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Veterans Day Employee Spotlight: Saying Thank You For Your Service.

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Employee Spotlight: What Is Possible.

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Appy Hour: A Class on Connection (Video)

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Employee Spotlight: Pride is Power

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Employee Spotlight: An Intersectional Experience of May

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An Ally. A Military Spouse. A Soldier.

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T-Mobile's Kaylee Kenison, a former Iraq War medic, advocates for veterans who work for The Nature Conservancy and helps connect the organization with veterans through TNC's Veterans in Nature’s Service employee resource group

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Employee Spotlight: How These Magenta Rock Stars Go Green

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Earth Day The Nature Conservancy T-Mobile

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Joyce Christanio NextTech Diversity Program T-Mobile

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Black History Month Employee Spotlight: Joyce Christanio Is Leading The Charge For Change With The NextTech Diversity Program

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Employee Spotlight: Changing Careers After Military Service, a Veteran’s Story

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Claudia Gordon T-Mobile Senior Accessibility Partner

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Employee Spotlight: Disability Awareness Starts with All of Us — and Benefits All of Us

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Diversity Equity and Inclusion at T-Mobile

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Employee Spotlight: Why This Customer Care All-Star and Artist Is “Proud to Be”

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As T-Mobile renews its commitment to hiring 10,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2023, one veteran employee shares a journey from hiding his PTSD to being encouraged to share his true story and supported with mental health resources to manage the challenges he faces.

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When you thank Jamie Weare for his service you might notice he doesn’t say the words “Thank You.” Instead, he uses a universal language by signing the phrase with his hands. It’s a visceral response to your gratitude, even if, as Jamie admits, you’re most likely unaware of the specific sacrifices he’s made. 

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“When I got into the civilian world, I felt people didn’t really grasp it at the time,” explains the T-Mobile interim coach at the Menaul Call Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “They understood something happened and there’s a lot of ‘sorry for your loss’ and ‘thank you for your service,’ but to understand what that really means I think you have to have a loved one who served or have served yourself.”

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What happened to Jamie after joining the Infantry in 2001 is not just a memory you neatly tuck away and move on from. It’s a part of who he is, and it’s also the part of him he suddenly felt he needed to hide when he began his journey back into civilian life. 

‘It’s become easier to talk about the accident,” says Jamie. “It’s the 20th anniversary this year. On March 29th 2002 I was involved in a training accident where a 120 mortar round misfired and basically exploded inside the tube. As a result of that accident three of my brothers in the vehicle with me that night never left Fort Irwin in Barstow, California.”

Jamie says he recuperated at the VA for almost 3 months, but emotionally he knew he also had to learn to cope. He remained in the army until 2004 partly because of opportunities he still wanted to accomplish and also because admittedly there was comfort in being surrounded with people who had similar experiences and understood his struggles. 

“Returning to civilian life was a challenge,” he says in reference to the mental health effects of his experience. “I had several jobs along the way and I felt like a lot of what came with me as a veteran is just swept under the rug and the only job that understood who I was and encouraged me to have an open dialogue about it and participate in different events to help others who have post-traumatic stress disorder was T-Mobile.”

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When he applied for a job with T-Mobile after another telecommunication company he worked for closed its store during the pandemic, Jamie says he was unaware that the company was designated by Military Friendly® as a top Military Friendly Employer and Military Spouse Friendly employer, or that T-Mobile had made a <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/responsibility/community/military">commitment</a> to hire 10,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2023 (the company is about 84% there!).  But, he says from the first day he stepped into his new role it was apparent what kind of support he was going to receive. The real kind.

“It’s not a publicity stunt,” he says with a smile when asked if he feels truly appreciated for his service at work. “T-Mobile doesn’t just say thank you, they honor you for the whole person you are. The skills I learned in the Army have made me flexible and translate well at work. T-Mobile has given me opportunities to use those skills in several different areas: I have been in closed loop, an interim associate trainer, and now an interim coach!”

Jamie says beyond being invited to NYC in 2021 to participate in the Veterans Day Parade and being connected with other veterans and supporters through T-Mobile’s more than 11,000 member strong Veterans & Allies Employee Resource Group, he also was able to take advantage of health benefits that catered towards goals of managing his PTSD. 

“T-Mobile has an amazing benefit that gives you 10 free counseling sessions to help you try different counselors to see what works for you,” says Jamie, “and that’s what I was able to do. My PTSD is so much more manageable now, even without the need for medication.”

Aware of the <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/mobile-mindfulness-the-future-of-mental-health">staggering statistic</a> regarding how many U.S. veterans continue to report having developed a mental health condition such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, the company has tailored elements of its wellbeing resource <a href="https://www.livemagenta.com/">LiveMagenta</a> for its veteran employees requiring support.

Jamie says he also has made use of the company’s childcare subsidy for his family and the tuition reimbursement program to attend The University of Arizona Global Campus to continue his higher education free of charge. He says when he first found a job opening at the T-Mobile call center, he had no idea about the company’s commitment to veterans and veteran family employment. But he says since the moment he applied for a position and reported his veteran status, he has seen for himself the investments being made to the military community. 

Jamie says he is proud that T-Mobile continues a presence at hundreds of job fairs and Veterans Affairs offices across the country and also partners with not-for- profit organizations such as <a href="https://www.hiringourheroes.org/">Hiring our Heroes</a>, <a href="https://fourblock.org/">FourBlock</a>, and <a href="https://www.warriors4wireless.org/">Warriors4Wireless</a> to help fund career readiness programs and community support initiatives.

He says he was excited to hear that the company also expanded its successful <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/returnship-helps-veterans-reenter-workforce">TechX Returnship Program</a> to include veterans. TechX Returnship is a partnership with <a href="https://www.reachire.com/">reacHIRE</a> that helps facilitate paths to leadership roles for women—and now veterans— returning to the workforce in technology roles. The program provides opportunities to those with tech-centric resumes who’ve taken a long professional career break to care for family members, raise children, or to serve in the military.

“There are so many resources,” says Jamie. “I feel in my experiences there have been a lot of companies that don’t want to talk about the realities of serving and would rather hide behind the guise of ‘Thank you for your service.’ But T-Mobile really is there with impactful support for veterans.”

Jamie’s vulnerability about the challenges he’s faced is as disarming as his positivity. He’s the personification of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps. An indelible force of human spirit. And this year, Jamie received the company’s PEAK Achievement Award, the pinnacle of recognition at T-Mobile, which goes to the top 3% employees who are nominated by leadership and peers for being outstanding in job performance and company values. Winners and their plus-one are treated to an all-expenses-paid trip to Maui to celebrate alongside the company’s senior leadership team, including CEO Mike Sievert. 

“Going to PEAK was an amazing experience,” says Jamie. “Just a week of love and celebration and meeting with senior leadership to hear directly from them how we’re making an impact on the business. Words can’t express my true feelings when I try to explain why I am so happy to be working for T-Mobile,” says Jamie. “It gave me back so many things I had lost.” 

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To learn more about T-Mobile’s employment initiatives, plan discounts, and ongoing community investments and support for servicemembers and their families, head to the <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/responsibility/community/military">T-Mobile Military Landing Page</a>.

As T-Mobile renews its commitment to hiring 10,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2023, one veteran employee shares his personal story.

Veterans Day Employee Spotlight: Saying Thank You For Your Service

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Veterans Day Employee Spotlight: Saying Thank You For Your Service. - T-Mobile Newsroom

This National Disability Employment Awareness Month, one T-Mobile employee is sharing her story to highlight the importance of the company’s latest disability advocacy and accessibility awards and explain how equitable hiring opportunities can provide meaningful employment for those with disabilities.

When Susan Jolly was 19, she was in a car accident that resulted in an incomplete Cervical 4/5 spinal cord injury (SCI) that left her quadriplegic. There is no way she can convey what transitioning to her new life was like. So, she doesn’t try. Susan simply says she is grateful for influences of others that made her resilient. 

“I was very goal driven even as a young child thanks to people in my life,” says the Senior Manager in the Product and Technology Department at T-Mobile. “I started setting goals for myself even at 7 years old, like that I was going to be a professional woman working alongside men in corporate America. That dream has come true.”

Susan thinks big picture in most anything you discuss in her life, and her decisions all read like steppingstones to large scale pursuits. She’s a woman who has overcome incredible obstacles to achieve professional goals such as graduate with her MBA and have a successful career in technology as well as personal ones to become a mother, of a now 27-year-old son, even after sustaining her injury. A staunch believer in the value of financial independence for people with disabilities, it’s no surprise that her very first job after her life was turned upside down was as an advocate at the Independent Living Center in Los Angeles. 

“It was my first job after my accident” she says, “and where I learned to live my life with my disability. Getting people meaningful employment where they can independently provide for themselves is the best gift you can give a person with a disability. Period.” 

This National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Susan is sharing her story to highlight the important Equity In Action efforts that T-Mobile has accomplished and is committed to continue in the space of accessibility, as well as regards to hiring initiatives within the disability community at large.

“I’ve been helping with a Diversity and Inclusion pilot here at T-Mobile,” she explains, regarding the company’s most recent partnership with organizations like the American Association of People with Disabilities to provide paid summer internships for those who qualify (you can read one such intern’s story on our <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/gaad2022">Newsroom</a>).

“It’s taught us a lot of what’s working and what we need to work on,” says Susan. We want people to become employed at T-Mobile but I don’t see a lot of people like me, in part because it’s not an easy path to get here. I’m a persistent person and I don’t give up so the best thing I can do is help blaze a trail and show others the way.”

It’s that sort of persistence that has led to T-Mobile’s latest accolades within the space of disability advocacy and accessibility awareness. With the former disability advisor at the White House during the Obama administration, <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/disability-awareness-claudia-gordon">Claudia Gordon</a>, at the helm as a Senior Accessibility Partner, the company has been full-steam ahead with its Equity In Action plan as part of its larger Diversity, Equity and Inclusion actions.

“At T-Mobile, disability inclusion and accessibility are essential part of our company culture and brand’s promise,” says Claudia. “We are proud to be recognized by <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fpulse%2Finclusion-powers-our-culture-deeanne-king%2F%3FtrackingId%3DsyDo7oS9S3ijXKpSauRjbA%253D%253D&data=05%7C01%7CMolly.Byerly1%40T-Mobile.com%7C1983992331de43b15eeb08da808cbd8f%7Cbe0f980bdd994b19bd7bbc71a09b026c%7C0%7C0%7C637963639211609187%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=160DZRkgS5MCyHtJRNykyZWQPtNkqJMInSWohwDYtrw%3D&reserved=0">Disability:IN as the Employer of the Year</a> and as <a href="http://NOD.org/seal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2022 Leading Disability Employer by the National Organization on Disability</a> (NOD). These honors reflect the work of employees like Susan Jolly across the company who bring our culture of “Be You” to life every day at the Un-carrier.”

And Susan says the continuous examination of what it means to each person to have a reliable system of equitable accessibility is necessary.

“The one thing I found is T-Mobile cares and wants to hire people with disabilities, but when we talk about equality, it may not be the way you define it because if I have visual or hearing loss and I can’t see or hear the information I need to do my job, then I need to have the tools to receive it in a different way than others,” explains Susan. “We believe in equality here, but equity is our focus when it comes to creating spaces for people with disabilities to have a positive workplace experience.”

Susan started a <a href="http://femalewheelrider.com/">personal blog</a> called “What is Possible — Living Life as a Female WheelRider!” to share those lived experiences in hopes of empowering people like her as they navigate both their professional and personal worlds. What she was surprised to find is that much of the advice she was offering on her blog, which consists of topics such as career tips, leveraging technology, helpful training resources, and finding purpose and motivation, was inspiring non-disabled readers as well. She says early on many of her colleagues were coming to her in search of a mentor for things as universal as goal setting in their careers. People like Rushy Reddy.

“Without Susan’s guidance, mentorship, and support, I would not be where I am in my career today,” the T-Mobile supply chain manager says. “I’ve worked for Susan for two years, and in that period she has been instrumental in my journey to not just become a people leader, but one that leads with empathy, integrity, and courage. She sets the bar high and she never lets her disability be the deciding barrier to what she sets out to achieve.” 

Rushy says Susan’s superpower is her ability to make time, holding bi-weekly syncs that focused on short-term and long-term goals that, he says, gave him tools he needed to grow both personally and professionally.

“What I’m most proud of at my tenure at T-Mobile isn’t the code I’ve developed or budgets I’ve successfully run, but instead is developing people,” says Susan.

And she hopes that by sharing her story, people will review any unconscious bias they may have about people with disabilities, so that we can all be open to learning from one another.

“There’s an innovative mindset I need in my personal life that translates well in my work life,” she says. “And people don’t always realize that because it’s not something you put on your résumé. But the most important skill I see in people with disabilities is we are innovative in order to survive in our everyday lives. And people don’t realize that innovation comes to work with us. They just see it as this disability, which limits the importance of our problem-solving abilities in many different contexts to be part of the driving force for moving T-Mobile forward.” 

This National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a T-Mobile employee shares her story of disability advocacy.

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Since 2017, T-Mobile’s Cydni Russell has carved out a place in her schedule and heart for older people in her community, inspired by her love for a woman a state line away. Here she shares her story, as well as a handy how-to video that answers one of the most common questions she gets asked: “How do I save photos from my messaging apps to my phone?”

Once a month, a room in the <a href="https://www.lakemaryfl.com/senior-center" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lake Mary Senior Center</a> fills with raised hands, mobile devices and at least a little bit of magenta.

When Cydni Russell, T-Mobile retail associate manager, moved to the Orlando suburb of Sanford, Florida from Alabama in 2011, she didn’t unpack grand designs to help hundreds of local older adults with a range of wireless basics and in-depth tech tips.

But six years into her career at T-Mobile, she was looking for ways to build up a brand relationship with her community, and the idea found her.

“Appy Hour is an hour-long class,” she explains, “and every month, we talk about a different application of the students’ choice.”

Lake Mary’s director tallies requests and emails Cydni the popular choice a few weeks before each class. She readies a three-slide presentation, and they cover this topic for the first 30 minutes.

“But the second half, that’s their favorite part — open Q&A. Some of our students come in with a notebook full of questions. And then, as we help them with their phones, their tablets and their watches, they take notes.”

“Older adults will sometimes come into our stores, buy a phone, and need someone to sit down and teach them a few things,” Cydni says. “So the need exists. But when people ask me why I started Appy Hour, I really just did it because of my Grandma Pru.”

Any time Cydni’s grandmother needs help with her device, she calls. “It made me wonder, how many other grandmothers are out there without someone who lives nearby to ask? One day, an older person came into the store asking for help adding a new contact to their phone, something so simple. And helping is just the right thing to do, especially because none of us would be here without these folks. So that’s what really did it — that’s the aha moment. It’s about my grandma.”

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Before Cydni’s grandmother inspired Appy Hour, she was the reason Cydni landed in Orlando.

Eleven years ago, Cydni and her one-year-old son Ethan were living living arrangement in which she didn’t feel safe, she explains, so her grandmother picked them up late at night and moved them into her own home. The two had always had a special bond, but as she tried to plan the next steps for herself and her one-year-old, her grandmother shared a story Cydni hadn’t heard before.

“After bedtime, she came into the room where I was staying and sat down. And there can be a lot of stigma around talking about volatile domestic situations but she told me that she had also been in a difficult relationship, and that’s why she’d taken her kids and moved to Orlando all these years ago.” They moved again later, to be closer to family in Alabama, but the story inspired Cydni, and her planning was done.

In Florida, Cydni says, “It took a community. At one point my manager at an earlier Metro store had me place Ethan in the same daycare system as his child, so if I was stuck at work, he could do pickup for me. There was a time when it felt like everyone in my store was on my son’s pickup list. That’s how we made it work together, and that’s how I was able to grow with this company.”

Years later, with her grandmother in mind once more, Cydni checked with her manager about her idea. “The time’s yours, I’ve got your back,” she remembers him saying. So, she got to work.

“I just started looking up senior centers in our community. I made a list, started calling them up, and the first location I called, their response was: ‘Please, because get these questions and we need someone who knows what they’re doing!’” Cydni remembers the director at the time explaining that she had an iPhone and knew some iOS tricks, but so many members had different devices that helping was hard.

The topics students request run the mobile device gamut, so Appy Hour classes have covered topics from GPS and location services to social media. “When we get to Q&A,” Cydni says, “of course, there are basic questions on how to save a contact, how to FaceTime.”

But what’s Cydni asked most often? “How do I take a picture from Facebook and save it to my phone?” “Sometimes they want to know how to upload pictures, but most often, they want to save a picture of someone in their family from Facebook to their phones,” she says.

For the benefit of all those out there who could use a little more connection, here’s Cydni’s helpful step-by-step explanation of the most common question her students at Lake Mary have: “How do I save a photo from my messaging apps to my phone?”

“They get a lot of pictures from their grandkids, too, and they want to know how to take a picture from their text messages and save it to their phones or print it out. So, we go into teaching about those things as well, with the printer at the Senior Center.”

For years, Cydni helped students at the Lake Mary Senior Center with their devices and helped them connect with their families across distances. “One woman, in particular, has been trying to set me up with her son for the longest time. You know how you can tell when you’ve earned someone’s trust? When they’re ready to make you a member of their family,” Cydni says. “And she’s a firecracker. She takes over the room! And she’s always so proud to let everyone else know that she’s been going to Appy Hour since day one, the first class.”

In early 2020, Appy Hour earned Cydni a place in T-Mobile’s 2019 Winners Circle, an annual company award program based on nominations and performance. Another Metro by T-Mobile store reached out about the program, eager to implement it in their own community. “They’d just done their very first class,” she remembers. Then, the pandemic happened.

“When COVID hit, one of the first thoughts I had was about how of course we couldn’t have classes anymore. It was just too dangerous. But I did reach out and share my email address, and a few of the students would FaceTime me with their questions.”

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Cydni’s store was closed at the onset of the pandemic, part of a company-wide effort to balance safety and service by keeping stores open in critical mass locations and shifting to virtual retail in others. Like many T-Mobile employees during the pandemic, she adapted, commuting to Daytona as acting manager for another team. Later, she transitioned to a new T-Mobile store, changing managers. But once restrictions eased, she was ready.

Cydni brought Appy Hour up to her new manager during their weekly alignment, and David Recio remembers the conversation well. “We spoke about any hot topics and urgent matters, but this conversation was just a little bit different. We were focused on getting outside of our door to find opportunities and getting to be a part of the community.” That’s when Cydni introduced Appy Hour.

“She explained the process and what goes into the program, and without hesitation, I was on board. I could see the passion that Cydni had when speaking about Appy Hour and making a change in the community. How could I say no?”

“The focus shifted,” David says, “from how we bring in sales customers to how we impact our communities. Cydni inspired me to think outside of the box and really embrace the Un-carrier culture. She is an awesome leader, and I am grateful to have her on my team.”

Cydni remembers the unquestioning support. “I told him, ‘I promise you it’s going to make a difference,’ and he just said: ‘I trust you. Go for it.’”

Watching the class quickly fill with familiar faces and fresh tips and tricks, David says, “I believe the original reason the students started showing up was for the educational portion of Appy Hour. Learning how you use your devices and being proficient in their apps is important.”

“But there are regulars because they get a sense of community. Cydni has built a community of people who look forward to being helped, taught and appreciated, and that’s what Appy Hour is about,” he says.

In a recent class, Cydni offered tips and tricks on health apps. “I showed them how they can utilize <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-health/id1242545199" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Apple Health</a> if they have an iPhone, how they can use <a href="https://www.myfitnesspal.com/">My Fitness Pal</a> to track their diet, and how their hospitals and doctors have different apps which will show their lab work and other things they need.” She says Apple Watch’s safety features were another hot topic.

After a few months in action, peers are reaching out again. “Cydni has been able to influence retail store managers and district managers to make Appy Hour part of their culture,” David says. Cydni’s excited to help them launch Appy Hour programs in their communities.

Plus, she has another open invitation to attend to.

“I’ve been invited to learn how to crochet with members of the Senior Center,” Cydni beams. She looks forward to learning from her students.

Want more Appy Hour? Follow Cydni on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/THECYDNIRUSSELL">@THECYDNIRUSSELL</a>

Looking for big savings for seniors? Check out T-Mobile's 55+ plans <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/unlimited-55-senior-discount-plans">here</a>.

Inspired by her grandmother's mobile device questions, a T-Mobile’s employee has created a program to help seniors answers common questions.

Appy Hour: A Class on Connection (Video) - T-Mobile Newsroom

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As T-Mobile celebrates Pride 2022 with the affirmation “I am an advocate for my community, making an impact,” we bring you the personal stories of several employees who share exactly how they live out that commitment at work and beyond.

While T-Mobile recognizes that support at the national level is important and continues through <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/celebrating-diversity/lgbtq-plus-pride">partnerships with GLSEN, Happy Hippies and HRC to</a> improve the quality of life of at-risk LGBTQIA+ community members, it’s vital to show that there is power in every single voice. Spotlighting how individuals can make an impact shows that Pride is Power.

The anti-transgender legislation making news of late is more than just a headline for the people interviewed in this spotlight. Everyone featured says that telling their story is an actionable item in the ways they want to celebrate Pride this year. It is how they are being advocates for their community, making an impact. From Seattle to Wichita to Memphis and Colorado Springs, their stories include gender-affirming treatments that they say T-Mobile’s health benefits made possible, or changing chosen names on work badges and pronouns with co-workers. They’re experiences that help shape T-Mobile’s own advocacy practices that now include things such as a thorough transition guide and employee handbook of policies designed to create a better experience for co-workers across the company who come out as trans at work.

“Our Pride Employee Resource Group (ERG) is a place where our employees can bring their ideas about how to make our workplace better for all,” says Jen Palmer (She/Her), senior director of T-Mobile’s Technology Project Management Office and the chair of the Pride ERG. “We take great pride in consistently looking at new ways to improve experiences. Whether it’s encouraging all to add their pronouns to badges and email signatures, or recommending inclusive language on our restroom signage, or looking at our own internal systems and fixing issues that may pop up when a colleague changes their name. As we hear from our employees, we also continually evaluate our benefits to ensure they meet the unique needs of the LGBTQIA+ community. Our ERG does not settle for the status quo. It’s our role to champion inclusivity and continuous improvement.”

“Sometimes I think that the Pride Employee Resource Group at T-Mobile found me just as much as I found it,” says Haven Vilminot (They/Them), an HR data analyst and non-binary/transgender T-Mobile employee in Seattle.

When talking about T-Mobile’s Pride is Power 2022 initiative, it’s important to remember how the company’s Pride ERG began and how those simple beginnings continue to have visible effects on its members today, even for those like Haven from the newer Gen Z workforce. Pride participation at T-Mobile began as a grassroots movement before becoming an influential, company-wide commitment.

Back in 2013, some thirty employees from two call centers in Albuquerque took it upon themselves to represent T-Mobile in their local Pride parade. The news of these employees spearheading this participation traveled fast all the way to T-Mobile’s headquarters in Bellevue, Wash., inspiring another hundred employees to not only march in, but also sponsor the Seattle Pride parade the following year. Today, the ERG boasts more than 13,000 members across 50-plus chapters in the country.

“For me, queer community was something that I had outside of work, but that I wasn’t able to bring into work with me, and that’s a very unsustainable way to live,” says Haven, “but T-Mobile is actually the first place that I’ve ever worked where I felt safe to be all the way out of the closet.”

Haven says one reason for that is T-Mobile is the first place where they had an openly gay boss, who connected them to resources at the company specific to the LGBTQIA+ community.

“For me, Pride Month is a moment, I think, where a lot of us like to pause and think about our history, but it is also a time where I feel particularly moved by being able to imagine futures together as people,” says Haven. “For Pride Month 2022, something that I’m thinking about is the concept of taking a door off the hinges when you go through. Outside of my T-Mobile community, I find myself making sure that I am visible and out and taking that door off the hinges on my way through, so that anybody who comes after me maybe has to do a little bit less of that. We’re building on it for each other everywhere we go.”

Brantley Clark (He/Him) says he is many things: A partner. A girl dad. A trans man. A black man. A trans black man. And he is crystal clear how to encapsulate all that succinctly if you ask what Pride means to him.

“Progressive Individualism,” he will tell you. “Those are two words that I hold during Pride.”

They are two words that the global care business support manager from the T-Mobile Wichita Customer Experience Center says not only give space for the many layers of his own unique identity, but also helps to invite others who perhaps, like him, did not always feel represented under the Pride umbrella.

“There’s this epiphanic moment in June that everyone gets from a societal perspective,” says Brantley, “but I walk this journey every day, not just in June. And it’s an every day progression into the right direction as an individual.”

Brantley says when he began his transition at T-Mobile it was abundantly clear that despite the lack of support from family members, he could safely be in what he called “a long-term relationship” with T-Mobile.

“When I stepped into global care as B, as Brantley, I didn’t have to bring on that past history with me,” he explains. “Being in a spot where I had the financial means, the benefits, the insurance and many other supporting factors, is when it really hit home for me, and I realized that T-Mobile is a place that I could commit myself to. T-Mobile gave me the ability to control what I look like and what I presented to the world, and it really helped me to align my internal with my external, and I don’t compromise that for anything.”

This Pride, Brantley says he is hyper-focused on trans visibility within T-Mobile and beyond.

“I have a seat on this plane called Pride,” he says. “But are we always doing the seatbelt checks to make sure everybody’s buckled in? Are we making sure everybody on the manifesto is actually on the plane?”

A leader in his local Pride ERG chapter, he says he was the first trans person on the advisory council and as such feels a sense of responsibility to create a path that others can follow and join him.

“From a LGBTQIA+ perspective, there’s not many examples of leaders who looks like me,” he says. “Which is why my mantra this year has been we're going to do the work to get it done, even if it means that I have to be the face for people to see. What we really need to do is create equality and equity across Pride.”

For Jason Bayless (They/Them), a Community Expert at T-Mobile’s Colorado Springs Customer Experience Center, their advocacy stems from a painful experience with a previous employer and a desire to give back to those who showed them what true advocacy looks like.

“The reason I started at T-Mobile, and it’s a reason that I hear a lot of people say that they are at T-Mobile, is because it is a place that they are able to truly be themselves,” says Jason. “Not embracing that and not stepping out of what for me personally had been a very easy bubble of just passing — that wasn’t being true to myself because I was not giving back what this company had given me, and it’s not helping to pave the way forward for other people.”

Jason became co-chair of the Colorado Spring Pride ERG chapter as a way to advocate for others. Jason’s story of qualifying for hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery and being supported by T-Mobile’s benefits plan along the way is profound because of the way they felt unable to do basic things according to the gender they identified as in previous jobs.

“More than anything, it had to do with the people around me,” says Jason.

Not comfortable with being out at work previously often led to Jason being “pegged as a lesbian” because there simply were no open conversations about it and using the restroom they felt comfortable in was never something they were able to even consider.

While Jen Palmer says most all of T-Mobile’s properties, including its headquarters, call centers and retail locations, have genderless bathroom options, the company’s gender transition guide and employee handbook also state clearly that “all employees should have access to restrooms that correspond to their gender identity” and that “employees should determine the most appropriate option for themselves.” It’s a policy Jason says they never had before, and the lack of that protected inclusivity caused very public derision.

“Once in a meeting at another company I was very pointedly told by upper management in front of everyone that I was not allowed to go into the restroom that I actually identified as, because that’s not what it showed on my birth records,” recounts Jason. “It's not what showed on my ID. And if I did not agree with it, there was the door. These people that I’d worked with for years, looked me in the eye and then literally physically pointed at the door. I was broken.”

Compare that to the experience Jason had after joining T-Mobile, where they say managers and co-workers not only supported all the protocols to change their name and pronouns after their transition, but even quickly helped fill their shift when a last-minute appointment for part of their gender affirming surgery became available. From the small things to the very big things, Jason says there’s no price you can put on the value of being surrounded by advocates.

“You don’t have to always make a big splash to make an impact,” says Jason. “To turn to my coworker, a cis male who says he has never known anyone who wasn’t straight and have him say we can participate together in ‘<a href="https://www.cnet.com/health/personal-care/what-is-movember-and-no-shave-november-the-history-and-how-to-participate/">No-Shave November</a>’ now that I have been able to grow a full beard, is so incredible.”

If you look up Ellis Bishop-Wright (He/Him) online today, you would be hard pressed not to find some kind of positive comment about how he has impacted people at work. As Ellis was preparing to be part of a <a href="https://lesbianswhotech.org/pridesummit2022/">Lesbians Who Tech</a> event with T-Mobile Chief Human Resource Officer Deeanne King this month to discuss his coming out story at the company, many who felt touched by his kindness were on all major social channels singing his praise.

“Ellis has been a leader and advocate for Human Rights as long as I’ve known him,” writes one person. “He is someone I am proud to work alongside and learn from.”

Others posted that the senior learning solutions consultant in T-Mobile’s Career Development and Learning organization is someone who has been “dedicated to creating a safe and affirming environment in the workplace.” Ellis’ online persona paints an unshakeable force. But speak to Ellis directly and he will acknowledge that the powerful person he feels today is in stark contrast to the person he felt like just four years ago.

“It was May of 2018, and I was depressed, unemployed, and had real doubts I would ever get hired,” says Ellis.

Having lived in a part of Memphis where he says he and his wife were not particularly welcomed in their local stores or their kids’ schools, it wasn’t until he joined T-Mobile a year later that something switched.

“The environment at T-Mobile gave me a lot of confidence and that space to explore who I am,” says Ellis, “and helped me get to the point where I was like, ‘Okay, I’m trans and I need to admit this and stop spending so much time and energy not admitting it.’”

Ellis says he knows there are so many who do not share in his positive experience of coming out at work.

“I am representing trans people of T-Mobile,” says Ellis, “and my coming out was like landing on a soft cloud. Deeanne was excited. My manager happy-cried when I told her. People got so excited for me, and it has just been like doors always open … but I know that others — many, many others — haven’t had such a positive coming out experience as I have and sometimes I feel like guilty about it.”

And while Ellis is careful not to imply through his personal story that there aren’t real risks that trans people face every day when they come out at work, he says he hopes showing what a positive experience can do for both the person and the overall work environment can be impactful on a micro and macro scale.

“This is my first foray into the world as a transgender man,” says Ellis. “When I combine that with the terrifying and terrible legislation that is happening all over this country against trans people, I feel now is the time to speak up and have our voices heard.”

You’ve heard some of their voices, now see some of their faces below at T-Mobile sponsored Pride events as they become available all month long.

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2022-06-10-at-8.40.18-AM-1024x685.png" alt="" class="wp-image-88535"/><figcaption>Pride Miami 2022</figcaption></figure>

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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2022/06/22CM0154-01_Pride_Parade_Miami-FL_LM2-1235-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-88652"/><figcaption>Pride Miami 2022</figcaption></figure>

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/uploads/2022/06/22CM0154-01_Pride_Parade_Miami-FL_LM2-1240-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-88649"/><figcaption>Pride Miami 2022</figcaption></figure>

Employee Spotlight