What It’s Like to be LBGTQA in Tech

By: Ha Tran, Senior Marketing Data Analyst

What is your role at Veeva? Describe what you do on a typical day.

I am a Marketing Data Analyst on the Veeva-Crossix Digital Team, which means I help answer healthcare clients’ business questions related to their digital marketing campaigns using our proprietary technology. I have also recently become involved in a project that set out to understand how COVID-19 has affected the healthcare market by looking at consumer behavior using certain key healthcare metrics.

Every day starts with a stand-up with the Digital Team where we discuss problems we are currently facing and how we are tracking on deadlines. I spend the rest of the day in a mix of individual work or meetings with client-facing teams on current analyses, but I am constantly in contact with coworkers talking about our projects.

Can you tell us about your favorite hobbies and interests?

I love to cook, and the best part of working from home is my proximity to my kitchen which allows me to cook as much as I like! I also like collecting and taking care of houseplants. My pride and joy is my Bird of Paradise, which I’ve had for four years. This past spring it has grown so tall that it’s now even taller than me. I recently took up skateboarding to get out of the apartment more, but I am not very good at it. Other than that, I love a good video game where I can pretend to be a wizard (my dream job) and shoot lightning out of my hands.

What has your experience as an LGBTQA employee been like? What has made you feel welcome and accepted at Veeva and within Crossix?

My experience as an LGBTQA employee at Veeva-Crossix has been very positive. There are many visibly queer people in the company at many levels and being out has never felt like it would be an issue. The recent actions that Veeva and Crossix have taken to advance diversity at the company further give me optimism that it will get even better. I am particularly excited by the actions that the company is taking to advance diversity. It is important that companies identify areas in which they can do better, and I believe that Crossix and Veeva are doing just that.

What advice can you give other LGBTQA individuals pursuing a career in technology?

I would suggest attending events that could help you connect with other LGBTQA individuals already in the space. For example, I attended a free conference called Out For Undergrad where I learned about careers in the industry of my choice and connected with LGBTQA professionals. I attended the Marketing conference, but there is also a Technology conference. Networking can be difficult, and can even feel self-serving, especially when you have little in common with another person, but connecting with LGBTQA people is particularly fulfilling because of the sense of solidarity. And lastly, we should pay it forward. If you have made it far, remember to utilize your resources to help uplift others in the community.

June is Pride Month. What does Pride mean to you?

Pride is about celebrating and affirming queer identities and building a more equitable world. I believe that one of the best ways to achieve this is by learning our history and honoring the work of the queer people who came before us. This year, Pride is reemphasizing that one of the most important eras of the queer liberation movement in the U.S. began as a riot in response to police violence which is still endemic today. In addition, Pride is understanding that LGBTQA people are rarely ever just that. Our lives weave and intersect with a myriad of other experiences. By acknowledging this reality, we realize that queer liberation is tied to the liberation of all oppressed people. This will only be possible when we properly protect the lives of our community’s most vulnerable members, namely black and indigenous transgender and gender-nonconforming people.