Earlier today I witnessed the swearing in of the new President to the dismay of many people around me and on my social media feeds. As someone who has been involved with politics on the opposite side of the aisle one would think I’d be glued to every news site I could find. While I did watch a livestream of the swearing in ceremony from the comfort of my home, my mind was decidedly elsewhere for the most part. Today not only marks a devastating change in our country, but it also marks a significant anniversary. Today marks five years with a company I’ve loved for more years of my life than I haven’t.

The company in question requires discretion of its employees while writing on social media and the like, so it will go unnamed. I guarantee you’ve heard of them, though.

My first interaction with their devices was in elementary school. Our school was lucky enough to have a fleet of their computers in our computer lab. As the story goes, I was extremely nervous to use a new type of computer that I wasn’t familiar with. I had as much experience as a kid that age could have with a computer but I had no experience with the competition. I expressed my anxiety to my parents who assured me I would do just fine. By the end of the first computer class I had apparently been helping other students to figure out how to use these dazzling machines and my fears had washed away entirely.

By the time I hit middle school, the company I worked for released a smash product that everyone wanted. I remember doing everything I could to get my hands on it. By the time I got to high school I finally had one and quickly loaded it up with as much of the content it holds as I possibly could. By the end of high school I had witnessed another hit product of theirs being used on my trip to Europe in 2007. I was absolutely stunned by how advanced it was and had no idea I was gazing on a simple piece of technology that would profoundly change the world. By the end of high school as I was gearing up to attend college, my graduation present finally put one of their computers into my hands.

From then on I was absolutely hooked. There was such a sense of precision and care taken to design and create these products. I found they were extraordinarily easy to use and acclimating myself to an entirely new way of working was seamless. I finally felt as though I had a tool to use that was working with me and not against me.

Several years later I decided to do something bold and apply for a position within this company I had come to admire so much. I waited with bated breath for some sort of response and finally it came. I had the opportunity to interview with this company. The process was different from anything I had ever gone through but that much was to be expected. In the end, I was humbled when they asked me to be a part of the team.

Five years ago today I set off for training, not knowing what was ahead and constantly worrying whether I was good enough for such a prestigious company. I knew I wanted to do the best job I possibly could. Despite several snow storms during my commutes back and forth to training, I managed to come out of it unscathed.

As soon as I arrived following my training I knew I was in a place where I could be completely myself yet would be challenged in the best possible way. I was introduced to a diverse and intellectual team of people as passionate for the products as I was. It didn’t take long to be welcomed with open arms and I felt as though I would be truly appreciated there.

All that has changed in the last five years of working there is just about everything except for the core things that make the company a wonderful place to work. Over time some people I grew close to had to leave and move on to different things as new people came in with unique experiences and even more to teach us all. This place has made me grow in ways I don’t believe I would have had I not taken the leap and sent in that application.

To everyone who helped shape me and aided me in my successes, I thank you. Having a tightly woven team is key to success and I could never have imagined I would be a part of such a strong one.

Cheers to all of you.