Zynga is continuing our celebration of Women’s History Month by spotlighting our female employees who work at our studios all around the globe. We spoke with Corey Harper, the Office Manager for the Casino Match team at our Chicago studio!

Corey was introduced to Zynga right out of college and has been with us for almost 8 years. She knew she would be a good fit for the role as she loves helping people and the notion of supporting those who work to “Connect the World Through Games” was exciting.

Throughout her time at Zynga, Corey has been active in the WAZ (Women at Zynga) group and has attended a number of their internal events. Corey says that the community has supported her in her career as she has had the opportunity to learn from other inspiring women and their experiences which has motivated her to achieve her goals.

Continue reading below to learn more about Corey, the mentors who have inspired her throughout her career, advice that she would give to her younger self and how she is #ChoosingToChallenge gender inequality.

Tell us a little bit about your background and what brought you to Zynga.

I started with Zynga as a Contractor in 2013 and was able to land a permanent job about a year later. Zynga was my first corporate job after college and it has been an awesome experience. When I first started at Zynga I didn’t know anything about the company but was aware of their Word with Friends game, as it was a popular game on campus. After working for the company and learning their mission statement of “Connecting the World Through Games,” I knew this company was right for me as I love helping people and what better job is there than helping the people who are connecting the world through games?!

What is your current role and responsibilities at Zynga?

I’m an Office Manager for the Casino Match Org at our Chicago office.

Tell us about joining WAZ (Women at Zynga) and what the group has brought to you & your career.

Joining Zynga’s WAZ (Women At Zynga) organization has been amazing. I was already surrounded by amazing women in the Chicago office but after being able to connect with even more women at Zynga, it has been such an excellent experience. I’ve learned so much just by chatting with the women in the organization and attending a lot of the events.

WAZ has supported me in my career as I have been able to learn from other women’s experiences, which has motivated me to work just as hard, knowing I can have the same opportunity as the amazing women I’m surrounded by. I’ve grown in my career due to the people I have been surrounded by and have become a better problem solver.

How have mentors/leaders helped or inspired you throughout your career?

My original mentors and “cheerleaders” were women in my own family who shared information about their own career paths. They provided me with mentorship, guidance and emotional support which gave me motivation.

My professional mentors/leaders/teachers at Zynga are Janice Lansing, Gemma Doyle, Evette Love, Nee Lee, Kate Pedone, Danielle Bentz, Heather Field, Heather Decker, Nubia Palacios, Ruby McKinley and Alicia Hendrickson. This said, the list goes on because there are so many women at Zynga who I have been able to connect with who have offered me advice and resources to help advance in my professional career. I have been inspired by many of the women here at Zynga and to see their growth in their career has been amazing.

What advice would you give your younger self?

The advice that I would give my younger self is not to be afraid of challenges and new ideas. Sort out what goals are important to achieve to make life happy because it is possible to achieve your dreams. In addition, I have gained knowledge and confidence by letting regrets go. I would tell myself that regrets can hold you back from facing the present and the future.

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) is #ChooseToChallenge (collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world. We can choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. From challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge). How have you chosen to challenge? Or have you been inspired by a leader or mentor in your life who has chosen to challenge?

I am a true supporter of human, economic and wealth equality and I have chosen to challenge gender inequality in the workplace by stepping up in productivity and being involved in female participation. I am inspired by the inauguration of Vice-President Kamala Harris; she proves that gender inequality is being reduced and equal opportunity does exist.

Being a single mom, I exemplify that women can definitely lead in serious decision-making.

Tell us a surprising fact about yourself.

A surprising fact about me is I’m very shy and I smile all the time to hide it. Some interesting facts about me are that I love to learn, I look for positivity in all things and most importantly, I believe “the sky’s the limit” for me!