thank u, next

Today is my last day at Box.  And while the title of my post may sound flippant, I mean it with the utmost gratitude for the last six years as well as eager excitement for the future.  Ok yes, and a dash of sass.

This post will mostly serve as a scrapbook.  I've come a long way since starting as the first Receptionist in the San Francisco office, living incredible experiences and meeting some truly wonderful people, and I want to take a moment to remember and reflect on my ride at Box.

Workplace Services

My first team at Box!

 Giants game at AT&T Park week one, 

with Angelica, who referred me to the company

April 2013

The slide in the lobby of our previous HQ at 4440 El Camino

 My desk placard

The original petite brunette receptionists!

At my first Box holiday party, at the De Young.

 WPS offsite at Bar Bocce in Sausalito

Summer 2014

 Meeting Channing Tatum at a Snack Fair in Anaheim, of all places.

Would it be too much to say it was the highlight of my six years at Box?

Not if it's true.

With Addi, my meeting Channing Tatum buddy

Our first snack fair at HQ, with my WPS OGs

Box IPO Day: 1.23.15

Maryana and me with the celebrity of the hour: CEO Aaron Levie

IPO Day photobooth with M

Years later, crashing a WPS happy hour 

as an honorary team member

At the 2018 Box Holiday Party

Lauren's going away celebration

Box.org

I was the first box.org committee chair leader in the San Francisco office, back when box.org didn't exist yet and we called the group ACT10x (Altruism, Community, Technology).  And then I kept on doing it for five years, coordinating lunch & learns with local nonprofits, planning volunteer activities for the office, leading committee meetings, and organizing fundraisers and holiday gift donations.  It was a great way to meet like-minded people at Box, and to make a significant impact in the community.

Project Homeless Connect SF volunteering offsite

Donating gift drive items to Episcopal Community Services

 Box.org committee holiday volunteer event 2017, benefiting ECS

 One of our biggest end of quarter fundraisers!

I got to ring the sales gong for this one.

 Tutormate in Oakland, meeting the students we 

had remotely tutored reading over the year

 The infinitely adorable and now infamous LUCERO!

(If you haven't heard this story before, please ask next time you see me)

 

BUILD Gala, with Jason and Cathleen

Katie, my box.org co-chair, and me manning the box.org booth

at the San Francisco Employee Resource Group fair, 

writing letters to veterans and service members

Our first-ever global Impact Day

December 2018

SF box.org wouldn't happen without these ladies!

Cathleen, helping me host the Nepali Bazaar at HQ

supporting Local Women's Handicrafts

Box Quarterly All Hands, being recognized with a 

Boxer for Good award for my time chairing the box.org committee

February 2019

With Christina, my long-standing partner in Good 

San Francisco Office

Mayor Ed Lee, visiting our newly-opened office

 1st Halloween at Box, dressed as the Tin Lady

 

 Me and my double

People in SF could not keep us straight 

on a normal day, so this was hilarious!

 Halloween always landed on End of Quarter, 

so here we are with the box.org bar cart, raising money for charity

 I coordinated the first several Box SF kickball tournaments.

Here we are as Team Riley Curry (those are pacifiers).

Summer 2015

And here I am in 2017 on my winning team, 

Pitch Don't Kill My Vibe, dressed as tourists

 One of many happy hours, with Bob and Maryana

 

 Last holiday party at City Hall 

(and my favorite dress EVER)

2015

 Gotham-themed holiday party on top of the Metreon

2016

We love CPR training!

My Ride or Die SF Box Emergency Evacuation Team

Some SF Wolfpack faves

Compliance

In 2015, I transitioned from WPS to Compliance.  It has allowed me to build a global program, to learn about how the company as a whole functions, and to work with some whip-smart folks.  Somehow it's already been three and a half years!

 At the Redwood City HQ construction site,

with my outgoing and incoming managers,

the summer I transitioned from WPS to Compliance

 

My Business Continuity Team:

Vaishali, me, and Renuka, at a Chicago conference in 2018

 Compliance ladies out on the town

At a coworker, Shailey's, wedding

Compliance offsite escape room

 BEET + Emergency Responders at an awareness fair

 My absolutely favorite photo of Addi, ever,

being a kick-ass and literally take names Emergency Coordinator

 

A handful of my global Emergency Coordinators, all at HQ

Crispen, my Compliance VP

The next few are from our Compliance holiday cruise

December 2018

Crispen's send-off

Travels

I've been fortunate enough to visit all the principal Box offices at least once over the years.  I have absolutely loved this part of my job, getting to build meaningful relationships with the global Boxers I interact with daily.  I also got to attend two Box Women's Network offsites, the first in Austin, and the second in Seattle!

 With Lauren at the BWN Austin offsite

A few favorite BWN ladies!

The Seattle BWN gang, after braving intense weather 

and an Airbnb power outage

Box London Wolfpack, circa 2016

Practicing fire drills in London

London teacup wall
Summer 2018

A few key members of HQ and Austin Wolfpack at 

Fixe in Austin, the place with the best biscuits, period.

BCM team in Tokyo

With Giulia, the Italian member of WPS, in London

...and with Emma in London!

Besties

In interviews, candidates always ask the same question: what do you love most about working at Box?  And of course we all give the same tried and true answer: the people!  Because it's, well, true.  

My WPS OGs again, but spiffy this time

 At a BoxWorks after party (don't ask me which one), 

with Angelica, Reed, and Maryana

 Hanging with the IT and SF Wolfpack crew at Dolores

 When Ana started at Box, she had 0 babies.  

Now look at those cuties!

These two - among my best Box treasures.

Here we are on a trip to Boston, April 2016.

And after my favorite holiday party,

soaking our feet and singing along to Justin Bieber

Three "generations" of SF Workplace Services

Cathleen and me, on one of our many walks 

(which often would end in Specialty's cookies).

This one snapped in the briefly open period of the Salesforce park!

 My SF ladies, circa last week.

They gave me a unicorn-themed gift 

and wrote me a sob-fest of notes.

 Sanam, one of Box's biggest weapons, a great mentor, and

the wonderful woman who introduced me to WILpower!

 Sandra, my forever mentor and dear friend

 Crispen, Sandra, and Pom, 

laughing in the face of tears because I'm leaving ;)

So many touching messages in the very thoughtful

Box Yearbook Renuka put together for me

And so, in what feels like the very definition of bittersweet, I prepare to walk out of this office channeling Ariana.  I look forward to having a great pool of talented Boxers to turn to when I need advice, to transforming coworkers into friends, and to building upon everything I've learned here.

I hope to manifest all the well wishes and complimentary remarks from my Box family and to make y'all proud in my new endeavors, always evangelizing Box as well as rooting on both the company and the powerful people who make it thrive from the sidelines.  I will forever be grateful to have worked and grown alongside you.

Started from behind the desk and now I'm all up on it!

#drakesaiditbetter