Kirsten
Q: Who are you? Where are you from?
A: My name is Kirsten. I’m originally from the Chicago area (Aurora, IL), but I moved out to Boston/Cambridge for school and I’ve been here ever since.
Q: What’s your background? What did you do before Modulate?
A: I was originally a Software Engineer. I specialized in front end things, but I did a mix of work. I did that for several years before transitioning to a Technical Program Manager. I was a TPM at Google for a little over three years before joining the Modulate team.
Q: Why are you joining Modulate?
A: I am joining Modulate because I believe in the company values and want to enable those to the best of my ability. I believe that one of the best ways to create an open and honest environment is to have an environment where everyone feels safe and happy.
Q: What’s your ideal work environment? Any special strategies you use to stay effective?
A: I like clear communication and deadlines. I want to know what stuff is my responsibility and what is not. I want a clear domain to oversee. I generally use online Project Management software to store my To Do items so that they can be accessed wherever.
Q: Tell us about something you must have in any culture you join?
A: I need people who want to interact with each other outside of work. Ideally, I would like to know all of my coworkers as people, not just as fellow employees.
Q: Who are you outside of work?
A: I am the organizer of the friend groups. I decide on cool stuff for us to do and then we do it. I do also enjoy when other people schedule stuff, although that tends to happen less frequently.
Q: What’s something you’re great at that few people realize?
A: I am very good at nipping tiny problems in the bud before they fully form. I’m the one that makes sure there’s always toilet paper and soap stocked up in the bathrooms. I can tell when something is in danger of being overlooked and call attention to it discreetly. I notice when someone is being left out of the conversation and go out of my way to bring them into it.
Q: Leave us with a fun tidbit - a favorite joke, a story from your past, an obscure riddle, whatever you like!
A: During my first October as a real adult (after I graduated from college), I ran an event that I called 31 Days of Halloween, where I did a Halloween activity every day during the month of October. Sundays and Wednesdays were Halloween themed movie nights (Addams Family, Ghostbusters, etc), Fridays were Scary Movie Nights, Mondays were fun events around Boston, Tuesday was Spooky Snacks (Halloween themed baking), Thursdays were Costume Making Seminars and Saturdays were adventures further afield (Fright Fest at Six Flags, the Jack O’Lantern festival in Rhode Island, etc). It was my most ambitious Halloween themed thing to date.
