Welcome to UpKeep — Joan Phan

Welcoming Joan Phan to the UpKeep Family!

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We’re so excited to welcome Joan to the team this week! Joan is joining us as our Project Coordinator, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have her on board! Here is our interview with her!

We’re excited to welcome you to the UpKeep family today, Joan! Tell us a little about yourself! 

Hi there! My name is Joan but pronounced like Jo-Ann. Don't ask me, ask my parents. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California but more specifically in the San Gabriel Valley. I attended UCLA and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor's of Science in Biology. Fun fact: I have 7 other siblings (5 brothers and 2 sisters) and yes, we are all fully blood-related.

How did you first get into Operations?

My background has been heavily focused on healthcare and I've realized that I was more excited by the 'behind-the-scenes' of how companies operate. Operations was the perfect avenue to venture into that.

Why are you excited to join UpKeep?

Everything about UpKeep excites me! The entire team, the community we serve, our mission, and the transparency we hold as a company!

What are your first thoughts about the culture and team so far?

Everyone has been so welcoming since day one: from the very first call with the amazing Tyler the Recruiter to the first all-hands meeting with the entire company. I'm impressed with how vibrant the work culture is even while working remotely. 

Joan, you mentioned how you’ve been stranded while studying abroad in Europe. We’re really glad you’re safe, but how did that happen!? And to end things on a positive note, what was a highlight of your trip?

I'm pretty much cursed with missing flights and sleeping at airports. On one occasion, I decided to Uber to the airport in England because I thought this was a smart move. Alas, it was not and I missed my flight back home by 5 minutes :) On another occasion, we could not find our bus shuttle after a music event and had to sleep outside of a train station in the cold until the next morning. On a positive note, one of the highlights of my trip was visiting my favorite city, Florence, Italy, and going up to a rooftop to overlook the city and watch the sunset.

Finally, and most importantly, what would you be if you were a kitchen utensil?

I'd be chopsticks because they are basically smaller but more precise tongs. I like to think of them as a simple but complex utensil. Once you get the hang of how to use them, you can do so much with so little!

Welcome, Joan!