Catching up with Bo Goodrich '15

What is your current career role/title? What does this role entail?
I’m a strategy manager on Xbox’s Strategy and Development team at Microsoft. In my role, I help shape the future of Xbox by partnering with executives to define and optimize strategic initiatives given the context of player and creator needs, industry data, and Xbox’s growth objectives.

What elements of your experience at OES did you take into your current career?
OES equipped me with an interdisciplinary approach to learning and inquiry that I still rely on and use every day. Each time that I am challenged to answer a complex strategic question at work, I pull from elements of the scientific method I learned in STEM courses and the Socratic method utilized in our humanities courses to question the status quo, structure and test inquiries, and engage with and learn from stakeholders.

How would you say OES helped you get to where you are?
Being an OES student in high school provided me with early opportunities to dabble in entrepreneurship and economics, giving me a head start at building skills and experiences that have supported me getting to the place I am now. Two distinct experiences stand out to me: sophomore Winterim and CT Henry’s economics class.
During my sophomore year Winterim, I interned with Jim Huston at the Portland Seed Fund. This gave me an early dive into angel investing that opened the door to additional experiences with startups, business strategy projects, and investing.

In my senior year, I was in CT Henry’s economics class, and between CT’s experiential teaching methods and the subject matter, I had a strong conviction that this was something I wanted to study in college. Jumping into college with this focus let me go deeper into the subject in my studies at UW and freed up time that I was able to invest in other formative extracurriculars such as student government, where I served on the board of directors.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?
The best part of my job is the opportunity it provides to mentor early career colleagues as they strive to find meaning in their work, drive impact, and achieve their personal and professional growth goals. Entering the workforce, especially at a corporation as large as Microsoft, is challenging for anyone, and it is extremely rewarding to invest in others and see them blossom into their full potential.

What advice would you give current students/seniors about being successful in today's world? 
There is not one “right path” that will get you to the career, job, or experience you may want to pursue. From where you are, it might feel like there is one right degree, university, or experience that you need, but always remember that your differences of experience will add value to who you are and should be celebrated.