Meet Jay: Xfinity Mobile Engineer
Minzhi "Jay" is an Xfinity Mobile Engineer at Comcast. He currently serves as the Community Service Lead in Comcast’s APA (Asian Pacific Americans) Employee Resource Group and volunteers as an Internet Essentials Ambassador.
“You will be awarded some great honor.”
Xfinity Mobile engineer, Jay doesn’t consider himself superstitious and didn’t give much thought to those words he discovered written on the inside his fortune cookie one night. However, the next day, Jay was shocked to learn the Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council recognized him with the Distinguished Corporate Volunteer award. On Tuesday, September 29, 2020, Mayor Kenney recognized Jay and 14 other Philadelphia volunteers and national service members who positively impacted their communities through national and volunteer service.
When it comes to giving back, Jay says he “lives and breathes service.” As Community Service Lead for APA, in 2019, Jay oversaw more than 700 volunteers that contributed over 3,000 hours of service through park cleanups, mentorship, and more. Some of the most successful events include volunteering to review scholarship applications for APIA Scholars (then nation’s largest provider of scholarships to AAPI students) and volunteering as tutors for members of the community studying for their citizenship interview.
Making a Difference
Originally from Fuzhou, China, Jay and his family immigrated to America when he was 7 years old. They settled down in Central PA and while growing up, Jay remembers the kindness of others that helped his family along the way- like Mrs. E, one of his grade school teachers who always extended patience and provided additional tutoring when he needed the help.
“My passion for giving back all comes from personal experience in understanding the challenges in the community through my lived experience as a low-income Chinese immigrant,” says Jay. “I was able to meet many kind souls throughout my journey who helped to elevate me to where I am today.”
It’s also why he decided to become an Internet Essentials Ambassador – a volunteer program for Comcast employees dedicated to helping raise awareness about Internet Essentials in local communities. Growing up, a program like Internet Essentials would have made a huge impact in his life, notes Jay. “Having high-speed internet at home is often times the thing needed to empower someone out of poverty.” However, many who are eligible for the program are unaware of it – often due to cultural or language barriers, says Jay. “That's why the main focus for me as an IE Ambassador is to leverage my position to ensure our underserved immigrant and refugee populations know about and have access to Internet Essentials.”
An avid cook, Jay is also passionate about sustainability and spends his downtime tending to his impressive rooftop garden at home. “I have a lot of fruit trees at home including a Meyers lemon tree, kumquat tree, fig bushes, blueberry bushes, and a pomegranate tree,” lists Jay. “I've also grown tomatoes, watermelon, peas, a variety of peppers, radishes, kale, and arugula in pots on my tiny roof deck.”
Working at Comcast
Growing up in PA and attending college at Drexel University, Jay knew about Comcast’s reputation as a leader in technology and was always interested in perusing a career there. As Quality Assurance Lead, Jay works to ensure the quality of Xfinity Mobile’s product and services, which means collaborating with different teams across the business. On any given day, Jay is partnering with the engineering, product, care, retail, and operations teams, to create solutions for our customers. “The best part of my job is the wide network of people I get to work with and the direct impact my role has on our customer experience.”
For people interested in working at Comcast, Jay shares his advice:
- Join all 8 ERGs so you stay plugged in on EVERYTHING that is happening
- Comcast Leaders are extremely generous with their time and are always open to having a coffee chat for 15-30 minutes. Take advantage of that!
- Don't let your job title limit you. Comcast is an amazing place to grow as a professional. If you always strive to find ways to help your team improve and don't say no to new projects/responsibilities, great things will happen.
