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Last year was the first year SAP marched in SF Pride and many prides globally. In SF we had over 350 employees, friends and family #RunProuder with SAP. We asked a handful of folks who attended last year to share their experiences and advice – here it is!
There’s still time to march with SAP at the SF Pride Parade this Sunday! Register here >>
SAP Employee Pannel
- Krist Elkin, I'm based out of the PAL office but (luckily) also work in SSF & SF. I live in beautiful San Francisco.
- Moya Watson HANA Cloud Platform product management @moyalynne
- Paul Meredith, Director, Global Customer Empowerment at SuccessFactors, San Francisco
- Erika Jackson Executive Assistant AND co-lead for Pride@SAP North America
- Magen Mintchev, SAPsv Marketing and Communications, Houston, @magenfit23
- Carrie Hall, Information Developer, South San Francisco
- David Horwitz, Sr. Marketing Manager, Palo Alto, @s_v_david
- Lauren Maser, SAP Silicon Valley Marketing and Community Engagement, @laurenmaser39,
1. Was this your first LGBT Pride?
- Lauren: Yes last year was my first time!
- Moya: no -- my first was marching with my daughter around 2006 when she was 2 years old. carried her on my shoulders for most of the way :smile:
- Paul: First time marching, although I have watched it many times on Market St.
- Erika: Nope! I marched with in the SF parade in 2000 with the Filipino Task Force on AIDS and several times in the San Jose parade with BAYMEC and First Unitarian Church of San Jose. Plus, i've been a spectator at least a half dozen other times.
- Magen Mintchev: Yes
- Carrie: Not my first LGBT Pride, I've marched with my partner's company the year before and have been as a spectator many times.
- David: Yes
- Krista: I attended the San Francisco Pride parade last year for the first time in several years, and I brought my niece with me for her first Pride experience (check out her rainbow shirt!) - she loved all the floats and costumes.
2. What was marching with SAP like?
- Lauren: Yes last year was my first time!
- Moya: Historic. Exciting. Colorful.
- Paul: Great fun! I took my wife and 2 boys and we all loved it.
- Erika: Wonderful and exhausting! Since I was on the steering committee, it felt amazing to see all of our hard work pay off. I loved seeing colleagues and their families and friends dancing in the streets.
- Magen: It was a lot of fun. I was excited to get an early start to my day, hop on BART with other Pride goers, and meet my colleagues for a day full of fun and to show Silicon Valley that SAP Runs Prouder.
- Carrie: It was fun … I was also new to SAP at the time, so I was able to get to know my co-workers better
3. What was your favorite part of marching with SAP?
- Lauren: Getting to walk with all of my friends and celebrating each other
- Moya: My parents, who are nearing their 80's, marched with me. They came to town and got a hotel room and stood and waited with us for all those hours and went through the whole parade with us. It was indescribably supportive and so reaffirming. I love them!
- Paul: Seeing colleagues I don't see often enough since I moved from Palo Alto to SSF.
- Erika: Watching @Jenny Dearborn dancing in the convertible and @Ferose V R carrying our SAP banner. So great to have support from the Palo Alto executive team.
- David: Spending the day partying in the street with colleagues and showing the world that SAP embraces diversity!
4. What was something unexpected you experienced while marching?
- Lauren: I didn't expect the amazing crowds! It was such a rush!
- Moya: I loved the photo an SAP friend took of folks wearing Oracle t-shirts AND SAP beaded necklaces. I loved it because it shows how Pride transcends any labels or competitions. Pride: The Great Equalizer.
- Paul: That people stayed to watch even though we were right at the back of the parade line.
- Erika: I was surprised at how energetic the crowd was, even though we were at the end.
5. What do you hope to see this year?
- Lauren: More executive engagement!
- Erika: Now that I've moved to Bellevue, I won't be at the parade this year. I will be following #runprouder on twitter and instagram, so please share all of your photos and insights!
- Magen: More people than last year.
- Krista: I’m really Looking forward to seeing an ever stronger SAP crowd at this year's Parade!
6. Any advice for folks marching with SAP this year?
- Lauren: Bring your friends! It's a great time!
- Paul: Hydrate and bring snacks! Also, you might be waiting a long time to start marching, so I would check where SAP is in the order and simply enjoy the parade as a spectator first before joining your colleagues.
- Erika : Stay hydrated. Wear comfy shoes. And have fun.
- David: Patience, since we don't know what our step-off time will be, and an open mind to just have fun with colleagues, friends, and family!