Company & Culture

Meet Carolyn, Hooked on Seeing New Places

By Gretchen Dukowitz / October 21, 2015

Here’s another post in our blog series that features the stories of our talented team members from around the world.

Carolyn Cuykendall, Designer
Carolyn has been with AppDirect since May 2014.

So Carolyn, what do you do here at AppDirect?

Day to day, I get to work on a wide variety of design projects for internal and external communications at AppDirect. I love the chance to collaborate with and learn from so many talented and fun people.

What’s one of your favorite memories from the time you’ve been at AppDirect?

Partner Summit is our yearly event that we host for our partners and developers to get together and learn from one another and make connections. The Design team plays a big role behind the scenes, from designing the signage, collateral, and, gifts for attendees, to working on all of the presentations, to capturing the entire event on video.

Last year, the Design team spent the night before the first day of the Summit decorating the front of the venue, including wrapping 30-foot high columns in vinyl, on a two-foot-wide wobbly metal scissor-lift. I didn’t think I was afraid of heights—until then! But I look over and there's my manager Ben, super scared but still cracking jokes nonstop! It was a fun night.

How do you like to spend your time outside of the office?

I'm totally hooked on seeing new places, so normally this takes the form of road trips or the occasional plane trip. But San Francisco itself continues to surprise me. Even after having lived in the city for six or so years, I often see new, crazy, and inspiring things. From natural beauty like the waves crashing at the Sutro Baths or the fog rolling over Twin Peaks, to cultural diversions like alleyways in the Mission covered in murals, or people walking the streets in elaborate costumes on a normal Wednesday afternoon. This city never fails to keep you on your toes.

What’s a crazy memory you have about growing up?

I was an animal lover, sometimes to a really weird degree. My parents have a video of me as a four-year-old, on a hike, completely beside myself because they wouldn’t let me bring home a snake we'd seen on the side of the trail.

Interested in joining our team? Visit our careers page to learn more.