Staff Profiles: Amelia

This is part of series of posts to help people get to know the Chess.com team better. Today, we meet Amelia, whom you may have met already, if you've ever needed help at Chess.com!...

 Where do you live?

I live on the west coast of Florida, Clearwater, with my husband and two cats. My place is under a migratory bird path and we always see interesting birds flying overhead. I love it mostly though because of how close we are to the Gulf of Mexico. It's an easy bike ride to the beach.

How long have you worked for Chess.com?

I've worked here since February of 2012, and have been a member since 2008.

What do you do at Chess.com?

I help out with supporting the members of Chess.com. In Support, we answer your questions about the game of chess itself, technical issues you might be having, abuse issues, and suggestions and feedback.

Customer support as a general field is changing a lot -- for the better, I think. And I think we have one of the best teams in the world at Chess.com.

I've had a lot of jobs growing up - in restaurants (front and back of the house); flower shops — arranging, cleaning, driving; movie theaters — concessions and box office; amusement parks — concessions; airline industry — customer service, freight, secretarial work; and teaching at the college level.

I'm focused on Chess.com, and I'm very glad to be here! Here I get to help a lot of people, make new friends, and have fun, all of which are very important to me. :)

What do you like about working at Chess.com?

Most of all, I'm a people person, so I like my co-workers. The Support Team and the larger group of us are all completely amazing folks. And we all like having fun!

We have serious times, bugs that need to be fixed, and I feel that we all know how to work as well as play and we are all responsible to get things done.

At Support, we often get issues that can be difficult, but we talk to each other about how to best deal with these issues and get them resolved. Making the members happy makes me happy!

What are your other interests and hobbies?

When I'm not working, I play with pottery, reading, riding my bike, taking walks, going to concerts, and I bake cakes upon request.

With pottery, I like figuring out how to make the most comfortable and aesthetically pleasing handles for the mugs I make.

With reading, I like fiction and non-fiction: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Biographies, and cook books. My favorite right now is a series called The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. Set in the future, Cinderella is re-imagined as a teenaged cyborg mechanic from outer space and she and her pals (re-imagined Little Red Riding Hood/Scarlet, and Rapunzel/Cress) have to save the world from the manipulative queen Levana.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I would really like to naturally be able to talk with animals. I think they'd blow our minds with their knowledge.

0-0 or 0-0-0?

I'm working on my chess game. I will castle to either side, depending on my opponent. Sometimes, I don't castle at all.