Case Study 3: Pursuing his passions with a career in tech
Bryant Yang was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and relocated to the UK in 2016 to undertake a Master of Mathematics in Statistics at Scotland’s University of St Andrews.
Bryant started an internship with Macquarie in summer 2019. He worked with the Cash Equities technology team developing tools using the C# coding language and describes it as an exploratory eye-opening experience with a steep learning curve.
“Initially I didn’t know much about Macquarie,” Bryant admits. “However, once I started the internship I was struck by the energy and passion within the organisation.”
Bryant says he found the tech work interesting and was able to take on more of a developer role than he’d originally expected.
Working with Pride
Bryant, who identifies as bisexual and has won a Macquarie award for the significant impact and leadership he’s contributed to the Pride Employee Network Group (ENG). He is the Pride ENG’s Bisexual Representative as well as a member of the events workstream, helping to organise charitable fundraisers and education sessions. He also helps lead the internal communications workstream creating content for significant events such as Pride History Month, International Day of Pink, and Trans and Bi awareness weeks.
Being actively involved in the Pride ENG is important to Bryant as a way to create a safe space for himself and for others.
“My friends have told me stories about the discrimination that they have faced due to their sexuality,” Bryant explains. “It saddened me that they did not have a safe space to express their unique selves. Without a safe space or someone to talk to it can be hard to be comfortable in a work environment, and it can impact people in their job.”
In June and July Macquarie is celebrating Pride Month, a month for blending celebration of the LGBTQ+ community with a recognition of the progress still to be made. It commemorates the Stonewall riots which occurred at the end of June 1969.
Building connections
“I love it here,” Bryant says. “I’ve found I’m not just meeting co-workers, I’m making friends.”
“From my internship and my graduate year, I’ve come to enjoy all the aspects of the work culture – even during the pandemic. It has allowed me to build relationships with my work colleagues, and to join a city I’ve never lived in before.”