#WeAreArity Wednesday: Alexis Westergren 

What fictional family would you most like to join?

The Rose family from Schitt’s Creek before the IRS burst into their lives. Who doesn’t want to have beaucoup dollars and live in a ridiculous home? I feel like being around Moira, Alexis – because she’s amazing, and David would make me laugh so much that life would be wonderful.

What is your favorite part of working from home?

My favorite part of working from home is being around my family. I used to have a three-hour roundtrip commute every day, so I never got to see my daughter – and now my son – in the morning. Now I can actually be a part of the morning routines. And even though I hate the pickup line at school, it is nice to have that as an option.

But I do miss my train buddies. I used to have a really fun group that I rode home with on the train. Our last ride together in March 2020 was kind of sad because we were like, “Are we going to see each other again?”

My favorite part of working from home is being around my family.

Which song could you listen to over and over again?

“Shimmer” by Fuel which is a nineties rock band that not a lot of people remember, but I’m obsessed. It’s my favorite song in the world and every time it comes on, I stop everything, and I’m so happy to hear it.

What is your favorite recipe to make? Is there a story behind that recipe? 

I love to cook, and I actually hate to bake. Cooking is where I find my most joy. But the one thing I do bake is my grandmother’s cheesecake recipe. It’s just really fun to have because she passed in ’99, so it’s been a long time, but I have her recipe written down. She actually filled out one of those grandparent books for their grandkids, and I still use that recipe in that book in her handwriting.

It’s nice because I feel really connected to her and my family whenever I make it. Everyone loves it. I get a lot of joy from sharing it with people because there’s barely any left over.

How would you describe your job to a five-year-old?

I send emails, but I also write directions on how those emails get to people. And I make websites prettier.

What is your “when I was your age…” story? 

I think my “when I was your age…” story is kind of fun, especially when I’m talking to kids who are in middle school or early high school before they have their licenses.

So, I grew up on the island of Key West. It’s fun to me when kids are like, “We’re going to the water park” and I’m like, “I didn’t have a water park where I grew up!” They think that’s so lame, but when I was their age, my friends came and picked me up on their jet skis or their boat. We’d go out into the ocean and see sea turtles and dolphins.

I didn’t have a park district pool or water parks to go to, but when I was in eighth grade my friend would just come pick me up on her jet ski and we’d just go driving around the island.

What is an easy way to do something nice for someone?

One thing that’s nice about Arity is we have Applause – a recognition tool – so we can give kudos to people. This is the first company I’ve worked for that actually has something like that. Before that, especially at work, I would just try to shoot someone a thank you message and just remind them, “Hey, I really appreciate you” or “Hey, this was a really great way to go above and beyond.”

What is your favorite way to practice self-care?

During COVID, I felt like I had no place to do any self-care and relax because I had to juggle mom, work – all the things! So, we re-did our bedroom which was really nice because it became a nice place to hang out in.

Now, what I do occasionally after my son’s in bed is say, “Alright guys, I’m done. I’m going upstairs.” And then I turn on Netflix or some trashy TV on Hulu, I put on a mask, and play games on my phone. It’s nice being able to close a door and be by myself – watching what I want to watch and doing a little self-care. That’s what I need. Very important, especially with two children.