In honor of Amsterdam’s upcoming Pride Week celebrations, we’re spotlighting co-leads of our MiroQueers Employee Resource Group (ERG), Scott Sorensen and Faalon Andrews, who share their stories, experiences, and visions of an inclusive workplace.
Say hey, Scott!
“Hi! My name is Scott, I am based out of Oakland, CA, and work from the Miro San Francisco Hub! In my free time, I love to sing, cook, and exercise with my partner, Matthew, who is a professor. I love that we have a lot of literature at home, which keeps me learning. I joined Miro as an Executive Assistant on Valentine’s Day this year, and so far, it has been incredible. Previously, I worked at a company called Checkr where I was a leader in the Mental Wellness and LGBTQ+ ERGs. Now, I co-lead the MiroQueer community with Faalon Andrews, who I recently recruited to join our ERG.”
Say hey, Faalon!
“Hey! I’m Faalon. I’m a Commercial Account Executive at Miro, working out of the Austin hub in Texas. Outside of work, I live with my fiancée and my two cats. My fiancée is a yoga instructor, so she drags me into practicing yoga more regularly. Oh, I’m also a DJ! I joined Miro a little over a month ago, where I’m an active member of several ERGs, including the Black Excellence Group, and the MiroQueers community which I co-lead with Scott. As a person of color and an LGBTQ+ member, it is important to me to bring my personal touch and different perspectives to Miro.”
First question: why MiroQueers?
Scott: “The name of the MiroQueers community centers the word ‘queer,’ a former slur that is now a celebrated, informal, umbrella term for anyone in the LGBTQIA2S+ community. MiroQueers was founded in 2020, which is private and separate from the MiroPride group that’s open to everyone at Miro. We aim to provide a safe place for people who show up, those who are in the process, and those who don’t. This way, we hold spaces for people to speak up, be themselves, and connect with their peers.”
What inspired you to join and lead this ERG?
Scott: “The pandemic was hard for many people, and I personally felt compelled to break out of what I’ve traditionally been: An introvert. I learned to play an extrovert while on-screen to build connections, and to make remote work meaningful. I’ve grown my self-confidence during that time by deliberately creating an online community around me. As one of the MiroQueers leaders, I want to focus on creating this community feeling and togetherness even in this hybrid work model.”
Faalon: “For me, I want to extend our reach to everyone who identifies as queer, despite the location.”
How do you create a sense of togetherness for MiroQueers in a hybrid model?
Faalon: “We believe that we can blend in-person and remote in ways that meet the needs of both Miro and individual team members. To create this feeling of togetherness, we, the MiroQueers community, need a more substantial presence within our hubs to better understand where our population is. We also need leadership advocates to spread the message across all levels. Additionally, we need to appoint a MiroQueers leader for each hub to create in-person support and nurture our local actions.”
Scott: “Authenticity is our watchword; we want to create a safe and happy environment for anyone to be their authentic selves at work and in life. Empirical data shows that happiness, proactivity, and performance increase when conditions are in place to allow people to be their authentic selves. I absolutely believe Miro has those conditions, but we constantly have to evaluate and improve. Basically, we need a holistic approach to create our community and connections in this rapidly changing world.”
What are MiroQueers up to this Pride season?
Scott: “All year round, we organize different happenings and events around the needs of our community that become traditions. This summer, we’re planning events in different hubs and collaborative events with other ERGs at Miro. By opening our activities to the whole organization, we want to break down barriers and create the space for a more inclusive workplace.”
Faalon: “Miro is also a corporate sponsor of Out In Tech, the world’s largest non-profit community of LGBTQ+ tech leaders. Out In Tech creates opportunities for over 40,000 members to help advance their careers, grow their network, and leverage tech for social change. Moreover, Miro is actively taking part this year in the Rainbow Railroad donation campaign. Rainbow Railroad helps LGBTQIA2S+ people facing persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. Miro is matching employees’ donations to the fundraising campaign.”
Wow! You’re pretty busy!
Scott: “We know there is even more that we can accomplish together.”
What’s in the pipeline for next year?
Faalon: “Next year, we want to advance our Diversity and Inclusion activities at Miro by leading on a grassroots level. I would love to see more demographic representations in the hubs that acknowledge the intersectionality of people. As a Black and queer person, it is important to talk about this subject and bring together different perspectives.”
Scott: “Building strong relationships at work is extremely important, and we want to lay the foundations of an atmosphere with empathy, engagement, and inclusivity that encourages authenticity. We want to expand our reach and allyship to advance our mission for people to be their authentic selves and be heard all year. We wish to get more corporate sponsorship to establish those foundations. We want more people, more ideas, and more of everything! Because in the LGBTQIA2S+ space, more is needed to affect change.”
