Sharing our final Pride Spotlight, we bring you Kassandra Jackson. Kasey's thoughtful contributions and support have made a significant impact on the Kyoto HR office. - Victor Simmons (He/Him/His)
What’s an exciting project you’re currently involved in, and how does it connect to your personal interests?
For this year’s April intake of new grads, we took a completely new approach to their onboarding and training as compared to previous years. In developing this new training plan, one of my main priorities was creating opportunities for the new grads to connect with each other, with the existing Ace members, and with the broader community. Human connection is such an essential part of what we do, so implementing that as a central goal was both challenging and, now seeing the results towards the end of that training period, incredibly rewarding.
What strategies do you use to maintain a healthy balance between your professional responsibilities and personal life?
For me, clear boundaries and giving my mind a break are the keys to maintaining a good work-life balance. So, unless there’s something that will unfold into disaster without my immediate attention, I don’t check emails on my days off, and I trust that the team will call me if there’s something they really need. Outside of work, I intentionally set time aside to spend with family, friends, and for my hobbies.
Does your family have any traditions that are especially important to you?
I’m the eldest of three siblings and my mum is a single parent, so we didn’t always get a lot of one-on-one time. But, every year on each of our birthdays, she would let us take the day off school and spend the entire day together hanging out, having treats, just the two of us. Even though it’s not something we do any more (although I still make every effort to take my birthday off), it was special to me, and I often think about it.
With respect to Pride Month, what book/film/podcast/artwork/etc. that resonates with the LGBTQIA+ experiences and why is it impactful?
I appreciate how shows like Brooklyn 99, Sex Education, even Bridgerton, portray LGBTQIA+ characters. They’re dimensional, complex, and interesting. While some of the storylines do focus on themes specifically related to sexuality, they come up naturally and aren’t the character’s entire personality. I think it’s just good for everyone to see representation like that – of queer people just being people. Also, I absolutely love fantasy books, so if anyone has recommendations for books featuring queer characters, magic, and dragons, I’d love to hear them!
How does Ace differ from other companies you've worked for?
I feel like Ace takes action in line with the company values. Both public and internal events and initiatives reflect the importance placed on inclusivity, collaboration, a love of art and culture and music. That hasn’t always been the case in other companies I've worked at, and it’s also what drew me to Ace in the first place.