal, but it was the byproduct of an aligned mission.

3. Educate myself about the company and its products

Last summer I took an Organisational Behaviours class in which for my final group project we were tasked to "choose a company that we believe has been effective in producing a high commitment, high-performance workforce, and present an analysis of the methods by the organization's managers and leaders to create this high performance/high commitment environment". This was the perfect opportunity to learn more about Microsoft and what I would be getting myself into in the years to come.

Through this class and final project, I was not only able to learn more about Microsoft's history and background, but their current standing as it pertains to Affective, Normative and Continuance Commitment. (Without knowing it, this was knowledge that I could later leverage when interviewing or talking with employees.)

I also started being more intentional about the products I used. After using Evernote during the majority of my high school in Scotland, I made the switch to Microsoft's OneNote and used the opportunity to show how this tool can empower students to achieve more within the classroom. Check out the post I made here.

4. Speak things into existence

I think this section speaks for itself.

It got to a point that a lot of my friends knew that I wanted to end up at Microsoft. I guess you could say my words and actions were seeds that I was sowing. It was Akosua's story that really fueled my fire. "If she can, I can". Her encouragement and support has been amazing!

I wasn't just speaking things into existence by telling people, but I visualised it by putting a Microsoft sticker on my laptop, wearing a Microsoft tassle on my bag, etc. Most importantly, I acknowledged God and presented my plans to him so that he may straighten my path. At the beginning of this article, I mentioned Galatians 6:9 which says "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." By God's grace, I have reaped what I sowed.

Final Takeaway:

I abruptly relocated to America as a senior in high school in Scotland, UK. With plans shattered, friends thousands of miles away and an education system that was so foreign to me, I was tasked with building my life from the ground up. I was forced to learn how to survive, because my future literally depended on it. 1 year after my relocation, I promised myself that I would write a story on thriving, not merely surviving. Interning at Microsoft was the result of honouring where I was with my best effort. Microsoft will be my 6th internship in my 4 years of college and as much as I felt guilty for 'taking up space', I soon realised that my intention has always been to create room. My playing small doesn't serve the world..so I might as well shine.

I am taking a seat and leaving a seat, because this was never about me. As a leader, it was never about me knowing more or having a title, but doing what is best for the people who are following me...

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I hope this made you think differently about your dreams and the impact that you can make while reaching them. Steward, then secure.

Yours truly, #BoundlessBlessing