Sometimes, just a few words at the right moment can plant a seed that transforms everything. Bainbridge Island, Washington resident MJ DePalma knows first-hand how words can impact the course of a life. MJ’s role at Microsoft as the Senior Global Multicultural & Inclusive Marketing Lead is a direct result of a life-changing moment at a company-wide meeting. MJ recounts, “Our CVP, Rik van der Kooi, introduced himself to all of us for the first time, and he said something that literally changed my life: No matter what gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation you are, you have a role to play and you belong here.”
MJ had never heard a leader at that level of seniority, speak to a large group, using the phrase, "sexual orientation." MJ admits, “In that moment, I realised I’d always expected that part of who I am, that dimension of diversity, would never be seen, would never count in business or in my community.” She continues, “I learned these cultural cues that someone in the LGBTQI+ community wasn't quite fully counted nor equal. When Rik spoke, I got emotional and thought maybe I'm home. Maybe I'm in the right place where I could have an incredible future being exactly who I really am.”