I grew up deep in a quiet forest. Now, that forest is a bustling suburb, populated by tech transplants. As Microsoft grew up around me, it invested in the infrastructure that made Redmond a great place to be. The dirt soccer fields became turf, a mall grew, shifting the city center as certain stores opened and closed. Restaurants and grocery stores became more diverse. After working part-time in a Seattle investment firm throughout my undergrad, I dabbled in the legal field, got married and set my career ambitions on Microsoft, where parking was free.

As an English major, at Seattle University, I was well qualified to be an admin, or Executive Assistant as the terminology changed. I supported managers reporting to Chris Capossela leading up the the launch of latest Microsoft Office. After three years, I went on maternity leave, but my return to the office coincided with the Financial Crisis of 2007–08. My position was eliminated, so I hung out with my new baby for a couple years, then had another one. By the time kid #2 was walking, a friend called me from Valve and asked me to have lunch.

His office tour included the MOCAP studio, the artist’s corner, the swag room, lunch room and snack station, both of which were free of charge; then he ended with a pitch to work there. In my yearlong contract at Valve, I learned a lot about the company, their corporate culture, video games, gamers, efficiency and had a blast working at The International at Benaroya Hall. The 2,500‑seat venue drew thousands of fans over multiple days, along with players, coaches, production crews, and Valve staff.

Valve highlights include:

• Inflating ~60 Balloonicorns after hours to surprise visitors in the morning. I sat at the front desk and took my role as the public relations manager seriously. The next morning employees were surprised. They entered the space in disbelief and it brought a smile to their face. Guests were overjoyed to see one of their favorite game characters multiplied and tangible, right in front of them

• I gave hundreds of groups of fans tours through the Valve office and we always passed the mail room before the end. Inspired by my own teenage bedroom, I took every original gaming poster available from Valve and tacked them to the wall until there was no white space left. The feedback I got just from the mailroom was heartwarming; the mostly teen boys responded in a way that validated them as people, since that’s how their rooms looked as well.

• Greg Coomer was a very talented and respected artist at Valve and was responsible for known for his work in product design and character/environment concepting. He was reserved and quiet. Because the lobby was enclosed by glass, it felt like an austere aquarium. I was allowed budget for a single bouquet of flowers weekly. I contacted Fena Flowers https://www.fenaflowers.com/ and asked them to create the craziest, anti-wedding bouquet they could every week, and they did! Each bouquet was wilder than the last, with some looking outright alien. Greg lit up when he saw these unexpected, organic masterpieces and well, that just makes me happy.

I left Valve and returned to Microsoft as a contractor in a Marketing Manager position, supporting events hosted within the Microsoft stores. I absolutely loved this role, as I was given a wide berth to research, develop and bring to life hands-on workshops for the kindergarten through 12th grade students. I partnered with the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA to create badge workshops that scouts, or anyone could attend.

Since that role, I have supported marketing organizations across Microsoft with the intent to expand my exposure to different parts of the business, work across engineers, sales teams, and marketing to bridge the gap between technical product development, the market and my remit.

In early 2026, I joined Meta as a Technical Communications Program Manager during a reorg and layoffs. It was brief but valuable. I confirmed that my skills transfer quickly and hold up in unfamiliar, high-pressure environments.

Between contracts, I treat layoffs as built-in resets. I focus on home projects, cooking, and time with my family.

So, that’s kind of my story. When I’m employed, my personal writing slows down because I develop so much content during the day that I don’t want to sit when I don’t have to. I’ll put my random thoughts down below in Reflections whenever that Ideaphoria hits.

-Alyssa

4/28/2026