Hive

When I think about Hive, I don't immediately think about AI agents, dashboards, or research papers. I think about the people.

Hive gave me something that's surprisingly rare, a place where curiosity wasn't just welcomed, it was expected. It was an environment where I could experiment freely, fail without fear, ask questions without hesitation, and celebrate the little victories that came from finally making something work.

Nobody expected me to know everything. They expected me to learn.

And that made all the difference.

I've always been someone who gets excited by a challenge, especially if it helps someone else. Most mornings, I'd walk into the office, find Hanson—usually the first person there—and cheerfully interrupt his morning with my very enthusiastic,

"Good morning Hanson! Can I help you with anything today?"

One morning, he smiled and handed me my first real "big girl project." Something wasn't right with our customer-facing profile. No one knew exactly why. So I started digging. I traced logs, followed breadcrumbs through FullStory, tested user journeys, and kept asking "what happens next?" until the pieces finally came together. The issue wasn't where anyone expected it to be. Our payment flow was breaking because one of our vendors was experiencing downtime. Customers couldn't log into their accounts because verification codes weren't being delivered.

I still remember presenting what I found during our Friday afternoon meeting. The room started with smiles. Then, as everyone realized how many customers had been affected, those smiles slowly disappeared. For a moment, I wasn't sure whether to feel proud that I'd found the problem or nervous about the magnitude of it.

I think I felt both.

That day taught me something I'll carry throughout my career:

Finding the problem is just as valuable as solving it.

Hive also taught me something about myself.

I don't give up easily.

If something doesn't work, I'll try another way.

If I don't know the answer, I'll learn it.

If someone needs help, I'll probably volunteer before they even ask.

Looking back, Hive didn't just teach me about AI.

It taught me confidence.

It taught me ownership.

It taught me that some of the best opportunities begin with a simple question:

"Can I help you with anything today?"