While celebrating Pride Month, we spoke with Stride’s Employee Experience Coordinator, Grace Powers, about her experience as a queer person in tech and how other members of the LGBTQ+ community can find support and success in the industry.

Grace, can you tell us about yourself and your background?

I’m Grace Powers, Stride’s Employee Experience Coordinator. In my role, I help develop, implement, and oversee programs that center our amazing team of Striders. Some of my favorite things to work on include our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, along with the work we do around employee wellness in a fully remote environment (my favorite perk that Stride offers is our monthly wellness stipend). 

My professional background, though, is in social work. Prior to pivoting to the tech industry, I worked in a variety of traditional social work roles (both as a full-time and contractor/independent worker) with a specialty in macro-level social work, reproductive and sexual health, and mental health. Working within mission-driven organizations has always been important to me, so joining Stride was an easy decision! Access to healthcare is a human right and everyone — regardless of their employment status — deserves affordable, reliable, and equitable healthcare.

What are some of your hobbies and interests?

I love traveling, learning new skills (right now, I’m teaching myself to play bass guitar and to code), seeing live music, giving back to my community, and supporting causes that I am passionate about. I also enjoy mentoring folks who are looking to pivot into tech from historic helping professions, like social workers and teachers.

What advice would you give to other LGBTQ+ individuals looking to start their career in tech/People Ops/HR?

I love this question! One of my favorite things to talk about with others is how to pivot to becoming a “dual professional,” or how to break into the tech industry from other sectors. I especially love talking about this topic with folks from historically excluded populations, including folks in the queer community.

The first piece of advice is to know and love your superpowers! My friend Tara Robertson talks about this. Everyone has unique superpowers—mine is being resourceful and being a change catalyst—and identifying and celebrating yours is crucial. Be your biggest fan and learn how your superpowers can be an asset in work settings, especially tech.

Secondly, network! There are many invaluable tech communities out there for folks in the LGBTQ+ community. The organization Lesbians Who Tech & Allies is a great place to start. My colleague, Bianca Curutan, has some helpful networking tips that I would recommend as well.

What challenges have you faced because you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community?

It’s important that I acknowledge the immense privilege I have as a pansexual, white, cisgender woman living in the Bay Area. As a more femme-presenting person, if I’m not in a queer relationship, I am often read as straight. The ability to hide my queerness grants me things that others may not get, like safety or the ability to not act as an educator when I’m simply trying to live life.

Growing up in the Midwest, though, being queer had its challenges. Invalidation, stares, and rude comments weren’t uncommon when I was out with partners who weren’t cisgender men. 

There is also the issue of bisexual/pansexual erasure, which is the idea that bisexuality or pansexuality isn’t a legitimate sexual orientation. According to Health.com, this stigma can result in harmful health outcomes, such as higher rates of anxiety or depression.

What does Pride Month mean to you?

To me, Pride means reflecting on our history, the progress that’s been made, and celebrating authenticity, resilience, and community. 

How does Pride show up at Stride?

Right now, we’re reinvigorating a community at Stride called Allyship, which is essentially an employee resource group that was started several years ago by past employees. There is a lot of interest in participating in DEI efforts internally, which is great. 

One of Stride’s company values is Diversity Fuels Us, and our Allyship work is one way this value shows up at Stride. Our Allyship work has focused on queer celebration and LGBTQ+-specific issues, along with centering on other historically excluded communities. One of the things I cherish most about our Allyship work is that we don’t focus solely on the oppression itself, but also the joy, resilience, and power historically excluded communities hold. 

The work we do internally is not only important for employees, but these efforts trickle outwards and positively impact our members who are part of historically excluded communities.

Want to join Grace and help people get affordable benefits? We’re hiring!