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Inflation is Hurting Small Businesses: T-Mobile Won’t Be Part of the Problem

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Employee Spotlight: Pride is Power

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One Team Together: A Unified Front to Help Those Impacted by Emergency Events

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Employee Spotlight: An Intersectional Experience of May

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Asian American and Pacific Islander Month: The many pieces of a beautifully complex puzzle

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Accessibility and Inclusion for Future Talent 

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Un-carrier

Shaking Up a Broken Broadband Industry   

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An Ally. A Military Spouse. A Soldier.

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T-Mobile is Helping Americans Tackle Inflation

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T-Mobile&#8217;s Got Big Benefits for Small Businesses All. Month. Long.

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The U.S. Military Creates Great Leaders: T-Mobile Wants to Hire Them  

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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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Small businesses are the economic heartbeat of our nation. Managing a small business is challenging enough – with overseeing everything from payroll to IT. When the pandemic hit, consumer behavior changed overnight. Small business owners were forced to reimagine their plans in an unpredictable environment.

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I have been amazed to see the resilience and innovation among small businesses, many of which have come back stronger and with more capabilities than ever before. Many have embraced a new generation of digital tools that make it easy to build a website or POS system affordably. Fitness centers have adopted ongoing virtual classes. Boutique shops have created e-commerce tools. Restaurants have developed contact-free delivery and pickup options. It’s really inspiring to see these companies pivot to meet their customers’ needs, and to do it safely.

But just as small businesses are starting to get back into a post-pandemic groove, they have been hit with a new challenge: inflation. With expenses going up everywhere, small businesses are being forced to switch gears once again. According to a <a href="https://www.score.org/resource/megaphone-main-street-inflation-economy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recent survey</a> from small business advocacy organization SCORE, nearly two-thirds saw their profits decline over the last six months. And more than half are experiencing higher utility and gas costs, rendering forecasts and business plans from just a few months earlier obsolete.

And even with inflation on the rise, it wasn’t exactly surprising to see that Verizon and AT&T recently hit customers with price increases. Verizon added a new “<a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/verizon-customers-heres-why-your-phone-bills-about-to-increase/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Economic Adjustment Charge</a>,” which could potentially cost businesses an extra $1,300 more a year if they have only 50 lines with the extra $2.20 per line. Apparently that wasn’t enough, so they topped it off with an additional price increase of $6-12 per line – meaning <a href="https://www.phonearena.com/news/verizon-another-price-increase-just-as-bad-as-att_id140710" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Verizon slapped customers with higher bills twice in one month</a>. <a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/at-t-hikes-prices-for-older-plans-amid-rising-inflation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AT&T announced it was simply “hiking prices” on business plans</a>, some by as much as $12 a month. The Carriers aren’t helping – they are part of the inflation problem.

While AT&T and Verizon’s way of dealing with inflation has been to take more from customers, resulting in, according to their CEO, at least <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/offers/takes-aim-at-att-and-verizon-price-hikes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">an additional $1.2B a year in revenue for Verizon alone</a>, T-Mobile’s approach is just the opposite. We are giving our customers more without asking more from them – simply because we know it’s the right thing to do. In our most recent Un-carrier move, we gave customers a massive upgrade when they travel with <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/coveragebeyond" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coverage Beyond</a>, and we’re also promising that their rate plan price won’t go up with our <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/t-mobile-helps-americans-tackle-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Price Lock</a> guarantee.

With business travel on the rebound, we know employees have places to go – but travel costs are higher than ever. That’s why we launched Coverage Beyond – to help travelers save money and stay connected in the air and overseas. In addition to free in-flight Wi-Fi all flight long on select flights across American, Delta and Alaska Airlines – with United to come soon – we will also be giving <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/business/big-small-business-deals-start-today-at-t-mobile" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Business Unlimited Ultimate</a> and <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/business/wireless-business-plans" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Business Unlimited Advanced</a> customers a free app to help protect their data when traveling. The Secure Wi-Fi mobile app (coming soon) automatically encrypts a user’s data while using public Wi-Fi on smartphones, so business customers are more protected everywhere on Wi-Fi.

I’m proud to say that Coverage Beyond is also helping small businesses save with free high-speed data worldwide. Now business customers on our Business Unlimited Ultimate plan can travel with the luxury of 5GB of high-speed data — with up to 5G speeds where available — in more than 210 countries and destinations. You read that right. Business customers can now replace hefty expense reports to reimburse in-flight connectivity and international roaming charges with massive savings. The way I see it? It’s a whole new world for business travel.

Because we recognize the threat of inflation to small businesses, we’ve been hard at work ensuring business customers know what to expect from us with our <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/t-mobile-helps-americans-tackle-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Price Lock</a> guarantee – our promise that we won’t raise the price of our broadband or wireless rate plans.

And right now, our Business Unlimited Ultimate plan is offered at our lowest price ever for a limited time. So, if a business has three lines on our Ultimate plan, they’ll save over $1,000 a year compared to three lines on Verizon’s Business Unlimited Pro 2.0 plan. That’s a nice extra chunk to help fund new equipment, boost advertising budgets or show employee appreciation – right?

Besides helping businesses overcome inflation, we at T-Mobile are constantly investing in our 5G network to make it America’s largest, fastest and <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/press/new-report-t-mobile-has-the-most-reliable-5g-network" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">most reliable</a>, and we’re continuing to put businesses first. We want them to save more and worry less. And we won’t leave customers stuck with the other guys’ termination fees; we’ve got it covered with more than $6,000 in switching costs on us when they add 10 lines. (Yes, really.)

To all small businesses out there: We see you. We get the challenges you’re facing. We know how to help tackle inflation. And most importantly, we have your back – now and always.

Inflation is hurting small businesses and T-Mobile is here to help.

Inflation is Hurting Small Businesses: T-Mobile Won’t Be Part of the Problem - 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.

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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.”

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“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.”

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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.

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<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_LM2-1204-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-88637"/><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_LM2-1206-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-88628"/><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_LM2-1211-1-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-88667"/><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_LM2-1223-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-88643"/><figcaption>Pride Miami 2022</figcaption></figure>

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T-Mobile celebrates Pride by sharing the stories of LGBTQ+ employees who live out their commitment to community and advocacy at work and beyond.

Employee Spotlight: Pride is Power - T-Mobile Newsroom

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Members of T-Mobile’s emergency management and response teams explain how they work seamlessly together during natural disasters to restore network outages and bring mobile assets to impacted communities that help keep people connected with loved ones when it matters most.

When it comes to supporting customers and communities after disasters impact connectivity, John Melbert has over two decades of experience in emergency management — and he will tell you the one thing that matters most when it comes to disaster response is simple.

“It’s not about the equipment or the applications,” explains the T-Mobile network engineer manager, “it’s the people. It’s always about the teams and the way they come together and find solutions to any issues.”

It’s why on a beautiful and calm day at T-Mobile’s Bellevue, WA Headquarters that felt far from the emergency events he’s accustomed to, John was excited to introduce to other employees the integral teams and equipment that make up the multi-pronged support for customers and communities impacted by disasters.

As the start of hurricane season quickly approaches —from June 1st until November 30th — John and members of his Network Engineering and Operations Team rolled in a number of their emergency management vehicles and parked them right alongside equipment used by their colleagues from T-Mobile’s Consumer Group Business Continuity Team as part of the Community Support program.

“What you’re seeing is the collaboration between our two teams at large, and reflects exactly how we would show up after a disaster,” says Rod McWilliams, a T-Mobile director with the Business Continuity Team.

An entire city block was lined up with network satellite trucks, Wi-Fi trailers, a Mobile Command Center, a self-powered charging station, a large F-250 pickup truck and so much more.

“From a logistics standpoint, when bad things happen we all stage together,” says John. “You’ll see our engineering trucks side by side with Community Support trucks. It’s one big, unified response, even though we focus on different paths.”

It was a great display of the seamless teamwork and comradery T-Mobile has fostered as the backbone of its large-scale emergency response efforts.

“I always believe that my team is a team that works well together because when we go into these disaster events we have to band together,” says Mo Thornton, a program manager with the Business Continuity Team. “It’s about getting the consumers and the community what they need in that moment.”

In order to support those impacted by disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires, these teams work tirelessly to address both the issues of restoring affected cell towers and reconstituting T-Mobile’s network as well as supporting communities with temporary connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, backup power and extra devices.

“The Network Engineering team is always going to do everything they can to get the network back up after some kind of disastrous event,” says Rod. “What our team does with the Community Support Program is we really do outreach to the community. We provide charging supplies and pre-lit phones so people can call their loved ones immediately.”

Members of the emergency response teams say it’s the one-two punch that is necessary to be truly impactful after these kinds of events.

“We come in right behind the engineers as they rebuild the network and focus on how can we help in that very first moment of need,” says Becky Romero, a senior manager with the Business Continuity Team. “I’m talking day one or day two. We look to generate immediate connectivity at local shelters where people may have been evacuated.”

And everyone says they’ve worked tirelessly to prepare after learning so much during some of the more extreme disasters of the past several years.

“Hurricane Ida last year in Louisiana was probably one of the best examples of how our preparation was effective,” says Rod. “<a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/humanity-during-hurricanes">We handed out $1.2 million in phone and charging supplies</a> to those impacted and it was hugely successful.

And T-Mobile’s Puerto Rico network has recently been awarded as the dominant winner in <a href="https://www.opensignal.com/reports/2022/05/puerto-rico/mobile-network-experience">OpenSignal’s Network Experience Awards</a> for Q1 2022.

“It’s one of the most prepared Markets in our Network,” says John. “They have to be, due to their higher-than-average probability of being in the path of a hurricane and more recently being subjected to earthquakes. Add in the logistical challenges of getting supplies to the island, and it’s clear that they have to be operating at a higher level of preparation given these potential obstacles, and they are. I couldn’t be more proud.”

“We’re never satisfied with what we have. It’s always what can we do bigger, better, faster,” says John. “For example, on the network side, we are adding an additional 5,300 generators to combat power outages at cell sites as part of our hardening program this year.”

Some of the new equipment, like the Wi-Fi/Charging Station trailer with 80 charging units, the Mobile Command Center that’s called “an office on wheels,” and the F-250 pickup truck, were actually seasoned workhorses, having already done a successful first run responding to the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon wildfires in New Mexico in early May that led to more than 650 people being evacuated to the Glorieta Camp Grounds.

“We were able to provide 400 pre-lit phones and 400 single port charging units and 400 universal charging cables when we arrived with our new charging trailer that also supplies Wi-Fi,” explains Becky.

“Actually, our Network team confirmed that the T-Mobile service was strong,” says Rod. “But with 650 evacuees, some who weren’t T-Mobile customers, we knew that boost of Wi-Fi support would allow for so many more people to call their loved ones right away.”

“While we are blessed to have facilities and staff here to host,” says Josh Nelson, the Glorieta Camp Ground Site Manager, “it’s those like T-Mobile who come out here that help us make this happen for the evacuees. Without the support of T-Mobile and the community we couldn’t pull this off. T-Mobile coming here and meeting so many needs is huge.”

T-Mobile’s emergency response teams work together during natural disasters to restore network outages and bring mobile assets to impacted communities.

One Team Together: A Unified Front to Help Those Impacted by Emergency Events - T-Mobile Newsroom

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May brings with it many things to reflect on and celebrate, from Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month to Military Awareness Month to Mental Health Awareness Month. Here we speak with a T-Mobile employee who experiences the intricacies of all three.

For Aaryanna Nijjar (She/They), May is a time where she can’t help but feel with a certain acuteness the complex results of who she is today mixed with the things that have influenced her since childhood.

The graphic designer for T-Mobile’s T-Studios says as a mental health advocate from a military family with Southeast Asian heritage, Asian American Pacific Island Heritage Month, Military Awareness Month and Mental Health Awareness Month converge on her in a way that at times can be too overwhelming to put into words. Which is reason, in part, why she has a tattoo that expresses the paradox of it all on her hands — hands she uses every day to also express herself as an artist.

“It’s my favorite quote,” she explains. “It’s by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Gide">André Gide</a>. It says, ‘Everything in the world that needs to be said has already been said, but since no one was listening, it must be said again.’ That in itself, it inspires everything I do in life, including art, but advocating for mental health too.”

She continues: “I struggle with my mental health — I really started struggling with it as a teenager, growing up in a military family and feeling very alone. Then you bring my ethnicity into it, and including that into those experiences, it can be very ostracizing. It feels like a displacement all over the place.”

We sat down with Aaryanna to talk about how her heritage, her military family upbringing and the attention to her own mental health has influenced the person and the artist she is, this May and beyond.

You are currently a content creator, but did you always want to work in an artistic field?

Growing up, I always loved being involved with art. I come from a military family, so we moved about every three years so everything was always moving and that’s when I started getting into photography. I really held onto that throughout my entire childhood and then into my adult life as well. Just that feeling of allowing things to stop for a singular moment and breathing within that moment, whether that be through art or photography or sculptures. But I never had a professional or educational background in art: all self-taught. I think that’s the brilliant thing about art, it doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t have to be in a big role, you can just create and you can feel. It’s an incredible thing. It’s so much more than a job for me.

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How has growing up in a military family alongside your cultural identity influenced you as an artist?

Both of my parents were in the military, and that’s where they met. I was born in California and we were stationed in about seven different places. I’ve also lived in Alaska, Oregon, North Carolina, just to name a few. My father is Indian, and he immigrated to the United States when he was about four years old. My mother's Italian, but lived in Boston her entire life. My culture has shaped me in numerous ways, mostly through color. It’s really interesting when you look at Bollywood films, you see tons of colors — in Indian culture we celebrate color. I think that to a core is so beautiful, and I definitely use that as momentum to push my art in different ways.

One thing that always highlighted that intersectionality for me was the question, where are you from? When I started a new school every three years, they were always saying, “Where are you from?” Interestingly enough, during the month of May, getting questions like that is complex. Are they asking me where I was originally stationed with the military, or are they asking because of my complexion? I remember asking my mom, like, “What am I supposed to say when these kids are asking me these things?” It’s a really interesting question for me specifically.

You’re very vocal about mental health wellness and overall awareness. What advice would you have for someone beginning their own journey with self-care?

My thing that I recommend the most for mental health quite genuinely is therapy. I find therapy to be incredible. I’m an advocate for it. And not just traditional therapy because I think there are forms of free therapy. Some people just need to reach out and talk to a friend. I think it’s important not to isolate yourself, and to practice self-care. Oftentimes within society, we picture self-care as bubble baths and face masks, and that’s awesome and that is self-care to a point. But it’s also taking space in other ways. It's important knowing when to set boundaries and when you shouldn't include certain people in your life. For example, my Instagram is where I do a lot of mental health and eco-activism, but I have not posted on social media in about a year. I took a break for my mental health.

What does this month mean for you in terms of celebrating simultaneously all these things: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness and Military Appreciation Month?

It’s transformative for sure. It has brought up a lot of conversations that have been challenging, and I’m appreciative of that. May even leading into June and what June represents as well [with it being Pride month], and being included in that, it is a lot of transformation. I have a project just coming out that connects to this. T-Mobile Careers reached out to me and they asked me to do a self-portrait and they gave me full free range on it.

I created a piece where it’s split down the middle. The left side portrays things that were expected of me as an Indian individual growing up, and in an American society. Then on the right side, it shows who I truly am: queer and creative, and maybe a little weird. It's just very interactive and it has sparked a lot of conversations. It's been great to share my background and things of my culture and not only the joys of it, but really what it means to be a woman in my place, to be an individual in my place.

Meet a T-Mobile employee who experiences the intersectionality of May, with its focus on AAPIHM, Military Awareness and Mental Health Awareness.

Employee Spotlight: An Intersectional Experience of May - T-Mobile Newsroom

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The most vibrant nations in the world have always been the most complex.

People from just about every corner of the planet have converged here. All their beliefs, skills, knowledge and values have influenced us to create an America that innovates, leads and extends hands around the world like no other nation in history. That’s the power of our complexity, and it’s what makes us shine bright enough for the whole world to see.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have played many roles in this American complexity for about five centuries. There are too many storylines along too many eras for any one theme or slogan to sum up or celebrate the long, rich and complicated history of Asian and Pacific Islanders in America. Think of all the achievements to celebrate, all the tragedy and sacrifice to memorialize, and all the hope and aspiration that propel us forward.

You can’t tell anything close to the true story of America without the many chapters on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, but that’s often what has happened. Too many AAPI contributions to what is American are overlooked or even hidden away, and Americans cannot fully be who we are if we hide pieces of ourselves away.

If you’re wondering what good these “appreciation” or “history” months do – that’s it. They shine a light on the things that make America the vibrant, complex, difficult and beautiful puzzle that it is.

I’m proud that T-Mobile is shining that light for employees all month with workshops, panel discussions and events. At T-Mobile, diversity fuels our Un-carrier spirit, and that spirit drives us to become champions of change for our customers. I hope everyone takes some time this month to learn about and recognize the enormous portion of America’s spirit that is AAPI people!

T-Mobile Advanced and Emerging Technologies EVP John Saw shares his thoughts on the powerful contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islanders and the importance of AAPI Heritage Month.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Month: The many pieces of a beautifully complex puzzle - T-Mobile Newsroom

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As we celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day, a T-Mobile intern and participant in the American Association of People with Disabilities’ intern program interviews the President and CEO of AAPD to talk about disability advocacy, accessibility and inclusion for future talent. 

I walked into my first day of high school in 2015 feeling unconfident, un-liked and unsure of what the future would bring.

My mind raced with crushing doubt. Would I survive academically? Socially? I know high school is a scary rite of passage for most, but throughout my life I was continuously tested for learning disabilities, provided accommodations and sat through countless Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings. I was often told aiming within my “abilities” meant solely graduating high school and finding a job. When I argued that I wanted more for myself, I was met with blank stares and shrugs.

I was frustrated not only with my learning challenges, but with the systems in place that prioritized adult decision-makers choosing my educational path instead of asking me. I knew if I did not take ownership of my academic future, it would be decided for me. I took a more decisive role in better understanding the intricacies behind my own IEP and the legislation behind it. This self-advocacy empowered me to feel unafraid to demand what I needed to succeed. I entered college determined to do my part in advocating and supporting fellow students with disabilities.

I began my advocacy work in the most natural of places — in a legislator’s office. I interned for United States Senator Patty Murray’s office during the summer of 2021. There, I got my first glimpse of how real societal change comes to life, and I never would have had this opportunity if it weren’t for the <a href="https://www.aapd.com/">American Association of People with Disabilities</a> (AAPD).

AAPD is a national cross-disability civil rights organization that focuses on building the economic and political power of the 61 million disabled people across the country. As a member of their <a href="https://www.aapd.com/summer-internship-program/">Summer Internship Program,</a> my peers and I had access to an entire network of employment opportunities, including my internship in the federal government. I also have this program to thank for my most current internship at T-Mobile working in Corporate Communications, an experience has been incredibly valuable to me as I explore a career where I can help share stories with a broad audience in ways that create impact and drive change.

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