People of Microsoft

“I thought that if I wanted to raise a family, I couldn’t be a working mom.”
Brittany Valdes struggled to find her place between two sometimes conflicting identities: motherhood and professional life. Now, she’s rewriting the narrative about working mothers.

“Standing up for what’s right often isn’t comfortable.”
As an attorney, Makalika Naholowa’a says her law degree gives her a rare privilege, and she feels responsible to use it for good.

“I got to make family memories and new traditions.”
As a child, Brittany Valdes enjoyed home-cooked meals prepared by her mother. When she became a parent, Brittany found her own way to make memories in the kitchen. Watch her family make chicken carbonara.

“I teach my kids to cook to make sure they don’t forget where they come from.”
Joseph Sefair believes in “family first”—whether that’s his parents in Colombia, his children at home, or his team at work. Watch him make empanadas—prepared the Colombian way.