I guess I’m somewhat of a mixed bag from a diversity standpoint. I present as Asian. Fact is, I am mainly of Chinese descent, with some Cuban from my great-grandfather on my mother’s side of the family. Culturally, I gravitate mainly toward my home country of Jamaica where I lived until I was 10 years old. Unless you consider Jamaican patois as a separate language, my language skills are limited to English. Having lived most of my life in NYC, I am, in reality, a Jamaican-Chinese-Cuban New Yorker who has lived and is still living the American Dream.

My take on TA is that it is a place that truly values diversity. I think people here have a great interest in other cultures and it is a place where everyone treats everyone else the same regardless of race, religion, gender or lifestyle.

TA gives me the opportunity to work in an environment that challenges me and provides ample growth opportunities — with an abundance of tools, resources and the sharpest people I know from which to learn. Add a dash of grit and a personal ambition, TA is a place where one can truly thrive. Plus, TA is an inclusive environment where I know my unique perspectives and ideas are valued. As a female representative on the TA Leadership team I am able to lend specific insights, identify solutions to problems, and work on initiatives to support the overall health and growth of the agency. And I feel valued and appreciated by my peers within this group.

TA also is very supportive to me as a mom. I have two young children, and balancing a demanding career with my desire to be the best mother I can is quite a challenge. It takes a certain fortitude individually for sure, and is really only possible with the support of an employer who recognizes the value of garnering a diverse set of perspectives and talents. But TA rises to that challenge and has been so flexible with my time and accommodating to my particular needs as a mother. They really do want me to succeed personally as well as professionally. And in my experience, that is rare as hell.

It requires attention to detail — creating an inclusive work environment that is respectful and flexible to the needs of its people. In my case, I so appreciated our generous maternity program, flexible time off and work-from-home opportunities. All of which make having a career and having a life possible.

I believe all of this healthy balance can only happen when a company understands that its most valuable asset is its people. And that maintaining a happy and fulfilled workforce results in a better work product and happier clients. It starts at the top with a very involved, passionate and compassionate CEO. Together with a president who is brilliant, organized and also happens to be as committed to her family as she is to her business. It’s easy to see how she’s a daily demonstration to the smart women in our agency, that the balance is possible.

I have the great privilege to work within our People, Places and Performance team as the Generalist. This means I work with potential candidates from the very beginning — each day I’m able to speak of the great agency I represent, and can do so with complete transparency. Point is, I love TA.

TA lives by eight core values: Communication, Optimism, Honesty, Curiosity, Invested, Grit, Creativity and last but not least — Diversity.

From day one, it was clear to me that it didn’t matter whether a person was green, orange, black, white or brown. What does matter is that you represent the eight core values mentioned above. Basically, to always do the right thing, even if no one is watching. TA as a whole inspires each individual to be their true, authentic self — to be proud of who they are and show the world why they rock — after all, we are what makes TA rock!

Prior to working at TA — I never felt I could be open at work about my sexuality, my husband or anything about my personal life. So much so that people always assumed my spouse was a woman. At TA, I feel empowered, I feel believed in and I feel loved. My firm belief that being different is a blessing and strength has emboldened throughout my time at TA. These feelings have instilled such confidence within me that today, I am proud of who I am, proud of my family and proud to work within a company that doesn’t see its people as employees, but human beings and family. At TA, we’re encouraged to chase our dreams. To embrace our true authentic selves. To recognize and accept that each of us may have differing beliefs … and that is ok!

TA offers many benefits that I have never heard of … To start, my spouse and I are currently enduring the surrogacy process — TA recognizes that our situation is different than the norm — that said, to ensure we are taken care of and set up to succeed, TA offers a 12-week fully paid leave with an additional 2-week flexible assimilation period. TA is currently working toward another amazing benefit to help all families working through the IVF process — jealous yet?

My spouse is an F35 pilot and a few months ago we found out we were being reassigned to a base outside of Utah — to say the least, I was heartbroken at the thought of leaving TA. Unbeknownst to me, TA went above and beyond, yet again … They showed their support for a military family by creating a way to keep me on and allow for me to work remotely. These are only a few pieces to the puzzle TA puts together to ensure each individual feels they are valued by the company they support day-in and day-out.

Today, I am grateful to represent the LGBTQ+ community within TA. TA simply doesn’t care who is gay, lesbian, straight, right, left, pink or blue. Just be a good person, respect others’ views and you’ll be a success.

Why have I stayed at TA for 14 years? Because I love the breadth and depth of job opportunities that have come from working here. Not only is there an amazing diversity of job opportunities in one company, but a diversity of life experience, background, talents, skill sets and opinions. How cool is it that a Poli-Sci major with a background in web development and photography can start as a production artist, become a senior art director and then jump to the digital technology side of the agency and become a senior development director?

The cherry on top is the amazing coworkers and clients I get to work with, the crazy good benefits, awesome free lunches and snacks — plus the fact that we just have a lot of freaking fun!