If you’ve been keeping up with the employee roster, you’ll notice it’s been expanding almost every week. With all of the fresh faces around the office, it’s nice to peel back the onion a bit and learn more about those who have just joined Team Strong.
The following are highlights from a January new employee survey. The questions may be outside of the box, but the answers are even better.
Michele Lee
- What was your childhood nickname? Macdaddyshell – I know it’s a weird childhood nickname, but a neighborhood boy started calling me that and now sometimes my family and friends still call me “Mac” for short.
- What are three things still left on your bucket list? 1. Travel combo to Italy, South Korea, and Greece. 2. Become fluent in another language – maybe Spanish or Mandarin. 3. Have one of my photographs published.
- What is the worst pet you’ve ever had? A naughty pup named Spottie Dottie. She would go around the neighborhood and steal people’s shoes.
- What job did you have in high school? Arby’s when I turned 15. My first paycheck was $50 and I thought I was so cool making my own money.
- What is your favorite family tradition? Attending the North Carolina Hmong New Year with my family and wearing our traditional Hmong clothes. It’s typically held during Thanksgiving.
Tim Jankowski
- Can you play an instrument? I can play the keyboard. I took organ lessons as a child and later transferred those skills to a more practical instrument.
- What job did you have in high school? Assistant to the Public Library Investigator keeping track of overdue library books
- Who is the coolest celebrity you’ve ever met, and how did it happen? I met Ronald Reagan at a campaign rally before he became president when I was nine. In my twenties, I encountered but did not “meet” Michael Jackson at a comic book store in Hollywood.
- What is the coolest thing you’re working on right now outside of work? I have recently started trying to write country songs (lyrics only). So far, I have written about a dozen of them.
- What are you looking forward to most in 2018? My tax refund.
Taylor Oates
- What is the last book you read, and what was your biggest takeaway from it? The Alchemist, it taught me how to balance things in life.
- What is the coolest thing you’re working on right now outside of work? I got an iPad and Apple pencil recently, so I’m drawing more and making cartoons, which is challenging but cool!
- What is your favorite family tradition? Every year on Thanksgiving, my family goes to the beach!
- Can you play an instrument? If so, which one, and how did you learn? I used to. I played the clarinet in elementary school and haven’t picked it up since.
- Who is the coolest celebrity you’ve ever met, and how did it happen? When I was in middle school, I met Chris Brown when he first started his career. My dad was friends with his manager at the time and let my friends and me meet him after the concert. He was nice and danced the whole time we were with him – which was funny.
