The job title: Program Manager, Mobile Communications Business/Windows Devices Core
What are you working on right now?
I’m the program manager for the out-of-box experience, and the connectivity user experience. I also work on integrating Windows Mobile services into the platform.
What’s your favorite Microsoft benefit?
Getting to be who I am. I can have my blue hair and my crazy clothing and talk about my music and not feel like I’m violating some corporate policy about not having an outside life. Microsoft really gets that intelligence and passion can come in any type of package imaginable.
I’ve got a diverse background — ethnically, professionally, and in all other ways. I come from New York, I’m tri-racial. I’ve lived all over the country. My career has spanned journalism, technical writing, teaching, marketing, graphic design, web design, web development, instructional design, and publishing.
It’s to the detriment of other companies that they believe employees should look a certain way, act a certain way, speak a certain way, go to certain schools, or study this certain discipline in order to be a fit for their company.
At Microsoft, you can be brilliant and look completely weird. You can have gone to a no-name school or even not graduated from college. What’s important is that you have awesome background and a fresh perspective.
Coming from such a diverse industry background, what’s different about working at Microsoft?
And that is not Microsoft.
I love that I’m able to fund my dreams and come to work every day being excited about the products we make and the fact that we are, in some ways, changing the world.
I love that I can recycle everything when I’m at work — I don’t have to deviate from my morals and personal standards to work here. I work for a company that gives to charity, cares about the environment, and cares about the community.
Nice! So, going back a bit: you mentioned doing music. Tell me more!
I sing and play piano, flute, and guitar. I’ve been in bands since high school, and when I moved out here to Seattle, I went solo and am releasing a CD. In fact, my CD release party is on October 31st, at the McLeod Residence in Belltown!
Come to Aradia’s CD release!
8pm October 31st, 2008
@ Mcleod Residence in Seattle
Three members of my band who are performing with me are from my division at work. I’ve been in Seattle for two years — and after putting ads all over the place looking for bandmates, I’d only met one person I wanted to play with. Then I just got really lucky and realized, “Hey! I’m surrounded by all these great musicians!” I’ve got Scott Borton, Program Manager on keyboards; James Drage, Senior Developer on guitar; and Eddie Escarto-Raffo, Developer on drums. You should come to the show!
Sing those links, girl!
• Myspace.com/aradiasmusic
• Arad1a.com
• Self Released Debut Album: The Oddyssey. Available at the show on Oct 31st. Perhaps around town in upcoming weeks.
Comments on "Best MSFT benefit: “Getting to be who I am.”
Dew Drop - October 25, 2008 | Alvin Ashcraft's Morning Dew said:
25 October 2008 5:41 am[...] Best MSFT Benefit: "Getting to Be Who I Am" (Ariel Meadow Stallings) [...]
John Saunders said:
26 October 2008 3:21 pm“It’s to the detriment of other companies that they believe employees should look a certain way, act a certain way, speak a certain way, go to certain schools, or study this certain discipline in order to be a fit for their company.”
I just wanted to comment that this statement alone has encouraged me to pursue a potential opportunity that’s come across my plate that may have me wearing that blue badge soon as well.
I’m also a musician, an artist, a skydiver and, above all, a passionate geek eager to be that not-so-norm guy on the team that stays late because he has a gig on that side of town anyway.
Rock on girl! Thanks for this post.