Staff Spotlight: Kayla Cicola

Staff Spotlight: 20 Questions in 2 Minutes with Kayla Cicola

20 Questions in 2 Minutes is our series of interviews with Management Council staff members. This week’s guest is Kayla Cicola, Connectivity Champion with the Customer Services and Support team.

1. When you have 30 minutes of free time, how do you pass the time?

Depends on the weather. If it’s nice, I’ll go for walk. I’m also a big fan of naps!

2. What is your least favorite food?

I’m a vegetarian so I avoid meat, but fish/seafood is the worst.

3. Do you have any pet peeves?

I dislike when people are given labels. Humans are dynamic, and labels make it harder for us to grow and evolve. We’re too complex to be put into boxes!

4. Would you rather cook or order in?

Well, where I live in Ohio I’d rather cook because there aren’t very many options. When I lived in Michigan, I lived near some amazing restaurants, so I liked ordering in.

5. Which historical figure would you most like to meet?

When you say “historical figure,” I think of someone who lived 100s of years ago, not someone who was alive at the same time as me. However, I would really like to meet Bob Ross or Mr. Rogers.

6. A genie gives you three wishes—what are they?

I didn’t hear any terms or conditions, so the first wish will be for more wishes. I would also wish to end poverty because that would really help a lot of people, and I would wish that the world was a more peaceful place.

7. What is your go-to midnight snack?

I’m not really awake at midnight these days, but my snack of choice is non-dairy Ben & Jerry’s. I try not to eat it that often because it’s not very healthy, but it’s so good.

8. Who in your family would you describe as a “character?”

My whole family is pretty funny. We’re punny and silly. We always laugh when we’re together!

9. What was your first paying job?

I was an arts and crafts instructor at a summer camp. It was a great way to get some experience teaching others before launching my teaching career, and being able to hike in my time off cemented my love for the outdoors. I can also make pretty much anything out of duct tape.

10. Have you ever met anyone famous?

I haven’t met anyone, but Batman vs Superman was partially filmed in a city near me. My friends and I would bike around the perimeter of the set to see if we could see anyone famous, but all we saw were food tables and probably extras.

11. Is there any product that you couldn’t live without?

The internet, especially during COVID. It’s been a lifeline for work, socializing, and otherwise connecting with people.

12. What makes you feel at peace?

I really enjoy unscheduled time. I don’t have to fill in this time in any specific way, and I like having the freedom to do something spontaneous or just relax.

13. How would your 10-year-old self react to what you do now?

I think my 10-year-old self would be surprised and excited to know that I earned a music degree and taught for 10 years. I had just completed my first year learning to play the clarinet, and I wasn’t very excited about it until a few years later!

14. What’s the most exciting part of your job?

Any time I can get a family connected feels really good. It’s important work, and I enjoy when I get to help make a difference.

15. What’s your favorite part of the work day?

Whenever I see my cat running around the office, I feel a strong sense of gratitude. I had never worked from home before the pandemic. It is such a privilege to be able to work from home and have my cat as a not-so-helpful “coworker!” It brightens my day.

16. What three traits define you?

Empathetic, adventurous, and ever-evolving to be the best version of me that I can be.

17. What is your personal philosophy?

I have one life, and I’m going to try and cram as much awesome stuff into it as I can.

18. Describe a win from the work you’ve done.

A recent win was finding some pertinent information for a family about affordable internet that was buried deep in a school’s parent handbook. This tiny paragraph ended up helping another family from the same school who had also reached out to us, so it felt like a double win! I try to be thorough when I am helping families, and it really paid off.

19. How do you define success?

Am I moving forward? Am I growing? If the answer is yes, then I’m successful.

20. What is your favorite thing about working at the Management Council?

I have great coworkers and I enjoy helping people. The commute’s really short, too!