Hi All,

We had a wonderful field trip yesterday with the young women from Franklin HS. We went on tours to the Microsoft Home of the Future and to the Datacenter. Everyone made us feel so welcome. Then we all joined up for lunch and a panel discussion. There were so many Microsoft employees that took part, it is another all time record. I want to thank each and every one of you who makes this event so special for us.

First thank you to Mylene Padolina, Sr. Diversity Consultant, and Janice Hunter, Microsoft Global Diversity and Inclusion Specialist, who makes sure everything is all set to go and takes such good care of our group. Thank you !!

Thank you to Julie Brown, Event Coordinator for the Home of the Future. Thank you Julie for making us always feel so welcome.

Thank you to the tour leader this week for the Home of the Future, David Gallager, Program Manager, it was a great tour, everyone really loved it. Thank you !!

A big thank you to the wonderful people at the Datacenter who made us feel so welcome. You all really shared so much about what you do and what happens in the Datacenter. Thank you to David Meachum (Director Microsoft IT), Robert Stout (Gtoc Service Lead), Billi Lynn Happ (Program Manager), Karen Miller (Group Manager), Eloisa Shogreen (Telecom Analyst), David Wittrell (Telecom Analyst), and Peggy Porter (Telecom Analyst). It was a fantastic experience at the Datacenter, where we were able to sit at a roundtable and have all the questions answered. Everyone shared their story. It was just great!!

A big thank you to the wonderful lunchtime presenters. Lindi Chatterton, Jennifer R. French, Ki Sung Kang, Maxwell Long , Betsy Norton-Middaugh, Joanne Patterson, and Jacqueline Russell. You could hear a pin drop. The young women were facinated by all your stories. You really connected with the girls and made it a very special experience. Thank you!!

Thank you to the wonderful staff from Franklin HS. Thank you to Barbara Lynch and Steve Simmons. You are such great teachers and such an inspiration to your students. Thank you Paula Heidelman, who helped us out to much!! We are so lucky to have you both.

Here are the comments from the girls evaluation forms, They do always say it best.

• I liked how people at Microsoft were really communicating with us, and answered the questions that we had.
• I really liked the way the employees communicated with us. I thought it couldn't have been better. It was great. It was interesting to learn about how everyone had a different way to get there, and different education levels.
• What I liked today was the tour of the house and how important technical is in today's society. I learned it is up to me to choose a career. I really liked hearing everyones life struggle and how they made it through.
• I liked how everyone had a story to tell. I learned what everyone does and what they like about it.
• I liked how everyone had a different story to tell. It was interesting how everyone had no care about technology and somehow go involved.
• The most interesting thing I learned today was what everyone does and what they like about it so much.
• I liked the Home of the Future. It was interesting yet very informative to see what Microsoft is developing right now.
• I liked the Smart House and how everybody talked to us. I learned what types of jobs there are, and the gangbanger guy he was the most interesting.
• The Microsoft Home was very cool. I was surprised that not everyone had college degrees.
• I liked when the speakers talked about their experiences.
• Today's event was useful. I've learned a lot from many of the speakers and how many had to reach out in life and obtain your goal.
• The Home of the Future Tour was very interesting.I didn't know that breaking stuff is a talent. ( She is talking about software testing)
• I liked going around looking at the world in 5-10 years. I liked hearing about the backgrounds everyone came from.
• Volunteer speakers are very motivational. I really liked hearing the background experiences of Microsoft employees.
• I loved to get to know the environment at Microsoft. I like the employees here and they are so friendly and very encouraging to us to go after what we like to do or have interest in. I liked to hear how they got involved in technology and their personal stories.
• I liked almost everything. I learned so much and am very inspired.
• I liked the speakers. They gave me a lot of info. I liked all the info because it is new to me.
• I liked everything about today's event. There isn't anything I didn't like. The most interesting thing was hearing how everyone got into their jobs.
• I liked to learn about the different jobs here. I learned how to network and I did some networking. And from some of the speakers talks, I actually considered some new careers.
• I liked talking to the panel. It was great hearing about their stories and how they ended up at Microsoft.
• The event was cool. I love the Home of the Future and it made me think about it more. The most interesting thing today was hearing the people speak. I learned about their jobs.
• What I liked best was the employees at Microsoft talk about their careers. I heard that passion is the key to getting a job. All that I wanted to hear was spoken about.
• I liked all the information they gave. I learned that there are so many different "subjects" inside a company.
• The thing I liked best today was the panel and how they got to tell us about their life stories.
• I liked how everyone had a different background story and that they are all successful. All the information was useful. I really liked the Asian man's story about being a gangster.
• I liked the panel and the stories they told. The stories were the most interesting thing I heard today.
• I liked how diverse MS was in terms of jobs and people. I loved the guest speakers. You can travel and still work for MS.
• I liked it all , it was cool. Everything I heard was interesting.
• I liked the tour of the Home of the Future. It was amazing learning about the new technology for the future. I liked the story from the man from Tacoma.
• I was exposed to a lot. I saw a whole bunch of interesting things. Hearing about how the people got to where they are now.
• I liked the Microsoft Home. It was very interesting. I had a lot of fun. I liked hearing peoples stories.
• Today's event was fantastic. The future home was just what I wanted. The man who talked about his like before he got to Microsoft.
• I mostly liked how they told their stories. It was very inspiring. I liked how diverse group was brought in.
• I had a great time and the information that we given is very useful. You guys did a great job. I had a great time at the Microsoft Home, it was very interesting and it makes me look forward to the future. I think you guys are doing a swell job.
• I liked how the guest speakers tells about their personal life and career.
• I liked the Home. It is sooooooo... futuristic!! You guys went into depth about everything.
• The range of information and getting to know the background info of all the speakers, was great. The best part were all the different cultural and educational backgrounds of all the speakers.
• The most interesting thing I learned today was the many advice that was given by the speakers.
• What I liked best about today was learning that there are jobs out there that women can do and enjoy doing it.
• I liked how people from Microsoft were really communicated with us. and they thought over the questions that we asked.
• I learned that you can change careers and learn things you really want.
• I really liked the way the employees communicated with me. I thought it couldn't have been better, it was great.

It was a wonderful day.

Thank you so much,
Cathi
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