Unfortunately, saying thank you seems to be an after thought more and more. So at least once a month, I will take a few minutes to publicly appreciate someone that has had an impact on me.
This round: Stephanie Norton
I have many people in the software development industry that I would refer to as my friend. I met them within context of the industry: maybe we worked together, maybe we met at a conference, etc. Last year I had an experience that I don’t think I called out how incredibly special and meaningful it was. So better late than never!
I think I met Stephanie around 2000. She wasn’t a friend from work. She was a friend within a close group of friends that didn’t really talk about work. We were living out our 20s in downtown Chicago. Sure, we would sometimes share an event from work but at that stage, it felt like two very different worlds.
Jump forward to last year, my work friends had met more of my friends. However, my friends had never experienced my work world. Truthfully, I never really thought about this until the day that Stephanie asked about the conference I was speaking at. I told her it was local in Michigan and that although the conference is targeted for software development, there tends to be really solid management and leadership sessions that definitely apply in any industry. Stephanie is in the HR industry but she looked at the cost, the time and as she put it “an opportunity to see my friend speak”.
That day, I smiled when she arrived. I was so proud to have her there. I was so excited to share with her a part of me that I truly enjoy. And when she gave me a big hug after, my worlds came together. I kinda wish everyone had a Stephanie. The friend that finds surprising ways to be a friend.
So thank you for being a part of all of my worlds.
Tricia
Picture from Facebook of Steph in Chicago
