While celebrating Pride Month, we spoke with Stride’s Engineering Manager, Alex George, about his experience as a gay person in tech and how other members of the LGBTQ+ community can find support and success in the industry.

Alex, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you ended up at Stride?

I grew up in a small rural town in Connecticut, so small we had to be bussed over to the neighboring town to go to high school. While it was beautiful, it was a bit of a bummer since there wasn’t much exposure to tech and coding throughout my primary schooling. I fumbled around with a few majors in college and figured, “I'm good with computers — let me do computer engineering,” which kick-started my engineering career. 

Like most graduates in my field, I landed a software job instead of going into hardware. This job became my first taste of management. I found myself helping grow my company's innovation program, creating a platform that allows engineers to explore new technologies and productize out-of-the-box ideas. I realized I got the most enjoyment out of my job when I was able to set the groundwork for others to do their best work.

A few years later, I moved away from the east coast, started learning web development, and found what it actually takes to manage engineers. I finally grew into a management role at my second job; all that was left was finding a company with a mission that I could get excited about. Along came Stride, a company looking to help people and a place where I could see my impact on making their customers’ lives better.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I am currently located in Denver, so most of my active time is either spent in the mountains or with friends around the city. I discovered my love for hiking, camping, and most things outdoors. When not exploring the Rockies, I spend a lot of my time playing video games, board games, baking/cooking, listening to music (check out Rina Sawayama and MUNA), and trying out random new hobbies (it turns out that sewing can be pretty fun). 

How do you celebrate Pride and what does it mean to you?

To me, Pride is the ability to celebrate and live authentically as yourself — without shame. I do this myself and try to encourage everyone else I know to do the same. Life is too short to pretend to enjoy things or put on a facade just so others will like you better or “put up with you.” It means being proud of who you are at your core and not letting any single person or group of people stop you from being yourself. 

I celebrate Pride in a more active way by being part of LGBTQ+ sports leagues and attending local events. I enjoy being surrounded by a like-minded group of people who come from different backgrounds and walks of life but have similar experiences. 

Who (or what) were your biggest role models and influences growing up?

Growing up was tough because I wasn't living in a community that had LGBTQ+ role models until I went off to college and started working. I struggle to remember any singular moments or people in my community who helped shape who I am or made me proud to be who I was. In that sense, like many others, growing up was tough.

All that is to say my role models became my coworkers and friends, the ones who took the time to be unabashedly themselves — and most of them didn't know the impact they made. This is why I find representation so important. When you are able to see someone like you in a position you either want to be in or in the same one you are now, it helps to show others that things will be okay. I’ve had scrum masters, directors, peers, and friends who have been out and proud at work and they have made the biggest impact on who I am today and how I live my life.

What excites me? The future seems bright for younger generations. LGBTQ+ representation in media, and even in smaller communities, has come such a long way from when I was growing up. We now have out actors, musicians, and comedians, and representation in TV shows, movies, and media is more prominent. We are telling children who are still finding themselves to continue being who they are. 

What advice do you have for LBGTQ+ folks looking to enter the engineering space? 

I would start with a quick reminder that the father of computer science, Alan Turing, was queer. 

On a more personal note, something I wish I did sooner was join support communities and actually reach out to the LGBTQ+ role models I looked up to. There will never be one piece of advice that solves everyone’s problems, so I would recommend looking to the people around you … and they are there. Reach out to coworkers to hear from their personal experiences, join DEI groups (inside or outside your workplace), and be yourself if you deem it safe to do so.

I’ll repeat one of Stride’s core values that I live by in my daily life: “Diversity fuels us. We grow stronger as a team by respecting, celebrating, and empowering our unique backgrounds and perspectives.” This cannot be achieved if you aren't living as yourself.

What makes you most proud to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community?

The resilience and openness to allow you to be yourself makes me so proud to be part of the LGBTQ+ community. It doesn’t matter how you dress, what music you listen to, how you talk, or what your hobbies are, the core of Pride and being in the LGBTQ+ community is to celebrate our differences and be unabashedly ourselves. While there are still people, states, and laws that want to tear this community down and ban us from being ourselves, I am so proud to know that we are stronger and we can handle whatever the future throws at us.